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Chapter Text

MONDSTAT 

Diluc really should’ve figured something was up when Kaeya failed to come into Angel’s Share to drink and be a general nuisance. 

The entire night came and went without a sign of the Cavalry Captain. 

At first, he didn’t think much of it. The knights were ineffective as always so it was likely Kaeya had been called out to clean up another’s mess. (Of course, he would rather die than admit it out loud, he had to say that Kaeya and Jean were the only members of the knights who actually got things done.) He ignored the nagging feeling in the back of his head, continuing to go about his evening. He ignored the worried quirk of a certain resident bard’s eyebrows when he asked about Kaeya. He ignored Huffman as he stepped inside, took one look around, went pale, and left. He ignored it all as he closed for the night. As he made his way back to the winery under the cover of darkness. 

He ignored it until he couldn’t any longer. 

The small signs that something was off converged into a bright, warning red flag. 

Because just at the path’s split between Springvale and Wolvendom, he saw them. 

Five or so knights were lying in pools of their own blood. 

That was enough to make his heart start beating faster, but that wasn’t what caught his attention like a vice grip. 

His eyes were fixed on the brightly shining cryo vision lying in the middle of the path. 

Kaeya’s vision. 

And next to it was his sword stabbed through a Fatui mask. 

---- 

LIYUE

It was a quiet afternoon at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. 

Zhongli hadn’t been called away on consulting work that day, letting him stay inside and sort through the mountain of documents and personal effects in the back room. The other workers seemed all too happy to leave that work to him. Not that he minded, of course. He quite liked the simple monotony of the task. 

He’d just finished for the day, placing some jewelry the deceased wanted to be passed onto their loved ones in a locked box when the feeling started to creep up on him. 

It was a sense of…unease. 

He couldn’t quite pinpoint the cause and that bothered him. 

Golden eyes flicked about the room. There wasn’t anything amiss inside. A short pulse of geo energy around him showed nothing was wrong either. It was normal. Everything was fine. 

So why did the prime adeptus have such a feeling of dread coiling in his stomach? 

Abruptly there was a sharp tug on the back of his consciousness. A bond that had laid dormant for hundreds of years since the other chose not to use it unnecessarily. (Unnecessarily meaning practically not at all.)

His bond with Xiao. 

He heard his yaksha’s voice. 

“Morax-!!” 

The call was short and suddenly cut off. 

It vanished as quickly as it came, alongside the feeling of dread and unease that had accompanied it. 

Zhongli was left standing in the middle of the parlor as confused and bewildered as the day he was born. 

Was that real? 

Or just in his head? 

He braced a hand against his forehead with a frown. 

It would seem…he had a yaksha to check up on during his next day off… 

---- 

SUMERU 

Run. 

Run. 

He had to keep running. 

His chest burned. His legs screamed. His head pounded. 

He had to keep running. 

He’d run through the desert, over the Wall of Samiel, and through the rainforest. 

He’d dodged three Withering Zones in his way. 

Even though he knew it was a bad idea, he strayed from the path whenever it seemed to veer off. 

He had to keep running. 

The sun had gone down and come up again during his trek. 

The blood dripping down his temple had long since dried and congealed.

He had to make it to Gandharva Ville. 

To Tighnari. 

He had to tell him. To warn him. To get help because he didn’t know what else to do or who to turn to. 

He had to make it.

Because Sethos dreaded thinking about what could happen to Cyno if he didn’t.

Chapter Text

It had all happened so fast. 

Kaeya had barely any time to register the Fatui’s presence before they attacked. 

He only managed to knock the mask off of one agent, his sword stabbing into the ground. A Geochanter had immediately summoned restraints of pure geo around his arms and legs. He fell to the ground, completely immobilized. He heard his fellow knights crying out in shock and fear. He tried to summon his cryo, to struggle, to do anything. 

But… 

But then there was a strong blow to the back of his head. 

And everything went dark. 

He rose to consciousness several times over what must’ve been a period of hours.

He was never able to stay awake long enough to get any sort of grasp on his surroundings. It was like clockwork. He’d wake up, he’d discern one or two things, then he’d hear some shuffling, feel a pinch in his arm, and then he’d drift off again. He’d just get fleeting glimpses of his predicament before being forced back into unconsciousness.

He figured out was blindfolded, gagged, and had his wrists tied behind his back. His legs were similarly bound together. He was folded into a curled-up position. He was lying inside something small and cramped, probably a box without a lid. He figured whatever he was on or it was open to the air since he never heard anything open or close above him before he was put under. He was moving constantly. There were always hushed voices around him. At some point, he heard some kind of loud bang, like something heavy was being set down beside him. 

The next time he arose from the murk of sleep after that sound, something was different. 

His wrists were still bound behind his back, but he could feel they were now metallic cuffs. He wasn’t curled up anymore, he seemed to be in a sitting position. He wasn’t blindfolded but he was still gagged. His eyepatch was gone. 

Kaeya opened his eye, keeping his right one closed out of habit. 

A chill went down his spine as he took in his surroundings. 

----

A swish of his spear and the last of the monsters were vanquished. 

There seemed to be more of them lately, especially tonight. Hilichurls were gathering closer than usual to the main road to the inn. It was strange, the way they acted. Like they were purposefully waiting to grab his attention. He was led further and further away from the inn. 

But…they lacked the usual karmic taint that always accompanied them before. 

Xiao found that odd. However, there might have been some other reason for the behavior change. Perhaps he could ask Lumine about it the next time she visited. It could be a Ley Line issue rather than a demonic one… 

The problem seemed to be solved for the night. 

The yaksha was about to dispel his spear when something caught his eye. An abandoned cart? It was suspiciously parked just off the road, the back end sticking out of the bushes. There was some kind of… medium-sized box carefully balanced on the edge. He tentatively took a step closer. His grip around his weapon tightened. There was something off about all this. Another step closer. 

A whizzing sound was his only warning. 

A sharp sting hit his arm. 

Xiao jerked around to face his assailant. He only caught a glimpse of white and blue and felt a heavy blow to his chest. His spear was ripped from his grasp. He stumbled backward, tripping over something he couldn’t see. He expected to fall onto his side on the ground but instead he was caught by a pair of arms. A spike of true fear shot through him. There had been someone behind him!? He tried to swing his arm to break free from his attacker’s grip but… 

His body stopped listening to him. He couldn’t move. 

The sting on his arm…had he been shot with some kind of tranquilizer dart!? 

A blindfold was quickly fastened over his eyes. A cloth gag was shoved in his mouth. His arms were yanked behind him with metal cuffs. He was carried like a helpless child before being deposited into…what felt like the box from the cart. He heard the distinct thunk of a lid being closed and locked. A few seconds later there was a low hissing sound. Something thicker than air entered his lungs. It made his throat spasm and he began to cough. Terror started to take over his rational thoughts. 

In his panic, he grasped at a bond he refused to use for centuries as not to bother the deity he served.

“Morax!!” 

He was only able to cry out once before his consciousness slipped through his grasp. 

---- 

Sethos had wanted to show him a mortuary temple that the Temple of Silence had recently rediscovered. Seeing no reason not to, he agreed. It was a good opportunity to hang out with his new brother anyway. (He’d never forget the bewildered look on Sethos’ face when he asked if he could list him as his brother in the Akademiya’s files.) They’d made it to the ruins without much trouble. It was only on their way out that problems arose. 

Cyno was no stranger to being ambushed in the desert. 

Much to Tighnari’s chagrin, it was a common occurrence for him to be intercepted by Eremites or other mercenaries hired by whatever scholar was trying to escape him. There were even a few times Fatui agents tried to get the jump on him. It didn’t bother him anymore, not since that first time with Taj. He would deal with it all the same. He would take them down without missing a beat, usually leaving them for some other Matra to bring back for judgment. It wasn’t hard. 

So then why was this situation so different? 

Asking himself that was probably a stupid question. There were obvious answers to that. 

For one, he wasn’t alone nor out in the open sands.

And secondly, it wasn’t just any group that had cut them off from the exit. 

It was Il Dottore. 

Cyno recognized the white clad figure and his mask the second they rounded the corner to the main hall. Initially he froze in place. 

“Ah, General Mahamatra Cyno. Just the man I’ve been searching for.” The harbinger eerily smiled at him. He grabbed Sethos by his wrist and pulled him behind him, much to the other boy’s confusion. 

“Cyno, what are you…?” 

“Stay behind me.” He hissed quietly. He summoned his spear and fell into a defensive position. 

“Dear me, is there need for such hostility?” Dottore tilted his head like the bird his mask emulated. Several Fatui agents fanned out from behind him, completely cutting off their exit. 

“What are you doing here, Dottore?” The general spat out this monster's name as if it were poison. It certainly left a bitter taste on his tongue, “The Fatui are not welcome in Sumeru.” 

“I simply happened to be in the neighborhood, looking for components for my latest round of experiments.” The way he said ‘experiments’ made a chill go up his spine, “I already have two of my main components. I’m just gathering the third before I go on my way.” 

“Third? And just what might that be?” 

Dottore’s grin grew wider. A pit opened up in his stomach. 

“That would be you, dear general.” 

The agents lunged. 

He tried to act faster. 

He tried to grab Sethos and pull him away.

The Fatui agents were quicker than he was. The next thing he knew he had an electro hammer slamming into the ground between them. The shockwave sent him flying into a pillar. His head collided harshly with the stone. Darkness and stars swirled across his vision. A loud ringing in his ears blocked out any nearby noise. A hand grabbed his hair. Cyno reacted mostly instinctually to summon a portion of Hermanubis’ power, ripping the hand away. His vision cleared just enough to see around him. His breath caught in his throat. Sethos lay in a crumpled heap not that far away with a small pool of blood expanding from his head. An agent loomed over him threateningly. 

“Sethos! Stay away from him!” Despite the pain in his head, Cyno leaped at the agent with his claws out.

But he didn’t get far. 

An arm suddenly wrapped his chest. He was yanked back against a solid force. His head was forced to the side, bearing his neck. He felt the distinct pinch of a needle against his skin. Something searing hot poured through his veins, leaching his strength and stopping his struggles. His vision started to darken again. 

Cyno lost his fight for consciousness with Dottore’s laughter echoing in his ears. 

---- 

“Well, my dear general, you certainly put up more of a fight than that Cavalry Captain. One could put your skills on par with the Last Yaksha.”

Chapter Text

This room was obviously some kind of prison cell. 

It was dimly lit and of medium size. There were three raised slabs of stone with mattresses on them. The door was set in such a way that one could look inside and see the entire room at a glance. There wasn’t any place to hide and try to ambush their captors. 

There was also the fact that he wasn’t alone there. 

Kaeya found that he was being restrained on the floor next to one of these slabs while another person was chained on the opposite wall from him. He had dark medium-length hair with teal undertones. He had pale skin with a green tattoo of some kind of bird around his upper right arm. Though his head was tilted forward in a state of unconsciousness, a purple diamond marking was visible on his forehead. He obviously wasn’t from Mondstat, in fact, he was dressed like someone from Liyue. 

The captain frowned, narrowing his eye at a third, unoccupied set of chains. A third “bed” and a third pair of restraints…but there were only two of them in the room. 

That obviously meant…there was going to be a third captive. 

He didn’t have anything else to do but keep taking in his surroundings, searching for any detail that might be of use to him later. This was some kind of Fatui plot involving him, this other person, and a third. Beyond that though…he knew nothing. 

And that left an unsettling feeling in his stomach. 

After an agonizingly long period, his cellmate shifted and let out a soft groan. He must’ve tugged on his wrists and found he was unable to move them since the very next moment his eyes flew open. Golden eyes that were more similar to a bird’s than a human’s looked wildly around the space before settling on him. 

“Who are you!? Where am I!?” He demanded. 

“The name’s Kaeya and I have just about as much of an idea as you do.” Kaeya sighed, tilting his head back against the wall. He jangled the chains behind him as emphasis, “I’m guessing the last thing you remember is being attacked by the Fatui?” 

“The Fatui…” Bewilderment flashed across his face, then it settled into a more annoyed expression, “Of course, they would be the ones behind this…no other group would be so brazen as to attack an Adeptus.” 

“You’re an Adeptus? You’re from Liyue then?” That confirmed what he thought based on the clothes, at least in terms of nationality. 

“Yes, I…I am called Xiao.” The Adeptus…Xiao…pressed himself against the wall behind him. He eyed the third set of chains the same way he had earlier. The same realization that Kaeya had earlier must’ve dawned on him as well. Suddenly he tensed and snapped his head towards the door. He must’ve heard something. 

The door swung open with a careless type of motion. 

And none other than Il Dottore strolled through. 

Kaeya’s stomach dropped to his toes. This was already a bad situation but seeing the person behind it… 

That just made it all the worse. 

It also didn’t help that he walked in with a small, limp figure in his arms. He couldn’t make out much more than a head of white hair and tan skin. 

“Ah, wonderful, you’re both awake.” The harbinger cheerily greeted them, “I trust the journey here wasn’t too rough?” 

“I’m sure it wasn’t. I wouldn’t know, however, seeing as I seem to have been kept drugged unconscious for the duration.” Kaeya met his false politeness with his own. He buried his fear like he always did. 

“Who are you and what do you want?” Xiao narrowed his eyes, watching not unlike a hawk as their captor set down the third captive underneath the unused set of chains. He quickly and efficiently chained him down. Probably as easily as he had chained him and the Adeptus. But wait…did Xiao not know who the man in front of them was? 

“Introductions will have to wait a moment.” Dottore reached into his coat, bringing out a syringe filled with a light-colored liquid, “Be patient for a little while longer, yes? I’ll wake our dear general and then we can begin our discussion.” After flicking the needle to disperse any air bubbles, he tilted the third captive’s head back. Whatever drug was in that syringe was quickly injected into his neck. 

Crimson eyes snapped open before the harbinger had put the needle away. 

---- 

It wasn’t every day that Tighnari was taken completely by surprise. 

He usually heard the footsteps of anyone who approached his hut long before they actually arrived. Today, however, he seemed to have gotten sucked in by studying a few flowers Lumine had brought back from Inazuma. He wasn’t paying attention to the outside world at all. 

The forest watcher nearly jumped out of his skin when he suddenly heard someone shouting his name. 

“TIGHNARI!” 

He turned around just in time to meet a pair of panicked green and golden-speckled eyes just before their owner stumbled to the ground. Thankfully before he could crack his head open on the wooden boards, Amir and Shirin caught him. 

“What the- Sethos!?” Tighnari darted to his side. He pulled the desert boy into his arms. His first concern immediately became the dried blood running down the side of his face. His second were the obvious signs of exhaustion and dehydration he was seeing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Collei starting to make her way over to them, “Shirin grab my kit from the table. Amir, I need you and Collei to get me some water.” Both of his subordinates and trainee nodded and went about their tasks. He looked down at his patient,”Come on, let’s get you properly inside.” 

“No..! We don’t have time! He needs us!” Sethos shook his head desperately, “There’s no time! We have to find him! Tighnari, we have to save him!” He started to try to sit up with little success. 

“Sethos, calm down. Breathe.” The forest watcher took a cloth from his pocket and dabbed some antiseptic on it. He began to clean off the dried blood from his forehead, “What’s going on? Who do we need to save?” 

“Cyno! He…he took Cyno! I-I…I wasn’t able to…I couldn’t…he just took him…Cyno is…” He seemed to be struggling to form words. His pupils were uneven in dilation. He had a concussion at the very least. It took a moment for the words he was speaking to sink in. 

“Cyno…?” Tighnari frowned. A pit of dread that he’d been ignoring until then made itself very known in his stomach, “Sethos…what happened? Who…who took Cyno?” 

“That guy…that guy with the strange…bird mask and white…white coat…Cyno knew who he was…” The desert boy’s brows furrowed together, “He said his name…it was, it was…his name was…” 

Collei and Amir came through the door. 

“Master, we brought the water-” 

“Dottore!” 

The room froze. 

Sethos grabbed the forest ranger’s arms in a tight grip. 

“The man who took Cyno, he called him Dottore!” 

----

The second that Cyno laid his eyes on his captor after being forcibly woken up, he fixed the man with a deadly glare. 

“Dottore!” He growled, “Where is Sethos!? What have you done to him!?” 

“Hush now, general. Can’t you see we are not alone?” Dottore stepped back, spreading his arms outward. He glanced to the side. 

“What is this…?” His eyes went wide. His heart rose into his throat. 

There were two other people in this room with them, both chained similarly to him. One of them, the one with the blue hair, looked somewhat familiar but he couldn’t place him at that moment. The other was dressed like he was from Liyue and had avian pupils. 

“Well, now that we’re all awake. Proper introductions are in order.” Ignoring his question, the harbinger clapped his hands together, “For the one who likely doesn’t know who I am,” His head inclined toward the Liyuean, “I am number 2 of the Fatui Harbingers, you may call me The Doctor. As for who each of you are…” He stepped towards the blue-haired man, grabbing his chin and tilting his head back. The single eye that was visible narrowed in disgust, “Here we have the Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius, Kaeya Albrich. A descendant of the Albrich clan of Khaenri'ah.” The blue-haired man, Kaeya, stiffened but otherwise didn’t seem to react to that information being revealed. Dottore seemed satisfied with it, however, and let his face go. He walked over to the Liyuean and gripped his cheeks with one hand, forcing his head back as well. The Liyuean growled, trying unsuccessfully to remove the psychopath’s grasp, “And here is the Adeptus Xiao, the last of Morax’s five foremost Yakshas, General Alatus, known throughout Liyue as The Vigilant Yaksha and The Conqueror of Demons.” Like he had with Kaeya, the harbinger let go of Xiao’s face once he was done talking. He stood in front of Cyno now, grasping a handful of his hair. Like before, his head was tilted back too, “And of course last, but not least, General Mahamatra Cyno of the Akademiya. The now singular vessel of the god-priest, Hermanubis.” He tried not to let the sudden rush of fear that went through him show on his face. It probably wasn’t successful since Dottore chuckled. He let him go, stepping back toward the door, “I have a few things I need to take care of before we can begin our experiments. Take this time to…get to know one another, why don’t you?” The harbinger swept out the door before any of them could say anything else. 

Before Cyno could find out what that monster had done to Sethos.

Chapter Text

“The man who took Cyno, he called him Dottore!” 

Upon hearing that name, her body instinctively froze with a jolt of fear. She watched Tighnari stiffen too, his tail bushing out. 

Then the words truly hit her. 

Dottore had taken Cyno. 

Dottore had taken Cyno. 

Dottore had taken Cyno. 

The one who had sealed the god remains inside her. The one who had brought her to her new home in the forest. The one who, as she had come to learn later, probably understood her the most. 

Tighnari glanced back at her, worry and poorly concealed terror shining in his eyes. In his arms, Sethos broke down into shuddering sobs. From what she could tell, he seemed to be apologizing repeatedly for not protecting Cyno. 

The mark at the back of her neck itched. Her breath caught in her throat. 

Then the fear…turned to anger. 

How…how dare that monster come back into her life like this!? How dare he even think about laying a hand on the people she loved!? 

“We need to tell Lesser Lord Kusanali.” Collei clenched her hands around the waterskin she was holding. 

“Alright…yeah…” She’d never heard Tighnari sound so shaken, “I…I’ll go. Collei, stay here with-” 

“No!” She shouted, “I’m not staying behind!” 

“Collei-” 

“If you’re going to Sumeru City, I’m coming too! Cyno needs all of us to help him!” 

“Me too…” Sethos sniffled, drawing back and wiping his tears.

“No, you have to stay here.” Her master furrowed his brows, “You’re in no state to be walking across the room much less the entire way to Sumeru City!” 

“Then carry me.” Green eyes stared at them pleadingly, “ Please. There’s still…there’s still things I think I should tell you. But…but we don’t have time!” 

“Fine. Fine. I’ll bring you both with me.” Tighnari sighed. It was obvious that he was displeased with the idea, but like Sethos had said they didn’t have the time to argue about it. Grumbling the whole time, he allowed Collei to help him shift the desert boy up onto his back. 

They set out to Sumeru City. 

To inform their Archon and hopefully begin their mission to get Cyno back.  

---- 

This feeling of fear and helplessness was not one Xiao had felt for a long….long time. Not even back at The Chasm when he had just sent Lumine and the others away, when the platform shattered beneath him, did he feel like this. 

The last time he could recall being in such a position was probably… 

…probably all the way back when he was still under his previous master’s control. 

The scars on his back twinged at the thought. 

The white-haired one, Cyno, immediately started struggling against his restraints the second they were left alone. 

“Doing that is useless.” Kaeya sighed, leaning his head back against the wall, “Trust me, I’m sure I have the chafed wrists to prove it.” 

“Had to try at least.” Cyno huffed but stopped his futile attempts at escape. He glanced almost curiously in Xiao’s direction, “How long have you been here?” 

“I don’t know.” The yaksha shook his head, “I only awoke a few moments before this…Dottore person brought you in.” 

“So you’ve never met him before?” 

“No. You have?” 

“Not in person, no. But someone very close to me has some…history with him.” 

“I see.” 

“I have to say, this wasn’t quite how I was expecting to ever run into you, Cyno.” Kaeya somehow found it in him to smile slightly. 

“Likewise, Sir Kaeya.” Cyno nodded back. 

“You two…know each other?” Xiao asked. 

“Well, not really. More like we have some mutual acquaintances.” The captain shrugged, “The Head Librarian of the Knights of Favonius headquarters happens to share the same teacher with him. So I tend to hear about him a lot. He and my partner, Albedo, also exchange letters every once in a while. And we both know a girl named Collei. She’s…well she’s the one with history with Dottore. Speaking of which, he called you a… a yaksha was it?” Kaeya asked. He nodded, “If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly does that mean? I don’t think I’ve ever heard that term before.” 

“That does not surprise me considering neither of you seem to be from Liyue.” Xiao maneuvered his legs the best he could so he was able to sit cross-legged. It was a bit awkward with his wrists trapped behind his back, but he managed. It was hardly the most uncomfortable position he’d ever been forced in, “To put it simply, I’m an Adeptus who specializes in cleansing the remains of wrathful gods. Although we seem to have no choice in this matter, I would advise against getting too close to me. The karmic debt I have accumulated from my task is harmful to mortals…” He didn’t know what that mad doctor was thinking, putting something like him so close to others who could end up affected by his darkness. 

“God remains…” For some reason, that made Cyno go pale. A look of realization shone in his eyes, “That’s why he’s interested in you…” 

“I figured as much.” He slumped back against the wall. As soon as Dottore mentioned him being the last of the Yaksha, he knew what it was about.

“Somehow, I have a feeling that this…karmic debt of yours will be the least of our concerns in the near future.” Kaeya’s eye drifted toward the door, “Whatever Dottore has planned will be undoubtedly unpleasant.” 

With nothing else to do, they were reduced to making idle conversation with each other. It…honestly reminded him a bit of that brief rest period down in the Chasm. He had the same gnawing feeling of dread in his stomach that he had back then too. Again he was trapped in a small space with others that were undoubtedly going to be harmed by his karmic debt. Again, there wasn’t anything he could do about it. This helpless feeling…he didn’t like it one bit. 

Xiao’s ears caught the sound of footsteps approaching the door. 

“He’s coming back.” The yaksha warned the other two. 

They barely had time to brace themselves before the door swung open again. This time, Dottore wasn’t the only one who entered. He was followed by several Fatui soldiers. 

“All the preparations have been made.” The harbinger grinned, “It’s time to begin our experiments. We’ll start with the yaksha.” He snapped his fingers. 

Xiao heard some kind of beep come from behind him. Then suddenly he felt a sharp pinch on the inside of his wrists. A gasp left his lips before he could stifle it.

“What the-!?” His body began to feel heavy. He couldn’t move as the Fatui by his sides grabbed his arms, yanking him up to his feet. Whatever was connecting his cuffs to the wall was disconnected. He had no choice but to hang limply in their grip. 

“Get your hands off of him!” He heard Cyno shout.

It was useless as he was basically dragged out of their cell and straight into a spacious lab. The cuffs around his wrists were taken off. He was quickly laid out across a metal table. There were leathery restraints connected to it, however they were not used. They probably didn’t see the point considering he could hardly lift his head.

“Let’s get rid of those clothes for now, shall we?” Dottore leaned over the yaksha with an ominously giddy aura about him and a pair of cloth-cutting scissors in his hand. 

“D-don’t you dare touch me!” A wave of unfamiliar panic washed over him. As much as he wanted to thrash, struggle, and fight, his body wouldn’t listen to him. The vajra around his neck and the censer on his waist were taken off, followed by his gloves, boots, and shoulder pauldron. Having these things taken from him alone was bad enough, but then… 

The harbinger reached for his Nuo Mask. 

“NO!” Instinctively, he called on his power to warp away. He only got about two or three feet away from the table. For a brief second, he was standing on his feet again, and then he collapsed into somewhat of a sitting position. 

“Well, now that was certainly unexpected.” Dottore’s boots entered his line of sight. The yaksha tried to lift his head to glare at him. It didn’t work. He couldn’t move again. He couldn’t grasp onto the elements again. His bangs were grabbed, his head forcibly tilted back, “Capable of wielding the Anemo element without your vision. That is quite interesting.” 

“Get…away from me!” Xiao growled, “I won’t…let you get away with this!” 

“Oh but I have, dear little yaksha.” The harbinger’s other hand tugged his Nuo Mask off his belt, “You, the General Mahamatra, and the Cavalry Captain are mine to do with as I please.” 

“I refuse to submit to someone like you. What you are claiming, us being yours, it can’t be done.” He narrowed his eyes. His lips curled in a snarl, “I have been tortured by ancient gods before. The weight of my Karmic Debt is an agony I fight with every day. I highly doubt there is anything a man like you can do to me that hasn’t already been done. Pain will get you nowhere with me.” 

“That sounds like a challenge I’m eager to overcome. Well, in time that is. I’m well aware of you and your cellmates' resistance to pain. One can train themselves to accept incredible amounts of pain, as I’m sure you have. You can handle pain, yes. But, can the same be said for pleasure?” 

Xiao’s heart stuttered in his chest. 

“What…?”

Chapter Text

A few days had passed since Kaeya had gone missing and they were no closer to finding him than they were before. 

And Diluc was this close to losing his mind. 

Beyond the single Fatui mask, Kaeya’s vision, his sword, and the other knights there were little to no clues. It was a miracle that none of the knights that Diluc had stumbled across were killed. For however inefficient the Knights of Favonius were, they were at least quick enough to get them to the Cathedral once the word was reached. And they were even quicker when it came to the investigation. 

It was a far cry from how the investigation into his father’s death had gone… 

Jean had been the one to take his statement the first night. Lisa had him point out where Kaeya’s vision had laid. She and Amber began tracking elemental traces right away. Even Albedo had come down from his lab on Dragonspine faster than he’d ever seen the alchemist return. When Diluc asked Jean about the urgency in which he moved and spoke he got a rather…startling answer. 

“Because Albedo is the captain of the Investigation Team…and he’s Kaeya’s partner.” 

Kaeya…had a partner? When did that happen? And why didn’t anyone tell him about it? (Well, actually…it kind of made sense why no one told him. It wasn’t like it was his business anymore.) 

While the knights were doing their investigation, Diluc delved headfirst into his own. He seemed to have just as much luck, though. Which is to say, none at all. The only thing that any of them could say for absolute certainty was that Kaeya had been taken as part of some Fatui plot that none of the agents currently in Mondstat knew about. 

Other than that…nothing. 

The winery owner trudged into the dreaded Knights Headquarters with a sigh. He hated coming into this building. But he promised Jean that he’d check in, so here he was. Unsurprisingly, she was in her office with Lisa. What was surprising was the presence of Venti and Albedo on the couch. The latter of the two seemed to be asleep, clutching Kaeya’s vision in a tight grip. Diluc opened his mouth to question, loudly, what that bard was doing there but a sharp glare from Lisa quickly made his mouth snap shut. 

“I just got Albedo to take a break.” The librarian whispered, “Do not wake him up.” 

“Okay. But what is Venti doing here?” He lowered his voice. 

“Why wouldn’t I be here, Master Diluc?” The bard, in an uncharacteristically serious tone, raised an eyebrow, “One of Mondstat’s children is missing. To lend my assistance, I am more than willing.” 

“That doesn’t answer my question at all.” 

“Master Diluc, have you found anything?” Jean stepped forward. 

“No. Nothing.” 

“I expected as much.” Venti sighed, gazing out of the window with a troubled expression, “The winds haven’t been able to find him either. The ones from Liyue have been acting strange though…” 

“Strange how?” 

“Like they’re mourning. No…it’s more like they’ve lost something and are trying to find it again. It’s weird.” 

“Do you know when these…winds started acting like this?” Lisa asked. 

“I think…it was the same night that Kaeya went missing.” 

Diluc leaned closer to the Acting Grand Master, “Uh, Jean, does Lisa know who he is or…?” 

“She does.” 

“Oh. So you haven’t found anything either, then.” 

“No. Unfortunately not.” Jean slumped down into her chair, holding her head in her hands, “I just don’t understand. What could the Fatui possibly want with Kaeya?” He shook his head helplessly. He had at least some idea, but he wasn’t sure. He didn’t want to say anything out loud on the off chance that he was wrong and he’d just outed Kaeya’s nation of birth for no good reason. 

“MASTER JEAN!” 

Suddenly the door to the office flew open. 

Diluc didn’t hesitate to summon his claymore as he twisted around. From the couch, Albedo leapt to his feet, summoning his sword. 

Amber froze in the doorway at the two blades pointed her way. 

“Stand down, boys.” Lisa pushed the winery owner’s claymore out of the way. 

“Outrider Amber, did you find something?” Hope shone in Jean’s eyes. She sat up straighter. 

“An urgent message arrived from Sumeru’s Akademiya!” The outrider held out an important looking envelope. 

“The Akademiya…” 

“Oh, is it from Buer?” Venti popped up by her side like the little gremlin that he was.

“Let’s see.” Jean took the envelope from her hands. She opened it without much trouble. It took about every ounce of self control Diluc had to not step closer and read over her shoulder. Especially as the color started to drain from her face the more she read, “Diluc…you need to read this.” He wordlessly took the paper from her, reading the letter. 

“To the Acting Grandmaster of the Knights of Favonius. 

We hope this letter finds you as well as can be, given the circumstances. By now you have likely noticed that the Cavalry Captain, Kaeya Albrich, is missing. We have information that indicates the Fatui Harbinger, Il Dottore, also known as The Doctor, is responsible for his abduction. The Doctor has also abducted General Mahamatra Cyno as well as a yaksha commonly known as The Conqueror of Demons. In light of this information, a separate letter has been sent to the Liyue Qixing to inform them of the situation. We are asking for your assistance and offering our own in turn should you need it. 

• Lesser Lord Kusanali.” 

---- 

With his body refusing to move on its own, it was laughably easy for Dottore to place him back on that metal table. To add insult to injury, he didn’t bother strapping him down either. 

Xiao’s arm was pulled out to the side, palm facing upward. A tight band was wrapped around his bicep. A thin needle connected to a tube was pushed into his skin. 

“What are you…?” The yaksha’s throat felt dry and tight, “What is that?” 

“Oh this little thing?” Dottore twisted some kind of knob on the tube and…his own blood was being drawn into it from the needle, “I’m just collecting baseline samples from each of you today, provided you behave. This is just a blood sample. Nothing too scary, right?” 

“Don’t mock me!” He hissed. 

“I wouldn’t dream of mocking such a mighty and illuminated Adeptus.” 

“You-!!” 

The tube filled with blood within minutes, and then the needle was swiftly taken out of his arm. It was set somewhere off to the side. The next few minutes went by in a blur. These so-called ‘samples’ were taken with a clinical efficiency that revealed how experienced his captor was in these things. The thought was horrifying. It left a nauseating feeling in the yaksha’s stomach. How many times had the harbinger done this? How many people had been put in the same position as him? Several strands of his hair were plucked with great care to keep the root intact. Fingers forced his mouth open so saliva could be collected. His fingernails were trimmed, the clippings being kept for reasons he couldn’t comprehend. His heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen levels were measured. A pair of stirrups were attached to the bed. His clothes were swiftly cut off  His legs were forcibly spread apart, his ankles were strapped to the stirrups.

“No, stop!” Xiao desperately tried to will his body to move, to kick at his captor or cover his lower half with his hands but it just wouldn’t work. 

“My, my, what is this?” A pleased smirk graced Dottore’s face, “You have a vaginal opening instead of the male genitalia? Why is that, dear Yaksha?” 

“I…I don’t have to answer the likes of you.” An embarrassed flush colored his cheeks. He shot the harbinger with a venomous glare. The reason for his body to take this particular form was simple. He was an avian adeptus and that translated into certain traits being carried over into his human shape. His lower half just happened to be one of them. The other major trait had long been stripped from him. But he had no intention of telling this madman anything.

“I don’t think you quite grasp your position just yet.” A shudder ran through him as he felt a soft brush against his slit, “It would do you good to learn to shut that impertinent mouth of yours and just tell me what I wish to know. Of course, I will find out for myself anyway, so why not just avoid unnecessary trouble?” 

“Y-you…ghh!” His teeth grit together, “No matter what sick things you have planned for me, you will not break me.” He knew he was just repeating himself from earlier. He couldn’t care less.

“Yes, yes, you’ve made yourself quite clear in that regard.” Dottore sighed, “We’ll see about that later. For now, let’s see what we’re working with down here.” Gloved fingers spread his slit apart. 

“Get your hands off me!” The yaksha felt acid creep up his throat with his rising panic. 

“Oh ho ho, this is quite interesting. ” 

“Stop!” 

“I suppose considering your line of work, it makes sense.” 

“Shut up!” 

“Truly this is an amazing opportunity!” 

“Shut up! Shut up!” 

“Rodya, Tanya, Jora, get in here now!” 

Xiao’s throat closed up. More people, more enemies, were going to view his vulnerable state. Shame flooded his being. He let his eyes fall shut with a shaking breath. 

He heard three pairs of footsteps enter the room. 

“Lord Dottore, sir! What do you need us to do?” 

“Go and grab the Captain and General. Bring them in here.” 

“No! Leave them out of this!” The yaksha shouted, his eyes flashed open. He glared at the three Fatui agents, but they didn’t seem to notice or care. They walked straight over to the door he’d been dragged out of. 

Several minutes later, Kaeya and Cyno were pulled through the doorway. The captain didn’t appear to bother struggling, he simply let them maneuver him around with an unimpressed look on his face. Cyno, however, was having none of it. It took two of the three agents to keep their hold on him. They were both shoved down onto their knees a few paces away. Xiao looked away before their eyes could meet, before he had to see the expressions on their faces as they realized what was happening. He closed his eyes again. 

“What is this about, Dottore? What are you doing to him?” Kaeya’s voice came short and cold, with an underlying tone of anger. 

“I’ve heard that in Liyue some people believe that rivers are Adepti saliva and grass Adepti hair. Of course, we know that to be nonsense, but I can’t help but wonder…” He heard Dottore move around him. From the clinking of metal, he figured that he was setting…something up. Something he didn’t care to know about, “If we were to operate under the same principles as that legend, what would the blood of an Adeptus’ broken hymen be?” 

“You wouldn’t dare, ” Cyno growled. There was a long period of silence broken only by more metallic noises. A startled yelp left the yaksha’s lips as he suddenly felt his slit being spread apart again, “Dottore! Don’t you fucking touch him!” 

“Gag him, please.” 

“Stay back! Don’t get any closer to- mpphh!” 

“Stop, don’t hurt him!” Xiao looked back over at the other two captives. He opened his mouth to insist that they leave the general alone but the second he did… 

A sharp, burning pain erupted from between his legs. 

“Nngh!” A full-body jerk shot through him. His…his hymen was…the last part of him that he could say was unsullied and pure… it was being torn apart. No, calling it ‘torn apart’ would make it sound like this was some kind of violent attack. This was slow, methodical, and torturous in a way he previously thought impossible. It was a violation of the contract he had made when he became a yaksha. Since their karmic debt was so deadly it was highly encouraged that they refrain from sexual encounters. That had never been a problem for Xiao before, he’d never had any interest. But now…, “Morax…Rex Lapis…I’m sorry I…I’m sorry.” The apologies in his mind to his god left a bitter taste in his mouth. 

“I know it’s painful, Adeptus Xiao, but please bear with me for a bit longer.” Dottore cooed. Something cold and glasslike, most likely a test tube or similar container, was pressed against the bottom of his opening. He was…collecting the blood from… 

Xiao was going to be sick . He wanted to scream, cry, sob, and yell at this monster that was doing this to him but most of all he just wanted this to stop . 

As if sensing this, or maybe he just had amazing timing, Kaeya spoke up. 

“What is the point of you showing us this, Dottore?” The captain’s tone was similar to the one he’d displayed earlier. Cold and cutting. 

“It’s simple, Captain Kaeya.” The harbinger finally, finally, stepped away, taking his tools with him, “There are so few Adepti anywhere, and only one remaining yaksha. Is it not a momentous occasion for one’s virginity to be broken, one to be witnessed by many?” Kaeya’s reply was as short and to the point as everything else he’d said and it echoed the thoughts of all three captives.

“You really are insane.”

Chapter Text

It was worrying that after Dottore’s little ‘operation,’ Xiao didn’t say anything. He remained limp and quiet as a light blue medical gown was forced over his head; his eyes were hazed and distant. Two cuff-like bracelets were fashioned onto his wrists. One of the agents plucked the yaksha off the bed and set him down on a cot. 

Kaeya didn’t fight them when they pulled him to his feet and pushed him towards the metal bed. The cuffs were taken off, but he still made no move to do anything. He didn’t see much point in it at the moment. It wouldn’t benefit any of them. No, it would be better to conserve his energy. To look for the ideal opportunity to strike. So he let Dottore cut off his clothes and take his ‘samples’ without fuss. He didn’t necessarily cooperate, but he didn’t actively resist. 

Unlike the captain, Cyno fought back the entire time. Or at least until he was injected with, presumably, the same drug that limited Xiao. After that, he wasn’t able to physically struggle anymore. The same routine of ‘sample collection’ was followed there too. Both of them were fitted with the same medical gown and strange bracelets. 

Thankfully, after that the three captives were pushed back into their cell and left alone. Apparently the madman needed a few days to go over the ‘samples’ or something. 

“ Well I was right when I said earlier that it was going to be…deeply unpleasant. ” Kaeya groaned. He got up to his knees and looked over at the other two. 

Xiao had slightly curled into himself on his side, his expression was still dazed. Cyno was obviously trying to get up but wasn’t succeeding very much, the drug was still strongly affecting him. 

Wordlessly the captain helped Cyno to a sitting position against the wall. Then he very carefully moved Xiao to the closest bed to them. He didn’t react to being moved at all. That was…concerning. 

Someone with the moniker ‘the Vigilant Yaksha’ shouldn’t be this limp and compliant. 

---- 

“Hey Zhongli! What did you need Paimon and Lumine for?” 

The cheery voice of Paimon brought an odd sense of relief to Zhongli. It had been days since the strange incident with the sudden feeling of dread and Xiao’s cut off voice. Days without a word from the yaksha and no opportunity to check in on him in person. He called out to the wind one night, a method that always got a response before, but there was nothing this time. 

He’d sent word to the Adventurer’s Guild that he required the help of a certain blonde traveler and her companion. He knew that he wouldn’t have to wait long for her to come to him after that. Perhaps a day at most. So he decided to stay at his usual spot, listening to Iron Tongue Tian’s stories. 

And that is where Lumine and Paimon found him. 

“Thank you for agreeing to meet me on such short notice.” Zhongli nodded and stood, “Will you be willing to walk with me while I explain the situation?” 

“Of course.” Lumine agreed. The trio began to move down the street, heading towards the outskirts of Liyue Harbor. 

“Have you heard from or seen Xiao at all in the past few days?” He asked.

“No. We haven’t.” Her brows furrowed in a characteristic expression of concern, “Why?” 

As they walked further, he explained as best he could the events of a few days earlier. The sudden and intense feeling of dread followed by the sound of Xiao’s voice calling for him. The cry only came once and seemed to cut itself off. From that point onward, he’d neither heard nor seen the yaksha. He hadn’t had the time to check on him himself before now, however. And during that time the sense of dread he had experienced before gradually started to return. 

They reached Wangshu Inn by the time the former archon finished. 

“That’s all really weird, why would Xiao call for you and then not respond when you call for him?” Paimon wondered aloud, “That doesn’t sound like him at all!” 

“You are correct, it is highly out of character for him.” Zhongli nodded, “Which is why I reached out to you.” 

“Right. So we’re here to look for him?” Lumine headed straight to the elevator. He nodded again, “We should ask Verr Goldet about the last time he was here.” 

The trio did just that, going up to the front desk and inquiring about the last time the yaksha was seen. 

“Xiao? Now that you mention it…” Verr Goldet hummed thoughtfully, closing her eyes, “I don’t think I’ve seen him in the past couple days. He usually checks in at least once a day when he comes back from patrols but he hasn’t been doing that recently…has something happened?” 

“We’re attempting to find that out.” The pit of dread in the former archon’s stomach dug deeper. Checking in every day with the boss of Wangshu Inn was something Zhongli had personally asked Xiao to do. So for him to not do so…that was very unlike him, “When exactly was the last time you saw him?” 

“I think it was about three or four days ago as he was leaving. I believe he mentioned the unusually high number of hilichurls near the main road.” 

“Other than the…unusual number of hilichurls, have you noticed anything strange or out of the ordinary since that day?” 

“No.” 

“Thank you, we’ll be on-” 

“Lumine? Paimon? What are you doing here?” An unfamiliar voice came from behind them. Both Lumine and her companion whipped around much faster than the former archon. Standing at the top of the stairs was a young man with brilliant red hair and eyes. Just behind him was another young man with blonde hair and teal eyes. They both were looking at the traveler in surprise. 

“Diluc!? Albedo!?” 

---- 

Venti was not happy about being forced to wait downstairs with Lisa and Amber while Diluc and Albedo secured a room for the night. Stopping at the Wangshu Inn was his idea dammit! And he had a really good reason to go up to the top floor! Granted…it wasn’t like he’d told anyone why it was so important to stop here… 

He hadn’t told them that he knew who the last yaksha was. 

It wasn’t like he was trying to hide it or anything, it just…didn’t really come up between Diluc and Lisa’s angry outbursts and the sudden flurry of plans to go to Sumeru. 

The bard groaned, slumping against the railing. 

“What is it?” Lisa crossed her arms over her chest, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. 

“There’s something I have to check here. On the top floor that Master Diluc has somehow decided I shouldn’t go to.” Venti glanced upward. The wind curled around him in a soft breeze, whispering that a certain blockhead was just upstairs. He didn’t know if Morax knew yet but he felt like he had to be the one to break the news to him. Xiao was the closest thing Morax had to a son… 

“Does it have something to do with the third person in the note?” Amber asked softly, “The…what were they called?” 

“The Conqueror of Demons.” The bard finished, “I…yeah kind of. It has something to do with him.” 

“You know who he is?” 

“Yeah…” 

“So do you know what Dottore could want from him?” A spark of electricity flickered between Lisa’s fingers. 

“Uh, maybe? I’m actually not-” 

“Tone-Deaf Bard is here too!?” A familiar high-pitched voice exclaimed nearby, “And Lisa and Amber!? Seriously Master Diluc what is going on here!?” The three of them turned around to face the stairs. Sure enough, Diluc and Albedo had returned with none other than Lumine and Paimon and not that far behind him…

“Mor-ah wait, Zhongli!” Venti all but teleported in front of his fellow archon, floating upward to grab him by his shoulders, “Please tell me you’ve seen Xiao in the past few days!” 

“I’m sorry I…” Zhongli blinked in surprise and then his face fell into a more worried expression, “I have not…” 

“Dammit.” The bard slumped back to the ground. 

“Okay, for real this time, what. Is. Going. On!?” Paimon stomped on the air, her cheeks puffing out in frustration, “First Xiao is missing and now all of you just show up and these two-” She pointed at Diluc and Albedo, “-won’t tell Paimon anything about why they’re here!” 

“I just think it’d be easier to explain after you read the letter we got.” Diluc rummaged through one of the bags, pulling out the note that they’d gotten from Sumeru. Lumine delicately took it and began to read. Her eyes narrowed and widened at certain parts. Paimon read over her shoulder and the horror on her face was obvious. 

“Zhongli, you need to read this too.” The blonde-haired traveler shakily offered the paper to the old dragon. 

“Wait, are you sure?” Amber interjected, “Can we…trust this guy…?” Despite the seriousness of the situation, Venti could help but let out a loud laugh. 

“Oh, trust me, my dear Outrider, if there’s one person in Liyue that we can trust. It’s Mr. Zhongli of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.” His mirth disappeared. He plucked the letter from Lumine’s grasp and handed it fully over to Zhongli, “And if there’s anyone who deserves to know where Xiao is and what has happened to him, it’s him.” He watched the other archon’s expression intently, pinpointing the exact moment that the true situation dawned on him. It was the same realization that the bard himself had not too long ago. 

That Kaeya Albrich, a child of Mondstat no matter his nation of birth and the mission placed on his young shoulders, had been stolen from right under their noses by a mad scientist obsessed with godhood. That the same man had taken Xiao, who by all accounts was Morax’s son and carried the same blessing of Anemo as Venti. And he had also stolen somebody he could only assume was equally as precious to the Dendro Archon. Somebody that Lisa and Albedo knew personally. 

Outwardly, Zhongli seemed to remain calm, handing the letter back to Diluc. But just by looking at his eyes anyone could tell what he was feeling. The next words that came out of his mouth confirmed it. 

“We’re going to Sumeru.”

The old dragon was angry.

Chapter Text

He was starting to get a headache. 

Really shouldn’t have been the most pressing of his concerns at the moment, but it was the most annoying. The lights felt like they’d gotten brighter, as unlikely as that was. But hey, at least Cyno could move his limbs again. 

Xiao still seemed quite out of it, so despite his warnings about getting too close earlier, he took the yaksha’s hand in his own. He gently rubbed circles into his palm with his thumb. 

“What are you doing?” Kaeya asked from his cot. For the past few minutes he’d been focused on picking at and examining the strange cuffs around his wrists. The same ones they all had. 

“Trying to ground him.” Cyno replied simply. It took but a few moments for the yaksha to come back to them. He made a questioning chirrup sound that previously he’d only ever heard Tighnari make when he was waking up. 

“Hnn…what are you…?” Gold eyes returned to the present. He attempted to sit up, but suddenly he tensed and cried out, the hand not being held braced against his stomach. 

“Maybe don’t try to sit up right now.” The general guided him to lay back down on his side. Strangely, he didn’t make any move to remove his hand from his grip, despite him deliberately keeping it lax so he could pull away if he wanted, “Besides the obvious, how are you feeling?” 

“I…I don’t know.” Xiao shook his head, “When did we…get back here?” 

“I want to say an hour ago, but without the sun or a timepiece to keep track it’s hard to say.” Kaeya shrugged, “You've been out of it since they took you off that table.” 

“Oh.” His expression turned unreadable for a moment. 

“You okay?” 

“I’m sorry, I…I’d rather not discuss it further.” 

“That’s alright. Is there anything you need?” 

“Just…keep talking? I don’t want to…not be present.” 

“No problem.” Cyno decided to keep rubbing circles in his palm with his thumb, “Anything in particular about or just whatever?” 

“Whatever you wish is fine.” 

“I am curious about something, Cyno.” Kaeya stood and strode the short distance between the cot to where the other two captives were sitting. He sat down next to them, “Lisa has mentioned the name ‘Hermanubis’ in connection with you. And he also mentioned it. What, or who, is Hermanubis?” 

“Ah, right. That. To put it simply, Hermanubis was one of the sages under the rule of King Deshret. Apparently he was one of the wisest among them. Sometimes he’s referred to as the priest over all other priests and the God of Judgment. After King Deshret passed, Hermanubis took his followers to a city called Tulaytullah where he founded the Temple of Silence. After some time, there was inevitable infighting between Eremite factions that led to the fall of that city and the Temple of Silence went into hiding. During that period, Hermanubis shattered his being into several pieces of power, called Ba fragments. It’s quite a long story but…I have two such fragments inside of me.” Cyno looked down at his free hand with a blank expression, “I’ve had one fragment of this power in me since I was a small child. The second was a…recent acquisition. It’s likely why Dottore has an interest in me. He’s obsessed with the idea of humanity holding the power of the gods and…essentially that is what I am.” 

“Wait. Hold on.” Xiao sharply sat up, cringing as he did so. He turned to look at him with an alarmed expression, “You said a fragment of a God has resided inside you since you were young? How is…how is that possible?” 

“My only answer is that I have a unique constitution.” 

“I’ll say.” Kaeya chuckled breathlessly. 

They (and by they he mostly meant Cyno and Kaeya) talked quietly into what must’ve been the late hours of the night. The lights slowly dimmed in some kind of simulation of the setting sun. Cyno ended up leaning against Kaeya’s shoulder as the captain put a protective arm around him. Xiao settled on his other side, slightly in front of them, between them and the door. He was still holding onto his hand. Somehow he ended up drifting off. 

He should have kept his guard up. 

----

To get to Sumeru faster, Lumine offered to house the group in her teapot and then use the teleport waypoints. The group didn’t argue against that. They only had to wait a few moments for Zhongli to send a message to his employer and then they were off. 

What would’ve taken a few days instead took maybe an hour at most. Diluc was grateful for the speed in which they moved. It felt like every second they delayed, every moment that Kaeya was in that mad bastard’s grasp, was a moment closer to losing him forever. 

Lumine led the way into Sumeru City with Zhongli and Venti following very close behind her. 

They were met at the entrance of the Akademiya by a tall man with grey hair and turquoise eyes with orange around his pupils. 

“Alhaitham!” Paimon flew over to the man. 

“Paimon. Lumine.” He nodded at them, then briefly looked over the group, “Follow me. Kusanali is waiting in the Sanctuary of Surasthana.” Then he turned on his heel and began walking deeper into the building. They walked up what felt like countless winding passageways and balconies that curled up the massive tree.

“Is there anybody else waiting for us up there or just Nahida?” Lumine asked. 

“Tighnari, Collei, and Kaveh, obviously, and also Professor Cyrus and Sethos. As well as Kusanali’s assistant whose name escapes me at the moment.” 

“If you don’t mind me asking, how were you able to connect Cyno’s disappearance with that of Sir Kaeya and the Conqueror of Demons?” Lisa started to walk slightly faster than before. 

“Kusanali will explain when we get there. I don’t like repeating things.” Well that was…blunt and to the point. They approached the massive doors of what could be assumed to be the Sanctuary of Surasthana. Alhaitham swung open the doors with as much boldness as he spoke.

“Kusanali, they’re here.” 

---- 

The moment that Cyno revealed the God dwelling within him, the reason that Dottore had targeted him in particular, Kaeya had a realization. 

Out of the three of them, Cyno was in the most danger of them all. 

From the look on the yaksha’s face, it was obvious that Xiao had come to the same conclusion. The captain spent the next few days carefully watching the door and talking to the other captives. During that time he learned quite a few things about his cellmates. 

Cyno had three partners. A Forest Watcher named Tighnari, an architect named Kaveh, and the current Scribe of the Akademiya Alhaitham. He and Tighnari were the ones who took care of Collei after she left Mondstat, she was currently thriving being a Forest Ranger. He didn’t always have two Ba fragments inside him, the second one was given to him by the now leader of the Temple of Silence, Sethos, after a Rite of Duels. After that, Cyno claimed him as a brother and that was that. He’d gotten his vision the night before he was instated as General Mahamatra. He loved making just the worst jokes that were so bad they were hilarious. 

Xiao once belonged to a group of Yakshas that he considered his brothers and sisters, but one by one they all succumbed to their Karmic Debt. He couldn’t stomach most foods, the only thing he could eat with some regularity was Almond Tofu. (Which explained why he didn’t eat any of the food that was shoved into the room once a day by Fatui agents.) He didn’t really need his vision, he could call upon the element of anemo without it, but he carried one around anyway. He couldn’t remember when he received a vision, either it had been when he was really young or his mind just chose to block out the memory. He hesitantly admitted that he saw the Geo Archon as a paternal figure but he wasn’t sure if the feeling was mutual. 

Kaeya in turn shared various stories of himself. Mostly about the little adventures he had chasing after Klee and training Bennett. He talked about Albedo and what he’d been up to. He also talked about being drinking buddies with Rosaria and Venti. (And no he did not miss the look of bewilderment on Xiao’s face at that.) They asked only once about the burn scars on his right side and why he insisted on always covering his right eye with his bangs, he could only bring himself to tell them the basics. He’d gotten the burns during a fight and he’d always felt more comfortable with his eye covered. 

The lights dimmed for the third time since they’d arrived. Kaeya took up what had become his usual position of holding a protective arm around Cyno while Xiao sat between them and the door. Strangely, he found himself succumbing to sleep much faster than he had before. 

A sudden jolt through his system forced the captain’s consciousness back to the forefront. He let out a gasp and snapped open his eyes. His position had changed and so did his location. 

He wasn’t in the cell nor in that lab. It was smaller than either of the previous rooms. Three out of the four walls were the same as those before, but the fourth one was more like a wall of windows overlooking something. 

Kaeya tried to move, only to discover that his limbs were…embedded in some kind of machine. His arms were pulled back and slightly upward while his legs were forcibly spread apart. A slight blush dusted his cheeks as he realized he wasn’t wearing anything. He was completely exposed like this and there wasn’t anything he could do to cover himself. Damn it. He hated feeling this vulnerable. He heard a sharp intake of breath next to him. He turned his head and his fists clenched from inside their binds. Xiao was in a similar position as he, his limbs trapped and body revealed in its entirety. As soon as the situation was made clear to him, the yaksha’s face paled and he started to struggle against his restraints. 

“My, this is a most pleasant view from you both.” Dottore’s voice sent shivers of disgust down his spine. 

“Take a picture then.” Kaeya forced down his shame and anger, sending a smirk the harbinger’s way instead. 

“My dear captain, everything in these two rooms is being recorded.” Gloved fingers traced his jaw, and gently brushed the bangs covering his right eye to the side. He should’ve been more concerned about the fact that there were kameras somewhere he couldn’t see but something else stood out to him instead. 

“ Two rooms?” He frowned. 

“Cyno…where is Cyno!?” Xiao growled, his golden eyes glaring murderously at their captor. A sense of dread washed over him. Shit, he hadn’t noticed until then that the general wasn’t with them, “What have you done to him!?” 

Dottore didn’t respond verbally. He simply stepped to the side and angled his head towards the wall of windows. Now that he was actually looking through, Kaeya realized that the windows were overlooking another room. He peered down into it and his heart leapt into his throat. The room below was shaped like a large octagon of nothing but concrete. The only breaks in the rough stone were the windows and a single door across from them. Lying unconscious in the middle of the floor, a simple wooden staff by his side, wearing only a black pair of shorts… 

…was Cyno.

Chapter Text

The group that Alhaitham led into the Sanctuary of Surasthana was an…interesting looking bunch. The only people that Sethos recognized were Lumine and Paimon. They were followed closely behind by a tall, dark-brown haired man and a short boyish-looking guy with dark hair in two braids on either side of his head. The ones that came behind them were a guy with the brightest red hair he’d ever seen wearing all black, a woman with a large purple hat and green eyes, a blonde guy with a strange gold mark on his neck, and a brown-haired girl with a bow on her head that resembled bunny ears. 

The group that was waiting for them was seated on some new couches that Nahida had gotten recently. Most of them stood as they walked in. 

Sethos would’ve gotten up to greet the newcomers too but a sharp look from Tighnari, the mist flower corollas pressed against his swollen right ankle, and an arm around his stomach from a certain hat-wearing boy kept him down. 

The bunny-bow girl looked around and when her eyes landed on Collei, they lit up like an activated elemental monument, “Collei!” 

“Amber!” Collei dashed over to this Amber person. 

“Kaveh. Professor.” The woman with the purple hat took steps toward the couches. Kaveh and her shared a brief hug. 

“It’s good to see you again.” 

“Yes. I…wish it were under better circumstances.” Cyrus sighed heavily. 

“Thank you for coming, everyone.” Nahida announced at the center of the room, “For those who don’t know me, I’m Nahida, the Dendro Archon.” She looked over at Lumine and Paimon, “Since you know everyone, how about you do the introductions?” 

“And we can’t introduce ourselves….why?” Tighnari raised an eyebrow. 

“Oh, Paimon gets it! You want to get that out of the way first so we can talk about the situation faster!” Paimon did her adorable little dance in the air. 

“It would certainly speed things along, and give context onto each of our presences here.” The tall guy with brown hair hummed and by the seven pillars of Deshret that man’s voice was like liquid gold. 

“Ok. So you just want me to introduce everyone and their relationship to our friends?” Lumine asked.

“If it isn’t too much trouble…” The dendro archon sheepishly giggled. 

“Not a problem. I do hope that a certain two understand that I will be revealing their identities here.” The blonde traveler shot a look towards the tall golden-voiced man and the short boyish-looking guy next to him. They both nodded, “Alright then. I’ll start with those from Sumeru.” She pointed at Collei, “Most of you already know her, but this is Collei, a trainee forest ranger. And the one with the fennec ears and tail is her master, Tighnari. The blonde one next to him is an architect in Sumeru, Kaveh. The one who led us in here is Alhaitham, the current scribe for the Akademiya. Tighnari, Kaveh, and Alhaitham are Cyno’s partners. The man next to Lisa is Cyrus, a former Sage and Cyno’s adoptive father.” Sethos’ keen eyes saw the golden-voiced man’s expression change softly to a look of empathy. Okay, that was… interesting, “The one with the hat is Nahida’s assistant. You’ll hear him called Hat Guy by most people around here but I call him Yuri. And last of the Sumeru crew but not least is the new leader of the Temple of Silence, and basically Cyno’s brother, Sethos.” Lumine gestured at Amber next, “This is Amber, Outrider for the Knights of Favonius. The purple witch is Lisa, the librarian for the Knights of Favonius and a former student of Cyrus’s. The blonde haired one is Albedo, Captain of the Investigation team for the Knights of Favonius as well as their chief alchemist and Kaeya’s boyfriend.” She paused and glanced at Albedo questioningly, “That is right, isn’t it? You’re dating?” 

“It is. We are.” Albedo shrugged almost indifferently. 

“Right. The red-haired one is Diluc. He’s Kaeya’s adoptive older brother.” 

“He’s not-” 

“Diluc I swear to the seven that if the next words out of your mouth are ‘he’s not my brother’ I will punch you.” 

“...” 

“Yeah that’s what I thought. As you can guess they’ve got some… things to work out between them. Anyway, the bard is Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, though he prefers to go by Venti. And the gentleman next to him is Morax, the former Geo Archon who goes by Zhongli.” 

“He’s basically Xiao’s dad.” Paimon added. Ah. That made his slight reaction to Cyrus being Cyno’s dad make sense. 

“Great, now that we all know each other, mind answering the question I asked earlier?” Lisa crossed her arms over her chest, giving Alhaitham a look. She didn’t seem surprised or affected in the least by the fact that not one, not two, but three archons were in the room with them. 

“What question?” Nahida tilted her head curiously. 

“We would like to know how you connected the three cases together.” Zhongli took his chin in his hand.

“Yeah, how did you figure it out?” Paimon asked. 

“Sethos? Would you mind starting us off with the explanation?” Nahida looked towards him. 

“Right, of course.” The desert boy sat up a little straighter, “I…I was there when Dottore took Cyno…” 

---- 

“And then the next thing I knew, I was on the ground and Cyno was shouting something. But then he stopped and that man was just…laughing. I was just about to pass out when I heard him say something…strange.” 

“Strange, how?” 

“He said something along the lines of, ‘general, you certainly put up more of a fight than that Cavalry Captain. One could put your skills on par with the Last Yaksha.’ I have no idea what that means…” 

Tighnari and Collei had carried Sethos all the way to the Sanctuary of Suresthana, where they had met with Nahida and Yuri. The forest ranger started treating his injuries in earnest as he explained as best he could what had happened. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, his mind felt a little clearer. He was able to recall more details than his panicked ramblings before. 

“Cavalry Captain…? Last Yaksha….? Who are they?” Tighnari frowned. 

“Well obviously two people that bastard got his hands on.” 

“Yuri, language. There’s a child present.” 

“Whatever. Do we have any idea who they could be?” 

“Well…maybe one of them?” Collei hesitantly took a step forward. 

“Which one?” 

“The Cavalry Captain…I can only think of Sir Kaeya from the Knights of Favonius.” 

“Oh.” Tighnari seemed concerned at that. Did he know who this ‘Kaeya’ person was, “That does fit, now that I think about it. Mondstat is the only nation I’m aware of that has that position…” 

“Wait, hold on. If you’d give me a second, I believe I can find some information that will reveal who this Last Yaksha is.” Yuri abruptly flew to a bookshelf on the far side of the sanctuary. He spent a few minutes just staring at the spines, obviously looking for a certain title. He plucked two books from the lower portion of the bookcase, and then came right back over. One of the books was handed to Tighnari, the other to Sethos, “Read these and tell me if something in there doesn’t sound similar to what we just heard.” 

“Okay…?” Sethos looked down at the book he’d been handed. 

Yakshas: The Guardian Adepti.

He read parts of it aloud.

“Liyue suffered many outbreaks of disease in ancient times. Some say this was caused by the chaos of the relentless warring between gods. The defeated were squashed beneath the rocks of the earth...Some of the gods' souls were filled with bitterness at their fate…Their bitterness materialized and became evil monsters…Rex Lapis summoned yakshas to help him destroy the monsters…Among the yakshas, five were known as the strongest: Bosacius, Indarias, Bonanus, Menogias, and Alatus…'The Yakshas' faithfully protected Rex Lapis and pacified all manner of catastrophes in the world…there came a day when the yakshas, despite their might, found that their deeds had taken their toll, and that the remnants of divine bitterness had begun to poison them. Some descended into a blind rage of a kind that cannot be put into words, or were driven by fear to equally indescribable madness. Some turned on and destroyed each other. Some were lost to delusions of the mind…three of the five were slain, and one disappeared. Many other yakshas of unknown name also either died or fled. In the end, only one of the five, Alatus, survived…Alatus is also known as the Golden-Winged King, or alternatively as the Conqueror of Demons…” 

“Ah, of course.” Nahida nodded, “The Last Yaksha is known as the Conqueror of Demons to the people of Liyue.” 

“So Dottore took not only Cyno, but this Cavalry Captain guy named Kaeya and the Conqueror of Demons.” 

---- 

Cyno woke up on a cold, concrete floor. 

It was different from the floor of the cell. 

He snapped his eyes open and sat up sharply. The room he was in was an octagon made of concrete. He quickly took in the single door in front of him and the window overlooking the room. Slowly, he rose to his feet. He noticed the basic wooden pole at his feet, but chose to ignore it. Instead, he crossed his arms over his bare chest and glared up at the window. 

“What is this, Dottore?” Cyno demanded, knowing full well the madman was up there and watching him. 

“You certainly get straight to the point, don’t you?” Dottore’s voice came from a hidden speaker or something, “I appreciate that about you, Cyno.” Hearing his name come from that monster’s mouth made a shudder go down his spine, “Today we’re going to test the limits of your fighting capacity. You’re going to use the weapon provided to show me your skills in taking down a variety of opponents.” 

“And if I don’t comply?” He took a cautious step back from the window. He heard a dark chuckle and then the window almost shimmered and changed opacity. His eyes first met the damned mask of his captor. There was some kind of movement behind Dottore that drew his attention. The sight that greeted him made his heart drop and acid creep up the back of his throat. 

Both Xiao and Kaeya were trapped in some strange machine by their arms and legs. The gowns they had all been wearing before were gone. They were completely bare. Several IVs were on either side of them, sticking needles into the base of their necks. He had a sinking feeling that he knew what was being injected into them, especially from the expressions on his fellow captives' faces. They were both violently shivering and flushed a bright red. Kaeya’s jaw was tightly clenched, his face turned away from the window and Xiao looked like he was gasping for air. Several large Fatui Agents loomed threateningly behind them. 

“What are you doing to them!?” In a flash of protective anger, Cyno grabbed the wooden pole and pointed it at the window. He had no idea if he could break the glass before anything happened, however he could at least try if it came down to it. 

“Those IVs contain a potent aphrodisiac that even works on adepti. Don’t fret, it isn’t permanent. It’s just a little…incentive, one might say. Refuse to cooperate…and I think you understand what will happen.” Dottore purred. He thought he was going to be sick. Of course he would use pleasure rather than pain against them. Each of them was familiar with pain and had incredible resistance to it. But…the mind and body are not meant to fight against things that feel…good. 

“Fine. I’ll do as you ask.” He growled. 

“Very good, my general. I knew you’d be reasonable.” The window’s opacity changed again, hiding both the harbinger and the other two from sight. 

He heard the door open; he didn’t bother to glance over at the group of agents that filed in. They surrounded him much like hired mercenary groups liked to do out in the desert. 

Cyno would take them down all the same. 

---- 

He couldn’t seem to get a full breath in. 

The simple act of breathing was making the strange heat in his abdomen grow. His core was aching like it never had before. Xiao struggled to keep his mind from floating off or hazing over like it had during the ‘sample taking’ session. He had to stay present. 

He owed it to Cyno to stay present. 

The yaksha watched with his heart in his throat as a group of at least ten Fatui Agents surrounded the general. Dottore leaned over to the panel he’d been using to project his voice into the chamber. 

“Begin.” 

The agents didn’t waste any time, three of them immediately lunged at Cyno with their weapons. He dodged them fairly easily. Using the wooden pole like a spear, he swung it around and knocked all three of them onto their backs. The next agent that tried to grab him was all but hurled into the wall hard enough to knock them out. None of the others fared much better. They were all taken down within seconds of trying to attack him. The moves the general used were fast and precise. It was abundantly clear that he was used to defending himself against multiple opponents at once. And he was doing this without his vision and, presumably, without the aid of the powers of Hermanubis. 

“Marvelous job, general!” Dottore clapped happily. 

Cyno glared up at the window again, “Are we done here?” 

“Goodness no! This is just the first round.” 

First…round… ? 

Ten more agents entered the room, stepping over their unconscious coworkers. 

It became like a cycle. 

Ten agents would enter, they’d try to attack or at least land a hit on Cyno, the general would easily knock them down, he’d glare at the window, rinse and repeat. Again. And again. And again. As impressive as Xiao found his stamina he couldn’t help but feel worried. It was notably taking its toll on him. Each round took just a little longer than the last. Cyno’s breathing was getting heavier and his moves were getting just a slight bit slower. 

After what felt like the twentieth round, instead of glaring up at the window like he usually did, he collapsed onto one knee. 

“Cyno!” Xiao knew that the general probably couldn’t hear him, but he called out anyway. 

“Well, we seem to have hit his limit.” Dottore twisted on his heel, walking briskly to the door, “Wait here a moment while I retrieve him, won’t you?” 

“No, I was…planning on going for…a walk…” Kaeya shot back with heavy breaths. He pointedly jerked on the restraints around his arms and legs. The harbinger only looked back and chuckled before disappearing through the doorway. The agents that had been looming behind them both fell back, standing on either side of that door. The room fell almost completely silent. The only noise was Xiao and Kaeya’s breathing. After a few moments, the door to the concrete room below swung open. Dottore strolled through it as confidently as he did everywhere else. Cyno didn’t immediately seem to notice him entering. His eyes were tightly shut, a focused expression on his face. Dottore walked toward him, a sickeningly gleeful smirk twisting his lips. He got within three feet of him when the general suddenly snapped to attention. He lashed out with the wooden pole still tightly gripped in his hands, aiming for their captor’s head. 

The blow was swiftly blocked by the harbinger grabbing onto the end. 

Dottore yanked the wooden pole towards himself, pulling Cyno along with it. He let go of the weapon to grab the general’s wrists instead. 

“Now, now, don’t be like that general.” The harbinger cooed like he was scolding a small child, “I know I said that you were to fight whatever came through this door but I thought it was obvious that didn’t apply to myself.” 

“Let go! What have you done to Kaeya and Xiao!?” He was…worried about them? They weren’t the ones who had been forced to fight opponent after opponent for archons knew how long. 

“Don’t worry your pretty head about them, general.” Dottore leaned in close and dropped the volume of his voice. Whatever recording device was in that room only picked up a low murmur, but from the way Cyno’s face went pale it was obvious whatever he was saying was as disturbing as could be expected from their captor. A jolt went through the general’s body, his eyes went half-lidded and dull, and then he abruptly started to collapse. The only thing keeping him upright was the grip on his wrists. Dottore grinned and looked up at the window, looking up at them. He raised his voice again, addressing the agents behind the two captives, “Release our dear captain and yaksha from the devices and return them to the cell.” One of the agents walked to the same panel their boss had earlier and pressed the same button to talk. 

“Understood, Lord Dottore.”

Chapter Text

The return to the cell was gratefully uneventful. They were shoved back into those medical gowns and then back into that room. Despite his obvious aroused state, none of the agents tried to ‘cop a feel’ or anything. They were disciplined, Kaeya would give them that. 

The captain laid on his side, slightly curled up into himself. He hoped that the aching hardness between his legs would subside soon. Until then, moving wasn’t an option. Well, it was but it would be really uncomfortable. Clearly, Xiao was in a similar state if his panting breaths and trembling body were any indication. As always, there wasn’t anything they could do but wait. 

And Cyno still hadn’t been returned. 

---- 

Whatever those cuffs around their wrists were, it was clear to him that they held the power to completely immobilize them at a moment's notice. He’d have to report that back to the other two so they wouldn’t be caught off guard. 

Without the use of his limbs, Cyno couldn’t fight back or do much of anything as Dottore carried him into the lab. His head rested limply on the harbinger’s shoulder. It made him want to throw up. Thankfully he didn’t talk to him while he was being carried nor when he was laid back down on the lab table. His vitals were taken in much the same manner as the first day. 

But then, much to his horror, the shorts he was wearing were pulled off and his legs were parted. 

“Guh…what are you d-doing!?” Cyno put as much energy as he could into his voice. He pushed the jolt of fear deep down, covering it with indignation and anger. 

“Did you think I would let your attempted strike at me slide?” 

“And..?” The general raised an eyebrow. 

“And, I will not let such a slight go unpunished.” His stomach clenched. He struggled to control his expression, to keep the fear off his face, “Oh you don’t look like you believe me.” Dottore strolled away from the bed, over to a row of cabinets just out of his sight, “That’s quite alright.” He came back with a different set of gloves and a bottle of some strange liquid. The lid popped off with a loud noise. He poured whatever that liquid was in that bottle onto his hands. 

And then slid two fingers into his pussy. 

“Haah!!??” Cyno’s body jerked and shuddered, “What is…!?” 

“I’ve explained this to the yaksha, but I’m well aware that pain is an old friend of yours. You three are incredibly resistant to such things. Pain will be an ineffective teacher, but pleasure is different.” The harbinger stroked his insides languidly with one hand, while the other rubbed the top of his clit. 

“Mnngh…I won’t…let you get away with this!” He narrowed his eyes in what he hoped was a scathing glare. As if to shut him up, the fingers inside him started to move even faster, “Ahhhhghh!? St-stop!” 

“Stop? But didn’t I say this was a punishment for your actions?” 

“Shut up! Guuhaaah!” 

He hated that his body still wouldn’t move. That it wouldn’t let him escape. That his insides were starting to burn with unwanted pleasure. And for what? For attempting to physically fight back? But why…? Why now? And not when they first got there? He was pretty certain he’d done a lot more than just take a swing at his captor by this point… 

Unless that wasn’t what this actually was about… 

Cyno’s internal musings were interrupted by a sudden flash of heat through his entire body. The harbinger’s fingers had found his g-spot and were now aiming strictly for the sensitive bundle of nerves.

“AhHAAH!” His back arched slightly, his eyes went wide, “Staahhh!? You- what is- aaahgh! Mnngh n-no! No! Don’t touch me there!” 

“Oh does this spot feel good?” Dottore cooed, “But you don’t want that, do you? You’d much rather I make it hurt, hmm?” 

“I-I…aah obviously! You…! Aggaah!? Stop it!” He hissed. His stomach tensed in a dreadfully familiar way, “N-no wait…I can’t, I…!” 

“You’ve gotten tighter inside, my general. Am I about to make you cum?” He clenched his teeth in disgust at the absolute glee in the psychotic fucker’s voice. He didn’t get the chance to respond at all. His body chose that moment to tumble over the edge into an intense, unwanted orgasm. His already exhausted state made the convulsions of his muscles almost painful, “Good. Very good, my dear. That was wonderful.” He tasted acid at the back of his mouth. He didn’t want to hear any praise from this man. None at all. Fatigue crashed into him like a rolling wave of sand. Unable to fight against it, Cyno let his heavy eyelids slip shut. 

He was so…so tired… 

---- 

“Hmm. So physical exhaustion won’t draw that power out of him. How curious.” 

---- 

“So now that we’ve established who everyone is and how we connected the dots, I think it would help us further if we determine the reason for each of their abductions.” 

Nahida tapped her lip in thought as the rest of the group settled across the various couches. Diluc chose to keep standing, his arms reflexively crossed over his chest. At the dendro archon’s words, the wine tycoon felt something twist in his stomach. He had his suspicions… 

“For Cyno, it’s obvious.” The brown-haired one laid out on one couch with mist flower corollas against one ankle, Sethos, frowned grimly, “Because he has both Ba fragments of Hermanubis inside him.” 

“That would track with the mad bastard’s interests, honestly. Dottore is obsessed with the idea of mankind holding the power of gods.” The boy with the almost comically large hat, Yuri, huffed and glared at nothing in particular. 

“I’m sorry, but who is Hermanubis and what are Ba fragments?” Albedo asked. 

Both Sethos and the older man named Cyrus launched into a lengthy explanation. Hermanubis was an old god from the desert, the original founder of the Temple of Silence which Sethos now led. A long time ago, Hermanubis broke his being into several pieces and two of those pieces now resided in Cyno. There was obviously much more to it if the grimacing from Cyrus was any indication, but the basic explanation worked for now. 

“I believe I may also know why Xiao was targeted.” Zhongli, the Geo Archon who was supposed to be dead but very much wasn’t, tightly clasped his gloved hands together in his lap. His gaze was fixed elsewhere above them, “Being a yaksha, he deals with the remains of defeated gods from the Archon War.” 

“Right, and Xiao is the only yaksha left…” Paimon added sadly. 

“God remains…” Tighnari made a thoughtful hum, his ears twitching and flitting about, “That would correlate with experiments he’s conducted in the past.” Sitting next to him, Collei shuddered and covered the back of her neck with her hand. 

“Okay. But then what does that have to do with Kaeya?” Diluc demanded, “What does Dottore want with him?” 

“Well-” Paimon started to say something but suddenly and uncharacteristically stopped and turned to Lumine, “Do you think we should say it?” 

“If it’s about Kaeya’s nation of birth, I already know about it.” Venti oh-so-helpfully supplied, “He’s a child of Mondstat now regardless of how, or why, he arrived.” The bard gave Diluc a rather…pointed look. 

“No…well, actually yes it is kind of about that…” Lumine’s expression turned conflicted. 

“Kaeya’s…nation of birth has something to do with why he was taken?” Lisa frowned, “Where…where is Kaeya from?” 

“Khaenri'ah.” 

Diluc whirled on Albedo, who he hadn’t realized was also standing next to him until now.

“That’s where his family ties lead, yeah. I’m still not sure if he was born in Khaenri’ah itself or somewhere else. As I’m sure you can imagine the topic isn’t something he likes to talk about.” Venti was still giving Diluc that look as if daring him to say something. He didn’t have to worry about that because the words just died in the wine tycoon’s throat. 

“Even I know very little about Kaeya’s early life before he was left in Mondstat.” Albedo shrugged, “So if it has something to do with his birth family there is no way for us to know.” 

“Not…exactly.” Lumine closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath. 

“Wait, how does Lumine know but you don’t?” Kaveh gestured at Diluc. 

“I…don’t think this is something Kaeya even knew about until very recently…and the only reason I know about it is because I just happened to be around when he was told.” 

“What is it?” Diluc’s voice probably came out harsher than he meant to, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care very much. Kaeya was keeping even more secrets than he knew about? He’d said multiple times that he’d revealed everything he knew that night… 

“I’m only going to tell you if I get a promise from each one of you that no matter what, this information will not be used against him.” Lumine opened her eyes, staring at everyone with a sharp gaze that left no room for argument. 

“Oh, right, if this is about what I think it is,” Nahida tilted her head, a soft smile on her face. Zhongli opened his mouth.

“Quick, everybody agree before Morax suggests a contract!” Venti almost desperately lunged to cover the geo archon’s mouth, getting him an irritated raise of an eyebrow from said archon before he was pushed off. A series of frantic or just tired nods later and the traveler sucked in a deep breath, and spoke. 

“Kaeya is a descendant of a Khaenr’iahn noble family, the Albrich clan. They acted as regents at one point, but I’m unsure if they were still in charge during the Cataclysm or not. I only know about one particular member of the clan from that period. Clothar Albrich…. 

…the founder of the Abyss Order.”

Chapter Text

Just when the heat permeating his body had subsided, the door to their cell opened. 

Another faceless Fatui Agent carried Cyno’s limp form into the room. They deposited him on the floor a few feet from the doorway and then left. 

“Cyno.” Kaeya softly called out. He didn’t get a response and that made his heart sink. 

“Cyno?” Xiao shakily rose to feet, leaning heavily against the wall he made his way to where the general lay. The captain followed his example. Up close he saw the slight exhausted flush to his cheeks and the barely dried tear stains. His breathing was heavy but it was gradually returning to normal, “He’s only unconscious…I think.” 

“Yeah.” 

They both gently moved Cyno back to one of the mattresses. In a reverse of their somewhat usual pose, this time it was Xiao protectively holding onto the general while Kaeya took his hand and placed himself between them and the door. The lights of the room slowly dimmed in their simulation of a setting sun. That same unnatural tiredness from the night before descended upon him. Unlike the night before, he actually fought against it. Xiao made a confused, chirp-like sound before the captain watched him slump over and go limp. Kaeya looked down at the cuffs around their wrists. These things…they had to be doing something to them. 

He wasn’t able to ponder it any further before he lost the fight to stay conscious. 

---- 

Was Venti surprised by the revelation of Kaeya’s ancestor? Yes. 

Should he have been surprised since he knew his last name and where he was from? No. 

Did that affect his opinion of the cavalry captain in any way shape or form? Not really. 

“Again I want to make it clear that Kaeya didn’t even know this until recently, so…” Lumine gestured with her hands nervously. 

“But how did you know about it?” Kaveh asked. 

“Because we were there when Dain told him.” Paimon announced. 

“And…who is Dain?” 

“Well…” 

Dain…why did that name sound familiar? The bard leaned backward, looking up at the ceiling. 

“Does this…Dain person have blonde hair, a mask-like thing covering half his face, wears all black, and has the same eyes as Kaeya?” Diluc spoke in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. Both Lumine and Paimon nodded. 

“His full name wouldn’t happen to be… Dainsleif… would it?” When Zhongli said the name it suddenly dawned on the bard why it felt familiar. 

“Ooooh.” 

“Wait, so you mean to tell me that the person who told Kaeya, and by extension you, about the captain’s family history was Dainsleif, The Twilight Sword?” Yuri was staring at the blonde traveler and her floating companion like they’d grown an extra set of limbs, “How in the everloving hell did you manage to find him of all people!?” 

“We’ve crossed paths a few times while fighting against the Abyss Order.” Lumine explained, “Long story short for those who don’t know, Dainsleif is from Khaenri’ah itself. He was a royal guard with the title of the Twilight Sword. During the Cataclysm he was among those cursed with immortality. Now he mostly works against the Abyss Order.” 

“This is all good and fascinating…” The way that Alhaitham stressed that last word made it feel like he felt it was anything but, “...however, we need information that will help us track down The Doctor and wherever he took them.” 

“We’re not likely to make any headway tonight.” Nahida shook her head, she looked over at the traveling group, “You’ve traveled a long way. It would be best that you all get some rest for the night. We’ll have much clearer heads tomorrow and we can plan for our next step.” 

There was a little protesting, mostly from Amber and Kaveh, but certain looks from certain members of their group seemed to shut them down. It was quickly decided that Kaveh and Alhaitham would go back to their home with Collei, Amber, and Albedo. Cyrus would house Lisa, Diluc, and Zhongli. Nahida, Yuri, Lumine, Paimon, Sethos, Tighnari, and Venti would be staying at the Akademiya. 

The bard suppressed a shudder when, as Sethos moved to sit up, Tighnari shot him a scathing glare that screamed for him to stay put. 

He made a mental note to never piss off the Forest Ranger. 

---- 

Out of all the ways to be yanked back to the waking world, having it be through a needle jabbed into his arm was probably Kaeya’s least favorite. And that was saying something as he’d literally had Klee launch herself onto his stomach one morning, inadvertently bruising a few of his ribs. 

“Good morning, captain!” Dottore’s cheerful tone was grating on his ears. 

“Somehow I doubt it’s morning and it certainly isn’t good.” Kaeya groaned. He quickly took in his surroundings. He was back in that lab again, strapped down to the metal table. Thankfully, it looked like neither Cyno nor Xiao were in the room with him. 

“Ah, such a sense of humor.” The harbinger chuckled darkly. He moved away from his side, going over to a table lined with syringes. He set down the first one, the one probably used to force him awake, on the table. 

“So, I’m assuming whatever fascinating experiments you have planned today involve that table of syringes, yes?” He let his gaze rest on the ceiling with a bored expression. 

“Correct indeed. And we’ll see the effects of this first injection shortly.” 

“Great.” He packed as much disdain in his voice as he could with one word. The ‘good doctor’ didn’t dain to reply. He wasn’t really given a chance to as a few seconds later a wave of nausea hit him. Saliva flooded his mouth as he gagged. He struggled to keep it down, otherwise he’d choke. 

“Oh dear me, I nearly forgot to undo the straps holding you down.” From the way Dottore laughed, he had a distinct feeling that this was absolutely on purpose, the madman didn’t just conveniently forget. He wanted to see the first few seconds of panic and struggle. The captain was quickly unstrapped and sat up. Some kind of container was placed in his lap. The next few moments that he remembered were spent retching what little was in his stomach. His muscles clenched and spasmed forcibly and painfully. The taste of acid flooded his mouth again and again until finally nothing came up anymore, “Very good, just the sort of reaction I was expecting. Now lay back down, captain.” He didn’t have any strength to fight against the hands pushing him onto his back again and restrapping him down. Then there was the same needle prick that woke him earlier. 

Kaeya closed his eyes and clenched his teeth, waiting for the effects of this needle to take hold. It didn’t take long. A gradual, muddying heat crept along his skin. Not the same kind of heat as the aphrodisiacs but more like a fever when he was sick. Sweat broke out along his brow. His throat began to feel scratchy and dry. He coughed on reflex but that only made his head start to pound. However, once he started coughing he couldn’t stop. The fit lasted for what felt like hours but in reality was probably closer to a few minutes. It left him shaking and gasping for breath by the time it was over. 

The next injection fogged over his brain, making it hard to identify what was happening. The lab flickered in and out of focus. Dottore seemed to transform back and forth between himself and a giant vulture. It just felt…weird. At some point his nose began to bleed and his head had to be propped up until it stopped. 

The injection after that one made his mouth go dry and forced his body into that sickly heat again. 

And after that made the nerves in his legs light up in agony. It was only through sheer willpower that he didn’t let out a scream. His body was wracked with chills and shivering. 

The next temporarily blacked out his vision. 

The next sent blinding pain through his entire being. His back arched with a loud screech that shredded his throat like sandpaper. 

Then…then it finally seemed to stop. 

Kaeya went limp against the table. His throat burned and his head felt heavy. 

“Wonderful job, captain! Truly commendable.” He opened his blurry eyes to glare and Dottore as he clapped. He gazed past his captor, frowning at the singular, still-full syringe lying on the table next to all the other empty ones. The harbinger must’ve followed where he was looking because he chuckled and moved the table slightly out of view, “Oh don’t worry about that one, dear captain. That one isn’t for you.” He opened his mouth to ask a question, but the scratchy pain in his throat made talking not an option quite yet. Apparently, he didn’t even need to say it aloud since the very next sentence was the explanation he was looking for…even if it made his heart leap into his throat, 

“That’s a special little something for our yaksha.”

Chapter Text

“If you wouldn’t mind, could you tell me about Cyno?” 

Cyrus sat across from the former geo archon at his table. Lisa and the boy named Diluc were asleep in the guestroom and the couch. The two older men sat at the wooden table with steaming cups of tea between them. 

“What would you wish to know?” He sucked in a breath. Ever since Kaveh had come pounding on his door, breathlessly explaining that something had happened to Cyno, it felt like the retired sage’s world had been completely turned on its head. It didn’t help that once they arrived at the Akademiya they were greeted by the sight of a visibly distraught and exhausted Sethos being treated by Tighnari. The past few days had been nothing short of stressful. His son, the small child he’d raised ever since bringing him from the desert, had been stolen from them. And not only him but two others had been taken too. But…somehow knowing that the man before him was going through the same thing he was…it made him feel a little better. 

“What kind of person is he?” Zhongli took a soft sip of his tea. 

“The first thing that comes to mind is ‘extremely principled.’ He’s stubborn as I’ll get, once he sets his mind on something there is little that can deter him.” Cyrus smiled fondly, “He’s protective over those he cares about and almost too smart for his own good. Even when he was small he could figure out things that left my other students stumped.” 

“Lumine said you were his adoptive father. Do you know what happened to his birth parents?” 

“That…hmm that I’m not entirely sure.” He sighed heavily, “Cyno’s parents…sold him to the Temple of Silence. After that…I don’t know what happened to them. They just took the money Bamoun offered them and left Cyno behind.” He shook his head, “Back then, the Temple of Silence was conducting experiments to implant Ba fragments of Hermanubis into children to revive his power. Sethos was one child and Cyno was the other. After the fragment was implanted into them, Cyno fell seriously ill. Bamoun was reluctant to treat him so I…took Cyno and left the temple. I brought him here and adopted him, raising him as best as I could. He studied at the Akademiya, then became a matra, and now he’s the General Mahamatra.” He paused and cast a curious glance at the former archon, “What about Xiao? What kind of person is he and how did you come to find him?” 

“Xiao is…a rather withdrawn kind of person. He’s also quite stubborn, especially once he’s decided he needs to do something. Often to his own detriment…” Zhongli gazed down at his cup with both fondness and sadness in his eyes, “He cares deeply and feels strongly, even though it would be easier for him if he didn’t. He’s picky about his food due to having a sensitive stomach, the only thing we’ve been able to get him to eat regularly is Almond Tofu. As for how I found him…well that was back during the Archon War, before I became the Geo Archon of Liyue. At the time, I was fighting against a god who held dominion over dreams. One of the adepti that was enslaved underneath them was a young child, barely over 800 years old and already well versed in battle. Once the god of dreams was taken down, I brought the child into my service and gave him the name Xiao for his own protection. Once he recovered, he all but demanded to be put into my army. Sitting idle is not something he enjoys.” 

“Cyno is the same way.” 

----

It was only Xiao and Cyno in the cell for a while. 

The general and the yaksha had woken up curled up together on the bed with Kaeya nowhere to be found. Xiao was somewhat aware that he was being forced into sleep every ‘night’ but he couldn’t figure out how it was happening. It made his skin crawl uncomfortably. Being in that vulnerable position without any control over it…he hated it. He couldn’t stand watch over the other two like he normally would be able to. As they waited, leaning on each other, that unnatural tiredness was tugging him down again, no matter how hard he tried to fight it. He heard Cyno groan and felt him try to sit up. 

“No…something is…” The general gasped, “The cuffs, they-” He collapsed back against him. 

“The cuffs…?” Weakly, Xiao looked down at his wrists. Yes, that had to be it. That had to be how they were forcing them asleep. 

But this time, he wasn’t forced unconscious. Not entirely. This time it felt like he was being submerged in thick water. Everything felt sluggish. He couldn’t react properly, even when he heard the door open and footsteps approach them. Nor could he resist when he felt hands remove Cyno from his side and then pull him up into their grasp. Things went fuzzy and dark for a moment and he lost track of what was happening around him. The yaksha could feel himself being carried and maneuvered around but it was impossible to focus. 

And then he felt something touch his head and- 

“Guh-huh!?” A chill, as if cold water had been poured on top of him, washed through him. His entire body stiffened. Especially once he took in his position. 

Xiao was back on that metal table, stripped bare and with his legs spread apart by those stirrups from before. 

“Back with us, dear yaksha?” Dottore’s hand brushed through his hair, a touch he flinched away from with a growl. 

“Don’t touch me!” He struggled against his restraints. 

“Xiao!” He froze at the familiar voice coming from the side. His head snapped toward it, his breath catching in his throat. There were two portions of the wall that were semi-transparent, forming alcoves that contained his fellow captives. Cyno was wide awake, standing on shaking legs and slamming his fists against whatever force was keeping him trapped. Kaeya was in much worse shape, slumped against the side of the alcove while glaring at their captor. 

“I…what is this…?” Xiao turned his own glare towards the harbinger. His gaze flickered behind him. There was some sort of…recording device he believed was called a kamera aimed their way, being manned by an agent. Standing next to the agent was… 

Another Dottore? 

There was no doubt it was the same man but some things were decidedly…different. He had shorter and curlier hair compared to their main captor’s. He wore a long white coat over a pinstripe vest with a pink bow tie. Like their captor’s, this one wore a mask but it was black and white. It covered his entire face, except for his bright red eyes and a circular area around the right side of his mouth. 

“Curious about that one, hmm?” Dottore chuckled, “This is one of my segments, he’s here to make this experiment run smoothly.” 

“Segment…?” The yaksha struggled to wrap his head around the concept. 

“Lesser Lord Kusanali said she made you erase your previous segments.” Cyno growled. 

“Indeed she did.” This ‘segment’ of Dottore grinned, “However, the keyword there is ‘previous segments.’ I was made after the said deal was made. You may call be ‘Web.’” 

“This is…” Kaeya had a disturbed look on his face and he honestly felt the same, “What is all of this? What are you doing now?” 

“Come now, captain. I know you’re not dense.” Dottore walked over to a table filled with several empty needles and one that was full. He picked up the full one, “Surely you don’t need me to explain.” He approached Xiao like a predator with just as terrifying of a grin on his face. The yaksha’s head was tilted back, exposing his neck, “I’ve read that the yakshas took an oath of celibacy as part of their contracts with Morax. I wonder if he’ll be able to feel this part of the contract being broken.” His breath caught in his throat. No…no he wasn’t going to… It felt like his entire body locked up in a sudden wash of fear.

“No, stop! Don’t you dare!” He heard Cyno shout. 

“Web, push that button on that wall over there. It’ll activate the silencers on the barriers.” 

“As you wish, Prime.” 

“Dottore you-” 

Whatever Kaeya was going to growl was cut off by…by something. He couldn’t move his head to look.

The unfortunately familiar sting of a needle pierced his neck. 

“Gah!” Searing heat not unlike the aphrodisiacs from before flooded his veins, “Hu-huh!? What is…what is this?” 

“Just something to make the next phase of the experiment…a little easier on you.” His captor chuckled and then stepped back. In his place, the one that called himself ‘Web’ took his place looming over him. 

“You’d best not struggle pointlessly, Alatus.” Any air that was in his lungs was stolen by the use of that name, “Otherwise, who knows what might happen to the captain and the general.” Gloved hands started to touch his chest. Jolts of…of pleasure went straight to his core. 

“Haah kuh…no, stop…” Xiao’s voice came out smaller than he had ever heard it before. He pulled on the restraints around his wrists. 

“The area around your chest is sufficiently sensitive. Let’s check these next.” Suddenly Web’s fingers pinched and rubbed his nipples. 

“GuhAH!?” An electric like current ran down his spine. 

“Hmm, quite good. Very nice reaction.” Dottore’s voice came from far back. Was he…was he just watching this? A flame of indignation ignited in his chest.

“Ghh…stop touching me!” The yaksha shook his head, “Stop! I won’t- ahg!”  

“Oh but this is just the start~” Web’s hands pulled away. He watched with weary eyes as the segment settled between his trapped legs, “Now, let’s check this place out.” 

“No!” Xiao tried fruitlessly to yank his ankles free from their binds. For once he wanted to float off into his own head but the heat in his body was tethering him down. There wasn’t anything he could do to stop the same hands that had touched his chest from tracing his unwillingly leaking slit. His hips jerked just from that light brush. Fingers touched a bud of flesh at the top of it. A startled, bird-like chirp left his lips.

“At first glance, it’s easy to miss this part of your body. You have a clit just like any other vaginal opening.” The segment tapped on this ‘clit’ lightly, which wrenched another jolt and chirp from him, “It’s just as sensitive as a normal one. Wonderful!” 

“Sh-shut up! Don’t touch me! Stop!” He demanded. If he kept being touched there…if this continued…there was no way he could endure it. No matter how much he might want to, “I’ll gouge out your aahg guh your eyes!” 

“Hmm, let’s check your vaginal opening itself…” 

“Not there ei-either! St-aaaahhh!!” 

Xiao’s body was penetrated by a single finger slipping inside him. His head snapped back with an unwilling moan. 

“I half thought that you would be looser from the drug that Prime gave you, but you’re still very tight. You really are a virgin, aren’t you?” Web smirked down at him.

“Guh haah stop! Stop this, I-I can’t…my con…my contract…!” 

“Let’s see if I can make this virgin pussy orgasm~” The finger inserted into him began to violently wriggle back and forth. 

“AAAHHHHH!!!” Xiao let out a scream, his back arching as far as it could. Fierce and unwanted pleasure shot through his entire body. His eyes widened in shock as they filled with tears, “AHG GGUUH!?? D-Don’t! You!! Stop moving! Uhnn! Aaaah hhahhh no-oooh!” His lips started to go numb. He stopped being able to make sensible words through the sudden wave of heat. Through watery eyes, he was horrified to see particles of his corrupt energy coming off of his body. Was the tensing in his gut from his karmic debt leaking out or… 

The yaksha didn’t get the chance to finish that thought. Another rush of pleasure assaulted his head but this time it was accompanied by a feeling of….release. Uncontrollable convulsions ripped through him. A cry burst from his throat.

“That’s it, dear yaksha, that’s it.” Web cooed. His finger thrust a few more times and then finally left his body. He was left shuddering and gasping for air, unsure of what had just happened, “I believe it’s time to move on to the next phase.” 

“Next…haah…phase?” His brows furrowed together briefly. 

Suddenly he felt something much bigger than mere fingers pressing against his entrance. The segment had unzipped his pants and his…his thing was threatening to enter him. 

“Don’t you dare!” Xiao twisted his expression into as fierce of a glare as he could manage in his panicked state. 

“I’m going to put it in now.” Web cruelly announced, “We’re going to see what happens when this part of your contract is broken!” 

“No-!” 

Xiao’s last feeble protest was cut off by the segment thrusting forward- 

-and breaking the contract he’d kept for over two thousand years. 

“Morax, Zhongli, I-I’m sorry!”

Chapter Text

Something inside his chest snapped. 

Zhongli stopped in the doorway of the Sanctuary of Surasthana. He’d left Cyrus’s home earlier than the others, he’d been unable to get more than a few hours of sleep after all. Inside the sanctuary were Lesser Lord Kusanali, Lumine, Paimon, Venti, Tighnari, Sethos, Yuri, and surprisingly only Albedo from the group that was staying with Alhaitham and Kaveh. 

As the former archon stepped through the entrance, his entire body froze and an overwhelming feeling of wrong washed over him. It was similar to the feeling he’d had on the night that Xiao had been taken. But there was also something…different about it. 

“Zhongli? Are you okay?” Lumine asked. 

“I…” He pressed a hand against his chest with a frown, “I don’t know. I felt something odd just now.” 

“Odd? How?” Venti tilted his head curiously. He paused for a moment, closing his eyes and focusing inward. Quickly, he discovered the source of his discomfort. 

And it made his stomach sink. 

It was a portion of Xiao’s contract. A specific part of that contract that he’d put in place for the protection of both him and others. The part of the contract that stated the yakshas would avoid sexual contact on account of their karmic debt. 

-and it had been broken. 

---- 

A shattered scream ripped through the air. 

He thought that just fingers were too much for inside him…much less this segment’s member. His insides were being spread wide. Air refused to properly enter his lungs as he gasped. The tears that had been welling up in his eyes spilled down the sides of his face. 

“I’m aware that your hymen has been cut away, so you likely won’t bleed too much.” Web placed a hand on his stomach, “Even if it is your first time, I’ll make sure that it feels good.” 

“No…” A sob left his lips, “No I…I don’t want-ugghh guh mmhh…I don’t want…” His protests were useless. The foreign body was pushed deeper and deeper until it reached some strange spot inside him that sent a spike of further pleasure through him, “AH!! Ah don’t! Gu haah!” 

“No physical effects from the breaking of the contract, hmm?” Dottore hummed from his infuriatingly far place across the room, “I had heard that anyone who breaks one of Morax’s contracts is consigned to ‘suffer the wrath of the rock.’ Did he make an exception for you or…is there some hidden clause in your contract that we don’t know about?” Just…the way that the harbinger was talking made him feel sick. These were his god’s contracts. They were sacred things that this man had just made Xiao break because he was merely curious about what would happen. 

“Isn’t that something? Aren’t you happy that you aren’t being punished for breaking your contract?” Web grinned. 

“Th-there’s no way…ahg…I’d be pleased…hnggh nngh…to be violated by something like you.” The yaksha put as much hatred and vitriol into his eyes as he could, sending a scathing glare his way. It likely didn’t look as intimidating as he wanted it too. The inside of his head felt too numb. His face was soaked with tears. He was trembling like a newborn chick, “You’ve…you’re already gotten aahhh what you wanted…just gunh…t-take it out!” 

“Oh, you didn’t think that was the end of the experiment, did you?” Dottore chuckled darkly. 

“No, dear yaksha, I’m afraid we still have quite a ways to go!” Web echoed his creator’s laughter and pushed forward again. That monster of a length was driven all the way to the back of his vaginal canal. An immense amount of pressure and heat was forced onto him. 

“KAAAHH!? Ahhhngh guuuh hhhaahh!?” As if that wasn’t bad enough, the segment began to rock back and forth. He thrashed and struggled against the assault. He knew it was useless but instinctively, his body kept fighting back. 

“It would do you much good to just give in and let the pleasure flow through you.” The words landed on deaf ears. 

“AHGGH D-don’t toy with me you-AAAHGK!! Staaaaah!” 

Pain and pleasure sent his mind into disarray. It was difficult to grasp onto proper thought. 

“You’re still so tight, Alatus.” 

“Uhhaah don’t call me th-aaaaah aahht!” 

“This pathetic crying voice of yours is very cute. Has Morax ever heard it?” 

“Nnuuuh!? You-!!” 

“STOP!!” 

A loud shout cut through the room. 

It all happened way too fast to properly comprehend.

Suddenly it felt like the entire room shuddered and he heard the distinct sound of electricity crackling. The lights flickered on and off. He turned his head just in time to see the barrier in front of the other two abruptly shattering. A flash of purple and gold energy shot out from the alcove. Something resembling a clawed hand wrenched Web away from Xiao, slashing across the segment’s chest. He crumpled down like a paper doll. The sudden removal of the cock previously buried inside him wrenched a pained cry from his throat.

The next thing the yaksha knew, the restraints holding him down were gone and he was being held in a protective embrace. And then he was being pushed into someone else’s arms. 

“Cyno!” The person holding him, it had to be Kaeya, called out. So that meant the one who… There was another angry shout.

Xiao turned around as best as he could, cringing in pain as he did so. His gaze landed on Cyno. The general stood protectively between them and Dottore. His legs were shaking with the effort of standing but he was managing it somehow. His arms were covered in strange bandage-like wrappings that formed the clawed hand he’d glimpsed earlier. Purple and gold electricity sparked off of him in waves. 

“Cyno…?” Xiao shakily reached toward the general. 

“So this is the power of Hermanubis?” Dottore sounded a terrifying mix of angry and impressed. He took a step towards them, “You managed to break through shields created from King Deshret’s technology. And quite easily, too.” 

“Stay. Back.” Cyno growled. The harbinger paid no mind to his warning. Something in the air shifted, differently from before. It wasn’t electric in feeling. No…it…it felt colder. He felt Kaeya suck in a breath and tense beneath him. 

“Wait Cyno-!” 

The captain’s warning came too late. 

Web suddenly shot up from the ground and lunged forward, much faster than he thought someone so injured could move. Just as fast, Cyno dodged to the side. 

Right onto Dottore’s waiting blade.

---- 

Well the atmosphere that morning was certainly…tense. 

Sethos leaned against Yuri’s shoulder as they waited for the others to arrive. He kept a close eye on Zhongli nearby. The former archon had been…kind of weird ever since he walked in and froze. Venti and Nahida were talking quietly with him but they were a bit too far away for him to eavesdrop. 

Gradually everyone returned to the Sanctuary, everyone save for Cyrus. Lisa mentioned something about his age and needing more rest. That one old lady, Zaha Hadi, was going to help look after him. 

“I believe I have a few ideas on what we can do.” Nahida started the meeting off, “First, we need to establish The Doctor’s route through Sumeru.” She turned to Sethos, “You said that he ambushed the two of you in the desert, so we can assume that he’s passed through nearby settlements.” 

“Candace and Dehya might be able to help us out there.” Kaveh suggested. 

“Who are they?” Amber asked. 

“Candace is the Guardian of Aaru Village, which is the main settlement of the desert that is closest to the Wall of Samiel. Dehya is an Eremite mercenary and a very good one.” Tighnari took his chin in his hand. 

“I’m going to go find Dain.” Lumine clasped her hands together in her lap, “I’m hoping he’ll have answers about Kaeya’s family.” 

“I’d like to go with you.” Albedo quietly stepped towards her. 

“Are you sure, Albedo?” Paimon asked worriedly, “He kinda has…issues with your mom.” 

“I’m aware. But I am not her and I am not going to discuss anything about her with him. I only want to know what I can about Kaeya’s family, so we can be better equipped to get him back.” 

“Okay…” 

Suddenly a stabbing pain lanced through Sethos’s head. He gasped and hunched forward, his hands grabbing at his hair. 

“Gah!”

“Sethos!?” 

“What’s wrong!?” 

A loud buzzing in his ears took over the concerned voices of the others. A feeling of nearly unbearable dread rose from within. Something was wrong. Something was really, really wrong. His vision shifted from the sanctuary to somewhere else. It looked like some kind of…lab. Someone was standing right in front of him. Blinding pain burned through his stomach.

And just as suddenly as it had come, the pain stopped. He was snapped back into the present. His vision turned back to normal.

“Huh, wha…?” 

“Sethos? Can you hear me?” Yuri was holding him in his lap, a slight distressed expression on his face. Nahida was next to them, holding one of his hands in her own.

“What was that!?” Paimon sputtered. 

“The connection between Sethos and Cyno got overwhelmed.” Nahida explained softly, “Even though Sethos doesn’t have a Ba fragment inside him anymore, the remnants of its power still link him somewhat to Cyno. Something must’ve happened to cause Cyno a significant amount of distress and it leaked into this link. I’d like to discuss it more but…we should act quickly in our separate tasks.” 

Through some system or discussion that Sethos couldn’t quite follow, the tasks were divided as such. 

Lumine, Paimon, and Albedo would go looking for this Dain guy. 

Tighnari, Kaveh, Lisa, and Venti would go to Aaru village and ask Dehya and Candace if they’d seen anything suspicious in the past few days. 

Collei and Amber would go back to Gandharva Ville and question the other Forest Rangers if any of them had seen anything. 

Alhaitham and Yuri would temporarily take over some of the General Mahamatra’s duties. 

And Nahida, Zhongli, Diluc, and Sethos would take a trip into Irminsul to find out what caused this…connection between Sethos and Cyno to flare up… 

…and what had caused a certain part of Xiao’s contract with Zhongli to break.

Chapter Text

Kaeya’s heart stopped. 

Clutched against his chest, he felt Xiao freeze. 

Cyno let out a choked gasp. The bandages covering his arms flickered out of existence. The blade of the claymore sticking out from his back dripped blood onto the floor. He remained standing for only a few more seconds and then his legs gave out from underneath him. The only thing keeping him up was the claymore through his stomach. 

“I’ve warned you against attacking me, general.” Dottore dismissed the blade, allowing the general to collapse completely to the ground. He lay there and didn’t move.

“Cyno!” Kaeya uselessly reached out towards him. 

“Stay right where you are, captain.” The harbinger sharply ordered. He yanked Cyno up by the arm and all but threw him onto the table. He pointed at the agent behind the kamera and another standing next to them, “Take the captain and the yaksha back to the cell while I stitch him up and repair my segment. Once he’s recovered enough we’ll discuss a proper punishment. ” 

“Yes, Lord Dottore.” The agents wasted no time in striding over to the little alcove they were in. Xiao was pulled out of the captain’s arms as he himself was grabbed off the ground. 

“Wait, no! Don’t touch him!” Xiao shouted, struggling against the hold on him. 

“Hold on- stop!” Kaeya for once fought back against the force moving him, “Cyno!” Panic shot through his system. The way that their captor had said ‘punishment’ set him on edge. He did not want to leave Cyno alone with that crazed madman. 

But, as always in this place, he wasn’t given any choice. 

---- 

For all that Lumine talked about Dainsleif being hard to find, it was almost laughably easy to get ahold of him. Granted…it did seem like this was a method that could only work if the blonde traveler did it. 

All she had to do was put a word in with Katherine of the Adventurer’s Guild and the message was passed along. 

Then they went to Port Ormos and waited. 

Albedo would be lying if he said he wasn’t the least bit nervous about finally meeting this Dainsleif character. He had some vague memories from his master talking about him and he knew that the former royal guard had some bad history with her but that was about all he knew for certain about him. 

As they waited, he sketched in his notebook. 

“So, how are you holding up, Albedo?” Paimon asked quietly. 

“I’m…okay.” The alchemist replied as simply as he could, “As okay as one can be given the situation.” 

“We’ll get them back.” Lumine nodded, her gaze fixed on some point in the crowd. 

“I want to believe you.” He sighed, “I want to believe that it will all be okay. But without knowing exactly what is happening to them I can’t confidently say.” 

“Well Nahida is taking some of the others into Irminsul to find out what caused that whole thing with Sethos earlier. Maybe she’ll have some answers for us when we get back.” Paimon lightly patted him on the shoulder. The attempt at comfort was appreciated, even if it didn’t really help. He was concerned and distracted by so many things. What was happening to Kaeya? What was happening to Cyno? Why did Sethos’ eyes suddenly flash purple and gold before he collapsed in pain earlier? What part of whatever contract Xiao had with Zhongli was broken? Why did Zhongli look almost sick when they asked? What did Kaeya’s family have to do with why he was taken? Why did Diluc suddenly have to care now and not earlier when his brother was still there? Why was he still denying that he cared in the first place? What would he say to Klee if they had to return to Mondstat without Kaeya? 

A sudden voice startled Albedo out of his spiraling thoughts. 

“So, you wanted to meet me?” 

---- 

If Diluc was being perfectly honest, the thought of venturing inside the very thing that held the world’s memories was a very daunting one. 

“I will guide the three of you through the branches of Irminsul.” Nahida stood in front of them with a serious look on her face, “Stay close to each other and don’t wander off the path.” 

“Uh, before we go, can I ask something?” Sethos tilted his head, fidgeting with his hands, “Is it possible to use Irminsul to find out where they are?” 

“Unfortunately not.” She shook her head, “I’ve already done a cursory search and The Doctor made carefully sure to avoid lay lines enroute to his destination. I’m sorry…” 

“I thought as much.” He sighed, “It’s alright. We’ll find out what we can.”  

“Are you all ready?” Nahida asked. The three of them all nodded, “Please prepare yourselves. I’m going to transport you into Irminsul.” 

The air around them shimmered. Diluc felt his consciousness shift. He blinked and then the space he was in was different. It was a bright, peaceful feeling space. The three of them were standing on a large tree branch. 

“What…is this place?” The wine tycoon wondered aloud. 

“This is a branch of Irminsul.” Zhongli explained. 

“Sounds like you made it inside okay.” Nahida’s voice echoed from all around, “In a few moments, you’ll be entering the innermost region of Irminsul. You must be very careful as you navigate your way through. It is essential that you stay calm and stay together, no matter what you might see. Once you are inside, Sethos, I want you to feel for the connection you have with Cyno and follow that. ” 

“Understood.”  

“Irminsul access granted. Initiating connection procedure.” 

A small, glittering branch grew from the larger branch in front of them. As soon as Sethos stepped forward and reached toward the sapling, their environment changed yet again. This time it was a vast blue expanse with a massive almost translucent tree a long distance away from them. 

“So this is the innermost part of Irminsul.” Zhongli gazed around the space, “I have to say that I’ve never been here before.” 

“I don’t think anyone besides the Dendro Archon has been here.” Sethos sucked in a shaking breath and closed his eyes. He held a hand out in front of him. A few sparks of electro flickered off the edges of his fingers. After a few moments, he pointed down a corridor of light, “This way.” 

“Alright then.” Diluc nodded. Despite his nerves he started in the direction pointed out, “Let’s go.” 

No matter what they saw here, they’d have to face it. 

---- 

His head and stomach were pounding as he came back to consciousness. 

His stomach he understood, the last thing he remembered was being run through by Dottore’s sword. His head though…he wasn’t entirely sure about that. There could be any number of things that caused that and he wasn’t keen on discerning the reason anyway. 

He was well aware that Dottore would likely be meeting out some kind of punishment for his interference with the ‘experiment’ on Xiao. He knew that would be the outcome when he called on his power, when he broke the barrier, when he slashed that segment across the chest, when he snapped Xiao’s restraints, and when he pulled him off that table to be handed to Kaeya. He knew Dottore would shift his attention to him in anger. That was what he wanted, after all. Keeping that part of his contract with his god was something that clearly, the yaksha took solace and pride in. He could not, would not, let Dottore take that away from him. Not without a fight. Any amount of time that he could give Xiao to process and recover would be worth whatever that madman wanted to put him through.

Even though he was awake, he kept his eyes closed, taking stock in his current situation. Cyno could tell that he was sitting up. His limbs were strapped down on some kind of chair. His legs felt they were in a bow-legged position, which was…kind of odd. He had a bit-gag shoved into his mouth that tasted like rubber. The gown he’d been wearing was predictably gone. He could hear shuffling and metal clinking around him. 

Suddenly the general felt a hand grab his face and tilt his head back forcibly. 

“I know you’re awake, general.” Dottore hissed in his ear. With a huff, he peeled open his eyes to glare up at the harbinger grinning wolfishly down at him, “There you are. You know, I haven’t had a test subject as difficult as you in quite a long time. I believe that I made it very clear last time how I felt about your attempts to strike me.” He moved off to the side, which allowed him to see the same kamera that had been filming earlier aimed toward him. His captor left his line of sight, “But I suppose I should’ve expected such stubbornness from you. As long as you are able, you intend to interfere with my experiments, yes?” Given that he wasn’t able to speak, Cyno gave a short noise of affirmation. He saw no point in trying to deny that, “I suppose I’ll have to ensure that you are un able then.” 

His vision was abruptly cut off, some kind of headset was forced onto his head. A flash of panic rushed through him. 

“As a formality, I suppose I’ll explain what is happening.” The harbinger kept moving around him, “This device was inspired by your old Akasha Terminals, depositing information into the brain.” The general tensed his body, his breath caught in his throat. Dread welled up in his stomach, “Good, you seem to realize what this means. I’m going to insert these needles into your head. I’ll send electrical pulses through your mind. After this, when you attempt to strike me like that again, your body will not let you.” Before he could properly process the information given to him, he felt sharp stabbing pain entering his skull from the top of his head. And again on both of his temples. And on either side of his head. His body jumped slightly with each pierce of a needle, “Of course, this wouldn’t be a proper punishment if I didn’t make you feel pleasure while I perform this procedure. I’ll put these clips on your body…” Cold metal closed around his skin on every sensitive part of him. His nipples, his pussy, his clit, his hips, his upper arms, the base of his neck, and even his tongue through the bit gag, “The same electrical current will be passed through your body as your mind. Who knows, maybe when you try to attack me from now on, waves of pleasure as well as the command will stop you. Isn’t that thrilling?” He heard a loud clap, “Well, let’s get started!” 

The distinct flip of a switch- 

-and then a blast of electricity shot through his mind and body.

Chapter Text

They followed Sethos through the seemingly endless maze of information until there was a sudden crackling pulse of electricity and for the third time, their surroundings changed. 

The vast expanse transformed into a medium-sized, well-lit lab-like space. 

“Guh-huh!?”

A voice came from somewhere to the side. Diluc snapped his head towards the voice and almost immediately his heart leapt into his throat and his stomach sank. Next to him, he felt Zhongli suddenly go tense like a string.

There was a young man strapped down to some kind of examination table, completely naked and exposed to the madman standing over him. Dottore looked…quite different from the last time he remembered seeing him. His hair was straighter, he held himself higher, and he covered the upper half of his face with an unsettling bird mask. 

“Back with us, dear yaksha?” A gloved hand ran through dark teal hair. Both the young man and Zhongli responded with low growls. 

Yaksha. So that was- 

“Xiao!” Another voice further to the side. There were two alcoves set into the wall, cut off by translucent barriers. And behind each of those barriers were a single person. 

“Cyno!”

“Kaeya…” 

Kaeya had never looked more exhausted and annoyed than he did at that moment, glaring daggers at the harbinger. His hair was down and disheveled. His eyepatch was missing but somehow he’d managed to maneuver his bangs to hide his eye. Diluc briefly glanced at the other one, Cyno, who was shakily standing and actively hitting the barrier in front of him. It looked like at any moment his legs could collapse from underneath him.

“I…what is this…?” Xiao’s voice drew his attention back to the middle of the room.

“Um, does Dottore have a brother or something…?” Sethos shakily pointed at something across the room. When he looked over his confusion only grew because standing there next to a kamera and a Fatui agent was the very same Dottore that he recalled meeting in Mondstat before. He was the exact same, right down to the bowtie, weird mask, and deeply unsettling red gaze. 

“Curious about that one, hmm?” The Dottore seemingly in charge chuckled, “This is one of my segments, he’s here to make this experiment run smoothly.” 

“Segment…?” 

“Segment?” Diluc echoed, sharing equally as bewildered looks with Sethos. Zhongli didn’t seem to want to take his eyes off Xiao.  

“Lesser Lord Kusanali said she made you erase your previous segments.” Okay well Cyno seemed to know what that word meant. That made one of them.

“Indeed she did.” The apparent ‘segment’ of Dottore grinned eerily, “However, the keyword there is ‘previous segments.’ I was made after the said deal was made. You may call me…‘Web.’” 

“This is… What is all of this? What are you doing now?” The agitation in Kaeya’s voice and face made the wine tycoon’s chest feel tight. It was the same tone he used whenever he was asking a question, knowing the answer, and he really didn’t like what that answer was going to be.  

“Come now, captain. I know you’re not dense.” Dottore leisurely strolled over to a small table filled with a number of empty needles and one that was full, “Surely you don’t need me to explain.” After picking up the one full needle, he walked back to Xiao, tilting his back to expose his neck, “I’ve read that the yakshas took an oath of celibacy as part of their contracts with Morax. I wonder if he’ll be able to feel this part of the contract being broken.”

Oh. 

Oh. 

“No, stop! Don’t you dare!” Cyno snarled.  

“Web, push that button on that wall over there. It’ll activate the silencers on the barriers.” 

“As you wish, Prime.”

The segment that called himself Web then walked over to the button that Dottore had pointed out and pressed it. Kaeya started to say something but then some kind of sigil pulsed along the barriers. The sound behind it was cut off. The captain’s face went pale, fear flashing in his eyes. Strangely, though, once it became obvious that his voice was silenced, Cyno’s expression turned almost murderously angry. As Xiao was injected with whatever was in that needle and Web began his invasive probing, Diluc found his attention fixed on the General Mahamatra and the obvious growing rage within him. He stopped banging on the barrier and started fully pressing against it. His eyes started flickering gold and purple, exactly like Sethos’ had been earlier. Dark bandages covered in the same type of runes as the one silencing the barriers wrapped around his wrists and formed sharp claws at the tips of his fingers. The energy coming from him felt almost like- 

A sudden loud scream jarred Diluc’s focus. 

---- 

It took almost an entire day to reach Aaru Village and to say that Candace and Dehya were surprised to see them would be an understatement. To save time, Tighnari and Kaveh quickly introduced Lisa and Venti as they walked into the private place of the Chief's house. 

“So, what is this about?” Dehya asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“The Doctor is back in Sumeru.” Tighnari tried to keep his voice as steady as possible, “He’s taken Cyno and two others.” 

“We need to know if you’ve seen or heard anything strange in the past two weeks.” Lisa folded her hands perfectly in her lap, “Any unmarked caravans or strange people passing through.” 

“ That fucker is back!?” Dehya sputtered. 

“Oh you’ve encountered him before?” Venti tilted his head curiously. 

“Kind of. I’ve only laid eyes on him once.” She shrugged and leaned back in her chair, “It was during our whole ‘taking down the corrupt sages and setting our archon free’ thing. Lumine and I had to confirm whether or not he was leaving Sumeru at that time.” 

“Can you tell me what exactly happened? How did The Doctor get a hold of Cyno?” Candace questioned. 

“He and Sethos were checking out an old temple that has to do with Hermanubis. According to Sethos, Dottore cornered them there with a bunch of Fatui and knocked them out.” Kaveh took over the explanation, “The next thing he knew, the Fatui, Dottore, and Cyno were gone.” 

“Who are the two others?” 

“Our Cavalry Captain, Kaeya Albrich and an adeptus from Liyue named Xiao.” Venti frowned, “Unfortunately, unlike with Cyno, we don’t have any information on how they were taken.” 

The discussion from there went much like the one back at the Akademiya. 

Candace invited them to stay the night while she and Dehya asked around for information.

Hopefully the residents here or some of the Eremite camps nearby would know something. 

---- 

It wasn’t long after they were shoved back in the cell that the cuffs forced them asleep. There was only enough time to protectively wrap his arms around Xiao before that unnatural tiredness dragged them both into the dark. 

Kaeya had no idea how much time had passed when he woke up. His head was pounding and his heart was in his throat. He glanced around the cell, noting with a wave of unease that Cyno was still not back and Xiao was still unconscious in his arms. The yaksha showed only slight signs of waking up. It was obvious he wanted to wake up, his brows were furrowed and his breath was hitching, but something was stopping him fully rising to the surface. It didn’t take a genius to figure out it was likely the cuffs. For some reason, Dottore wanted Kaeya fully awake and Xiao only semi-conscious.  

The door swung open like it always did, the sound achingly familiar to him now. The unfortunately also familiar figures of several Fatui agents walked in. 

“Stand up and hand over the yaksha.” One of the agents ordered. Seeing no point in resisting, the captain sighed and slowly rose to his feet. A different agent pulled Xiao from his grasp, “Put your hands together in front of you.” He followed the command and a chain was linked between his cuffs, “Follow us. Any attempt to resist will only cause further punishment for the Mahamatra.” 

“What…?” Kaeya’s throat went dry. Further punishment. Further. This whole time, however long had passed, Cyno was alone in Dottore’s hands. 

They didn’t say anything more than that. They began to push and prod him forward, out into the ominously empty lab and through a separate door. They went down a somewhat familiar hallway. It took a moment for him to realize it was the same hallway that led toward the observation chamber of that room they’d been forced to watch Cyno fight in. As they got closer to the door of the room, he started to hear muffled noises. It had to be Cyno but he wasn’t sure what was happening. The door to the observation room swung open with that damn harbinger grinning at them. It was then that he saw what was making those noises and it made the captain throw up a little in his mouth. 

That segment, Web, was back and looking no worse for wear. He was sitting in a lounging chair. In his lap, impaled on the segment’s cock and trembling violently was Cyno. His arms were chained behind his back and some strange kind of visor was covering his eyes. Several places on his body looked like there were electrical burns. His nose had been bleeding at some point. It didn’t look like he was able to hold himself up at all. His breaths came in shuddering, exhausted gasps. Every time Web thrust upward into him, punched out cries and moans left his lips.

“Good, you brought them.” Dottore addressed the agents with a cheerful tone, “Place the yaksha on the other chair while I have a chat with the captain.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

The harbinger grabbed Kaeya’s chained hands, dragging him off to the side. He tried to pull away but the man’s grip was like iron. 

“Now, now, captain, don’t you start being difficult too. I might have to perform the same procedure on you that I did on the general.” The words made his blood run cold. 

“What did you do to him!?” He demanded. 

“I simply used a device similar to an akasha terminal to place a command in his subconscious. Should he attempt to strike out at me again, his body will not allow him to move.” 

“You…” Kaeya was going to be sick. That kind of control over someone shouldn’t be possible. Honestly at this point he probably shouldn’t be as shocked or surprised as he felt, “Then what is your segment doing here?” He pointedly looked away from his captor, glaring sharply at the segment in question. Web was very much ignoring their conversation. Clearly he was enjoying himself too much to care what else was going on around him. 

“Naturally he wanted to teach the general a lesson as well. I saw no reason to decline.” Dottore shrugged with an infuriatingly indifferent tone, “And before you ask why I’ve decided to keep the yaksha mostly unconscious while allowing you to be fully awake, it’s a mere matter of convenience. So far, you’ve been fairly cooperative in following instructions, unlike my other two subjects. I do hope you continue to do so, captain.” Apparently after that their conversation was over since the harbinger called over the same agents from before. They were instructed to take Kaeya to the room below, the one that Cyno had fought in. 

His only consolation as he was forced from the room was that he had an idea of what lay in store for him there.

Chapter Text

He thought he was prepared to see what Xiao had been forced to endure. 

He thought he could handle knowing exactly how that portion of the contract was broken. 

He should have guessed that he’d be wrong. 

Watching the young adeptus be assaulted and taunted was like having knives plunged into his chest. 

The scream that Xiao let out when the segment forced himself inside echoed loudly in his ears. 

“I’m aware that your hymen has been cut away, so you likely won’t bleed too much. Even if it is your first time, I’ll make sure that it feels good.” Web leaned over the yaksha, putting a hand on his stomach. Zhongli growled territorially in the back of his throat. 

“No…No I…I don’t want-ugghh guh mmhh…I don’t want…” Xiao was sobbing now, shaking his head, “AH!! Ah don’t! Gu haah!” 

“No physical effects from the breaking of the contract, hmm?” Dottore hummed, “I had heard that anyone who breaks one of Morax’s contracts is consigned to ‘suffer the wrath of the rock.’ Did he make an exception for you or…is there some hidden clause in your contract that we don’t know about?” 

There was indeed a clause in the contract, but it was not hidden by any means. Zhongli knew the dangers of the world better than most and so in each yaksha’s contract he had placed a condition. In the event that the oath of celibacy was broken by an outside force, through no fault of their own, no consequences of breaking that contract would be enacted on them. It was unclear if Xiao remembered this clause or not. 

“Isn’t that something? Aren’t you happy that you aren’t being punished for breaking your contract?” Web’s voice was gratingly gleeful. 

“Th-there’s no way…ahg…I’d be pleased…hnggh nngh…to be violated by something like you.” It was a testament to Xiao’s resilient nature that he managed to glare up at his attacker and spit out insults, “You’ve…you’re already gotten aahhh what you wanted…just gunh…t-take it out!” 

“Oh, you didn’t think that was the end of the experiment, did you?” Dottore laughed.

“No, dear yaksha, I’m afraid we still have quite a ways to go!” Web echoed his creator’s laughter and pushed forward again. 

“KAAAHH!? Ahhhngh guuuh hhhaahh!?” The yaksha thrashed and struggled as much his restraints would allow. The segment leaned even further and started whispering in his ear. He spoke softly so that even Zhongli’s sensitive hearing couldn’t pick it up, “AHGGH D-don’t toy with me you-AAAHGK!! Staaaaah!” More whispering and he jerked his head away, “Uhhaah don’t call me th-aaaaah aahht!” 

Then Web pulled back and his next words made the former archon’s blood boil.

“This pathetic crying voice of yours is very cute. Has Morax ever heard it?” 

“Nnuuuh!? You-!!” 

“STOP!!” 

From the side, he heard a loud shout and felt a sudden spike of…divine energy. A figure cloaked in purple and gold energy darted out from one of the alcoves. Web was forced back via a slash across the chest with large claws. The restraints holding down Xiao were ripped open. The figure quickly but still gently picked up the yaksha and then dashed back toward the other alcove. 

“Cyno!” One of the other two captives, Kaeya, had Xiao looking dazed and confused in his arms now. Standing protectively in front of them was Cyno. He was trembling but he was still on his feet. The same divine energy that had spiked earlier was now clearly coming from him. It coiled around his arms and hands like dark bandages and caused his eyes to shine a mixture of gold and purple. 

“This is…” Zhongli frowned. He knew this type of divine energy. It had been a long few centuries since he’d felt it, but he recognized what it was instantly. 

The divine energy of a newborn god . 

“Cyno…?” Both Xiao in this memory and Sethos standing in the present reached towards the general. 

“So this is the power of Hermanubis?” Dottore stepped closer to the three captives, “You managed to break through shields created from King Deshret’s technology. And quite easily, too.” 

  “Stay. Back.” Cyno hissed, lowering his stance in a defensive gesture. His eyes glowed even brighter. The harbinger seemed to pay no mind to the obvious warning. He likely didn’t see it as a threat.

“Wait Cyno-!” Kaeya cried out. 

Web suddenly shot up from where he lay on the ground, lunging at Cyno. The general expertly dodged off to the side- 

-onto the blade of the claymore Dottore had summoned.

“No! Cyno!” Sethos jerked forward. Both Zhongli and Diluc had to pull him back, “No, let me go! I have to-” 

“I’m sorry, young Sethos, there’s nothing you can do right now.” As much as it pained Zhongli to say this, he knew it to be true. These events had already transpired. 

“But…” Bright green eyes began to fill with tears. 

“I’ve warned you against attacking me, general.” Dottore caught the former archon’s attention again. The claymore vanished and Cyno fully collapsed down to the floor. The rune covered bandages and outward expression of newly divine energy vanished. He didn’t move from that point. 

“Cyno!” Kaeya cried out.

“Stay right where you are, captain.” Dottore reached down, grabbed the general by the arm, and harshly tossed him onto the same table that Xiao had been trapped on, “Take the captain and the yaksha back to the cell while I stitch him up and repair my segment. Once he’s recovered enough we’ll discuss a proper punishment .” 

“No…” Sethos gasped. 

The space around them crackled and pulsed. They were transported back into the Sanctuary of Surasthana, almost like they hadn’t moved at all. 

---- 

Something was keeping his consciousness from rising fully to the surface. 

Xiao heard the door to the cell opening and felt his body being shifted around but there wasn’t anything he could do about it. He couldn’t make his limbs move like he wanted. There was a moment he was completely submerged in that fuzzy darkness where he perceived nothing. He had no way of knowing how long this period was. 

When he was finally allowed to rise to the surface, to wake up fully, he found himself chained to a padded chair in the same room he and Kaeya had been forced to watch Cyno fight from. He heard a sound next to him. The yaksha turned his head towards the source. Immediately, he almost wished that he hadn’t. 

That damn segment calling himself Web was back. The wound that he had been given earlier was gone, like it had never been there in the first place. He was sitting on some kind of lounge chair next to him with an unconscious Cyno trapped in his grip. The general had electrical burns on his body and exhaustion covered his face. 

Xiao opened his mouth to growl at the segment to get the hell away from them but then- 

“Fully awake, dear yaksha?” Like he had before, Dottore ran his hand through his hair. He jerked away with a sharp hiss, “Ah ah ah, don’t be like that.” The harbinger entered his line of sight, grabbing his chin and tilting his head up, “It would benefit you greatly to start cooperating with me. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to implement the same safeguards into you as I did to the general.” 

“ What did you do!?” He demanded.  

“Hmm. You and the captain have very similar reactions to this. Interesting.” The inquisitive hum that he got in response made his stomach clench, “To answer your question, I used a device similar to the Akademiya’s Akasha terminals to place certain restrictions in his mind. Should he make an attempt to attack me like before, his body will not allow it.” Xiao sucked in a sharp, fearful breath. These types of restrictions…the kind that didn’t show themselves until action was taken. The kind that disallowed any sort of meaningful resistance… 

It was just like what his old master used to keep their ‘subjects’ in line.

“Prime, you’re leaving out the best part!” Web chuckled, a sound that sent cold shivers down his spine. One of his hands started wandering…lower on Cyno’s body, “If he tries to attack you or any of us segments, what will stop him is not any kind of pain or ceasing movement.” His grin widened almost impossibly. His hand hovered sickeningly close to the space between the general’s legs, “But mind numbing pleasure unlike anything he’s likely ever experienced before now.” 

“You…you’re both sick!” Even if he tried, he doubted that he could keep the horror and loathing out of his expression and voice, “What gives you the right to toy with others’ bodies and minds like this!?” The grip on his chin grew tighter. Dottore loomed over him with a slim smile that was somehow more horrifying than the broad grin his segment bore. 

“What gives me the right…is the opportunity to surpass gods.” 

---- 

Being unceremoniously shoved into a concrete room with nothing but a wooden rod to defend himself with was one thing. 

Being left in the room by himself for the next hour was another thing entirely. 

Kaeya made a point of sitting right below the darkened windows, where he noted in the previous ‘experiment’ that there was a slight blindspot. He wasn’t completely out of sight, but he’d take what he could get out of spite at this point. He played with the wooden rod absentmindedly as he waited. 

Waiting seemed to be all one could do in this place. 

After what felt like an hour, he finally heard the hidden speakers crackle to life. 

“Captain Kaeya, I apologize for keeping you waiting.” Dottore announced. 

“Yes, quite rude of you.” Kaeya huffed, not bothering to get up or move, “Almost as rude as forcing commands into someone’s head one might say.” 

“I suspect the two of you won’t be letting that go for some time.” The harbinger sighed in obvious annoyance. Two…? Oh, Xiao must be awake then. He doubted Cyno was aware or coherent yet, “I’ll allow it for now, but I won’t for much longer. Now, I suggest you get to your feet, captain. You’ll be at quite the disadvantage otherwise.” He rolled his eyes, though he knew that couldn’t be seen, and complied. The door to the room opened and the same agents that he recalled fighting Cyno filtered in, “I trust you know what is expected of you?” 

A smirk graced Kaeya’s lips. He twirled the wooden rod in his hands. 

“Well then, let’s get started, shall we?” 

---- 

“Hey, was there a reason you asked to meet me so urgently? And uh…by yourself?” 

“I know you’re looking for your boyfriend but I’m afraid he’s not available at the moment.” 

“He’s not-” 

“You two are not as discreet as you think you are. Anyway, his absence is only half the reason I asked to speak to you.” 

“Okay?” 

“The other half is this.” 

“A piece of paper…?” 

“What’s written on the paper you dork.” 

“Well hand it over and let me read it then.” 

“....” 

“....this is…is this real?” 

“Unfortunately, yes.” 

“And where is-” 

“Director Hu told us he’s already left for Sumeru to assist the Dendro Archon in the investigation.” 

“Then that’s where I’m going too.” 

“With all due respect, Tartaglia, do you really think that’s a good idea to show up unannounced by yourself? You’ll get yourself arrested. Again.” 

“Well what else do you want me to do!? You called me here for a reason, right?” 

“Yes, I did. Me and a friend of mine are planning to set off for Sumeru ourselves. I’m offering to take you with us not as the 11th Harbinger but just as yourself. Deal?” 

“Deal.”

Chapter Text

It should’ve been concerning how much fun he was having taking down the Fatui agents sent in to fight him. But, he couldn’t find it in himself to care very much about that. 

One, two, three, four waves came and went. Each time it was about four or five agents, quite less than when it was Cyno but he supposed that made sense. Kaeya was used to fighting against groups about this size anyway. Treasure hoarder camps were never very big after all. 

He was just getting into the routine of it all when, strangely, only one agent entered the room. 

The captain glanced up at the blank window with a raised eyebrow. 

Completely missing the first move from his opponent. 

With a very audible crack, a fist struck across his face. It mostly hit his nose, which almost immediately started bleeding. The force also caused him to stumble back a few steps. He barely recovered enough to dodge the kick to his knee. His shoulder collided with the wall. Something hit his stomach. He pitched forward, which allowed his attacker to grab his hair and yank on it. 

The next thing he knew, he was somehow pinned underneath the agent. The wooden pole he had been given was out of his hands. His arms were trapped above his head while the agent sat on his hips to make any movement with his legs useless. 

“Excellent work, Vasin.” Dottore praised from the speakers, “It appears letting you in by yourself proved interesting.” 

“Thank you, Lord Harbinger.” The agent, Vasin, smirked down at the captain. With the hand not pinning his wrists to the floor, he reached into his coat and pulled out a syringe. Damn it, he was getting real tired of these things, “Permission to proceed with the next phase of the experiment?” 

“Permission granted.” 

“What are you doing!?” Kaeya thrashed as much as his position would allow. That didn’t stop the needle from piercing the skin on his neck. 

A burning sensation rapidly began to radiate under his skin from the base of his throat to the rest of his body. He started to sweat and shake. His insides started to feel like they were being squeezed and burned. He tightly grit his teeth and forced his eyes shut through the pain. However, he couldn’t stop the sounds of pain from leaking through. Tears started to slip down the sides of his face. 

Half of his body then went numb while the other half screamed in agony. He couldn’t discern which parts hurt and which didn’t. All he could focus on was the pain itself. Dread settled in his stomach like a lead weight but he didn’t know exactly why. Breathing was getting hard to do, his lungs spasming in sharp gasps. He could feel his limbs being moved around, which sent more waves of pain through him.

It felt like an eternity went by before the burning finally settled to a manageable degree. He caught his breath and opened his eyes. He immediately noticed how much his position had changed. Much to his chagrin, his arms were cuffed behind his back and his legs were bent back and spread apart. 

“So, this is the famed Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius?” Vasin sneered, settling between his thighs. 

“What are you doing now? What ‘experiment’ is this supposed to be?” Kaeya frowned. Like he usually tried to do, he buried his discomfort and fear deep within himself. He would not allow any kind of distress to be visible on his face. 

“Oh, this part isn’t any kind of experiment.” The agent waved his head dismissively like he was swatting the idea out of the air, “Our Lord Harbinger has so generously granted me this opportunity to enact some justice on my part.” 

“What are you talking about?” He had absolutely no idea what this guy was on about. He’d never seen him before that moment, how could he have done anything to him? 

“I’m assuming your brother has never told you about his…certain exploits in Snezhnaya?” 

“Oh you mean the four years that he went running around playing vigilante? Yes, I’m very aware of his escapades there.” Kaeya turned his head to stare pointedly at the still darkened window, “Including his run in with your Harbingers. I heard all about it.” 

“Then you know that countless Fatui soldiers were slain by your brother’s hand?” 

“Obviously.” 

“Then you are aware that one of those soldiers was my older brother?” 

“Considering I’ve never seen you or your older brother, I’d say the odds of me knowing are slim to none.” 

That was not the answer Vasin was looking for, obviously. The agent growled in annoyance and reached forward. 

“Ghh!” A startled and confused yelp left his lips when he felt a cold hand wrap around his soft length. He started to rub and pump the captain into full hardness, “What the-what are you doing!?” 

“Your older brother took mine away from me, so I’m taking his little brother. In a different sense, of course.” Vasin purred, “You might as well just lay back and let this happen.” His hand moved up and down a bit faster. 

“Gghhg! It’s not like I…ah! Have much of a choice here…nngh, do I?” 

Kaeya carefully kept his expression flat and annoyed. He refused to give this random guy with an obvious chip on his shoulder the satisfaction of seeing him afraid. Which if he was being honest, he really wasn’t. He was actually annoyed with the situation. 

In usual Kaeya fashion, when he was annoyed, he was going to make it everyone’s problem. 

---- 

When they returned to the Sanctuary of Surasthana, it was immediately apparent that something had happened while they were gone. 

Nahida and Zhongli were obviously having a very serious discussion off to the side. Diluc was sitting on one of the couches, leaning forward. His elbows rested against his knees and the back of his linked hands was pressed against his forehead. Sethos was pacing back and forth by the bookshelf with a book in his hands.

It all left Venti with a rather unsettling feeling crawling up his back. 

“Alright. What happened?” Tighnari stepped inside, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Oh good, you’re back.” Nahida perked up, a small but nervous smile appearing on her face, “Were those at Aaru Village able to give us any information?” 

“Candace and Dehya are still asking around, but so far we have about three people on the outskirts of the village spotting a suspicious caravan around the timeframe Cyno was kidnapped.” Kaveh sighed, “We’re hoping to hear back from them in a day or so for a concrete direction they were headed.” 

“That’s…good, I suppose.” 

“Sethos, sit down. I haven’t cleared you for walking around on your ankle, yet.” Tighnari marched over to the boy in question. 

“I’m fine.” Sethos boldly attempted to wave him off, “I’ve been walking on it for a few hours now and it’s fine.” 

“I’d still like to take a look and make sure.” The forest ranger pushed. 

“He’s not going to drop it if you don’t agree, Sethos.” Kaveh sent him an apologetic look. 

While the desert boy reluctantly agreed to be examined again, Venti and Lisa approached the other two archons and Diluc.

“So…what happened in Irminsul?” Venti asked, “What…what’s happening to Kaeya and Xiao?” 

“We…” Zhongli’s hesitation made the bard’s heart start beating faster. He was being relatively silent and brooding. That was never a good sign. 

“We saw The Doctor in the midst of conducting one of his ‘experiments.’” Despite the situation, Nahida using air quotes around the word experiment was admittedly adorable and hilarious, “I’m afraid to say that Xiao was the subject of said experiment. He deliberately broke a portion of the contract that pertained to celibacy.” 

“Oh.”

“There was also something else…” 

“Hey guys! We’re back!” Paimon’s loud voice announced the entrance of Lumine, Albedo, and herself. 

“How did it go? Did you get any information about Kaeya?” Diluc sharply stood. 

“Well, we were able to learn quite a bit about Kaeya’s family.” Albedo quietly walked to the same couch that Tighnari was fussing over Sethos, “From that information, I believe we may be able to come up with a hypothesis as to why Kaeya was targeted. Of course, that also operates on the assumption that Kaeya was targeted due to his heritage and not for…other reasons.” The alchemist shot an odd look Diluc’s way. 

“You have other ideas on the matter?” It wasn’t a surprise that Lisa immediately picked up the implications. 

“Now’s not the time.” He shook his head. 

“Seriously, Tighnari. I’m fine!” Sethos abruptly leapt to his feet and stepped away from the group. He started pacing again, his hands buried themselves in his hair and he started absently pulling at it, “It’s not me we need to be worrying about right now! I’m not that one that got a sword through his stomach!” 

The room went very…very quiet. 

Oh that was not good. Not good at all. 

---- 

His whole body was sore when he managed to drag his consciousness back to awareness. Parts of him were aching that he didn’t remember could ache. He could tell that he was being held by someone as they ran their hands all along his form. It wasn’t a comforting touch at all, but more of a…possessive one. So that immediately ruled out Kaeya or Xiao. Which meant… 

Ugh. It was either Dottore or…Web. 

An involuntary shudder ran down Cyno’s spine. The movement sparked sharp pain in his lower half and he let out a short gasp.

The hands stilled. 

“I see you’re awake now, general.” Web’s sickeningly warm breath brushed against his ear. His head was forcibly tilted backwards against the segment’s shoulder, “Prime~ Our dear general is back~” 

“Oh is he, now?” Another hand gripped his chin.

“Let go.” Cyno tried to lean away, peeling open his leaden eyelids. He scowled at the harbinger and his segment. 

“Cyno!” Xiao’s voice came from beside him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the yaksha bound to a padded chair. Thankfully, it looked like he was relatively unharmed. Good. That meant the hours of pure agony that he’d endured, the searing electricity poured straight into his head and the seemingly endless marathon of being fucked senseless had been worth it. It appeared that they were in the same room that he’d seen the other two in back during the first experiment. But the window looking below wasn’t clear. It was dark. He didn’t see the third captive anywhere and that put him on edge. 

“Where is Kaeya? What have you done to him?” He winced a little bit at the scratchiness in his voice.

“It would appear your surly personality is still intact.” Dottore released his hold, walking over to a short table with a notebook. He started jotting down things on it, “As for the captain, I wouldn’t worry too much about him yet. Vasin has been given strict instructions not to harm him…too much.” 

“Enough about him, general.” Web cooed, one hand slipping underneath his gown. He felt a brush against his abused and still very oversensitive slit. 

“Nnghh! No! En-enough!” He hissed, jerking away as much as his sore body would allow. 

“Stop it! Don’t touch him!” Xiao growled. 

“Web. You’ve had your fun with the general.” The harbinger offhandedly called over his shoulder, “I said you could hold him until he awoke. He’s awake and I have use of you elsewhere.” He turned around, holding his arms out expectantly, “Give him back to me and go. I’m sure you’ll have other opportunities to play again.” 

“ Fine. Fine. You’re the boss, Prime.” Web huffed in annoyance. He stood up with Cyno still in his arms. Although he would rather chew off his own foot than admit it, he was almost relieved to be handed off to Dottore, “I’ll be seeing you soon, general.” The segment stroked his cheek one last time, a touch he admittedly flinched away from, and then he disappeared out the door. 

He was set down on the same chair Web had been sitting in and quickly strapped into it. 

“Now, I’m going to check in on Vasin and the captain in person.” The harbinger strolled over to the door, “I trust you two will behave yourselves.” 

Neither of them responded as he exited the room.

They remained quiet for a moment. A twinge of pain went through Cyno’s stomach and chest, a quiet hiss left his lips. 

“Cyno, are you okay?” Xiao whispered. 

“I will be.” He sucked in a shaking breath, “What about you? Are you…?” 

“I’m fine.” The yaksha shook his head, “I…I’ve been more worried about you.” 

“Mmm.” He nodded. His chest again pulsed with pain, worse than before. But that didn’t make sense, he didn’t recall having any injury to his upper body. Nothing that would explain this. 

Something was different and Cyno didn’t know what it was.

Chapter Text

Being held down and violently fucked was one thing. 

Having pictures being taken of the assault and being taunted about how they were going to be sent to his brother was another thing entirely. 

Both events were only pissing Kaeya off. 

His guts were being rearranged with each thrust, but he refused to make any sound of pain.

A fact that did not go unnoticed by his assailant. 

“Come on! Scream for me, captain!” Vasin growled, bearing down harder than before.

“Ggh!” He grit his teeth and pointedly looked away. This only annoyed the agent further. He couldn’t help but smirk at the vexed expression being sent down at him. 

“You think you’re so tough, hmm?” A hand wrapped around his neck and started squeezing. Not enough to cut off air but enough to have pressure build up behind his eyes, “Do you think I won’t send these pictures to brother dearest if you don’t scream?” The captain let out a short chuckle, “What’s so funny!?” 

“Hah…do you think Diluc will really…gggh! Really care about so-some random…ugh…Fatui member that he’s never met?” Kaeya’s smirk widened, “Or ugh! Or even about me? Hah aahg did you even know that guhh he…he disowned me before he left…?” 

“So what if he did?” The grip on his hips turned bruising, “Bonds like family don’t just disappear. He surely still feels something for his precious little brother.” 

“Something? S-sure…” He huffed. “Annoyance, general nngh disdain…and every other negative emotion. Take your hahg…pick.” 

“My dear captain,” Instinctively his whole body tensed at the sound of Dottore’s voice. How had he missed the door opening and the harbinger entering the room, “If that were truly the case, then how come Diluc Ragnvindr was the one to report you missing to the knights?” 

He…what? 

Diluc did…?

But…why? He didn’t understand… 

“My Lord.” Vasin nodded in his superior’s direction, but he didn’t stop his violent thrusting, “Is there something you require from me?” 

“Oh no, not at all. I was just checking in on your progress.” Dottore hummed, leaning over them, “And to drop something off that I think might help you get the results you want.” He reached into his coat to pull out another dreaded needle. 

“What are you doing…?” Kaeya frowned in confusion, feeling his heart beat faster. 

“Stay still, captain.” The harbinger handed the syringe to Vasin, “Inject this into his neck like the one I gave you earlier.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

“Wait, hold on a minute!” His body stiffened. His breath stuttered in his throat, “What is that!? What are you doing now!?” He didn’t get a response from either man. Like before, the needle pierced his neck and emptied its contents into his body. 

His body which started to heat up and tremble all on its own.  

Another aphrodisiac then. Well that was just great. 

Kaeya’s breathing picked up. The fear that he’d been trying so hard to keep off his face began to creep in. He watched with a sinking feeling in his stomach as Vasin realized what he had given him. The agent smirked and reached forward, tugging on one of his nipples. 

“Ahhaaaa!?” The captain shivered with a cry. 

“You see, Agent Vasin?” Dottore grinned. He stepped back but made no move to leave the room, “To get through to these three particular subjects, you don’t punish them with pain, but with pleasure.” 

“I understand, My Lord.” Vasin’s smile mirrored his superior’s. He sharply jerked his hips upward. His cock struck his prostate head on. A jolt of searing hot pleasure slammed into his brain. As much as he wanted to keep his voice down, Kaeya couldn’t hold back his scream.

“AHGGGAAAAAH!!” 

----

Honestly, Diluc couldn’t blame Sethos for his restlessness nor his outburst. 

He’d probably be the same if it had been Kaeya who had gotten a claymore through the stomach. (He tried hard not to remember that night when he nearly did and so much worse…) 

“He… what…?” Kaveh went pale with wide eyes, “H-how? Why!?” 

“The…what was happening to Xiao it…it must’ve pissed Cyno off really bad.” Sethos started pacing again, “There was a…I think Dottore called it a segment…and Cyno attacked them and grabbed Xiao and then the next thing we knew he was stabbed.” 

“Unfortunately, that appears to be the least of our worries.”  Zhongli let out a long breath. 

“What do you mean?” Tighnari narrowed his eyes at the former archon, “What could be worse than Cyno getting run through by a sword!?” 

“That just before it happened, Cyno appeared to have tapped into a power that I have only seen once before.” Nahida frowned. 

“And that is…?” 

“The energy he was giving off…was that of a newborn god.” 

The rest of the group was sent into another stunned silence. 

It wasn’t the first time that Diluc had heard that revelation but it still threw him for a loop. He’d only seen Cyno for a few brief moments in Irminsul and grasping that he was a god of some kind was very difficult. He couldn’t imagine how hard it must be for those who actually knew him. 

“How is that possible!?”  Paimon sputtered. 

“That…we don’t know.” Nahida shook her head helplessly, “The two Ba fragments alone don’t explain it. And we know that a gnosis was not involved here, like with the sage's previous plan.” 

“I…think we might need to ask Yuri about that.” Lumine glanced at the door. 

“I’ll go find him.” Sethos barely waited for anyone to acknowledge that he spoke or ask why the archon’s assistant would be needed before he all but sprinted out of the door. 

“Well he certainly didn’t waste a moment.” Venti blinked owlishly at the space the desert boy once occupied, “He was almost faster than the wind.” 

“Can’t say I blame him.” Diluc leaned back on the couch, he closed his eyes and grimaced at the image that greeted him in his mind. The moment that Dottore’s blade ran through Cyno’s body. He shook his head and opened his eyes back up. 

A quite tense discussion followed, where theories about Cyno’s newfound godhood were thrown around. Most of it went over the wine tycoon’s head as he had very little context. So, he opted to tune out the conversation and close his eyes once more. He avoided thinking about the things he’d seen in Irminsul by the tried and true method of doing inventory in his head, regardless if said inventory was real or not. He was able to pass the time like that until the doors to the sanctuary slammed open. 

But it wasn’t Yuri who came stumbling through (though the hat-wearing boy with Sethos by his side could be seen not that far behind.) 

It was a ginger-haired man that Diluc swore he recognized… 

“Childe…?” When Zhongli spoke, it immediately clicked into place. 

That was the Eleventh Fatui Harbinger Targalia. 

---- 

They were being left alone for a lot longer than Xiao thought was necessary. 

Granted…it wasn’t like he had a proper way of telling time. But still, it was at least long enough for Cyno to drift off to sleep again. He couldn’t tell if it was a good thing or a bad thing yet. It was obvious that he needed the rest. And yet… 

Something was feeling…different about him. 

It took Xiao almost a ridiculously long time to recognize what had changed. 

His energy, which had always had an underlying current of divinity, had been taken over completely by said divine power. He’d been around gods enough to know what their power felt like, even as newborn as the general’s was. But how could this happen? When did it happen? 

Did Dottore know? 

A feeling of dread like an icy bucket of water washed over him. Did their captor know? If he didn’t…what would happen to Cyno when he did? 

No. 

That could not happen. 

Like the general had done for him, Xiao resolved to steer the harbinger’s attention away from Cyno and towards himself. 

After an indeterminate amount of time, the door opened and several agents walked in. They didn’t say anything. They just unstrapped them both from their chairs and picked them up. Xiao squirmed and struggled as much as he could manage, however useless it was. They were taken back into the main lab. Dottore was there, of course, and so was Kaeya. The captain looked as exhausted as Cyno had been earlier. He was hanging on the far wall by his wrists and neck. Xiao was restrained only by the tight grip of the agents around his arms.

“Oh dear, is the general asleep again?” Dottore walked toward them, reaching towards Cyno. 

“Leave him alone!” Xiao snapped, “Haven’t you done enough to him already!?” 

“Xiao, wait- ghh!” Kaeya tried to speak but moving obviously caused him pain. 

“You may relax for the time being, little yaksha.” Their captor paid no mind to his struggles and snarls as he took Cyno’s limp form from the agents holding him, “I have no more experiments in line for today. I only have a handful of measurements to take from him.” 

“What measurements!?” The yaksha demanded, “What are you going to do to him!?” 

“Hush now, don’t be difficult.” Dottore set Cyno down on that table. He started examining the general’s hands and arms, pausing every once in a while to write things down in a nearby notebook.

“How do you expect us…to not be difficult in this scenario?” Kaeya raised an eyebrow. 

He didn’t get a response. The harbinger moved on to tilting Cyno’s head and moving it around. He peered closely at several parts of the top of his head. Then he went back to writing whatever he was looking for in that notebook of his. When he forced open Cyno’s mouth, that seemed to rouse him from sleep. His brows furrowed together, a muffled groaning sound leaving his lips. Blearily his eyes blinked open. Confusion flickered across his expression. But then Dottore’s hand went further into his mouth, causing him to gag. Confusion turned to some form of panic or anger, it was hard to tell. His body started to jerk upwards but then a shudder went through him and he froze. He began to gasp and tremble uncontrollably. His eyes became hazed while his cheeks flushed. 

“Cyno!” Xiao yanked on the hold around his arms. 

“You were going to try and strike me, weren’t you?” Dottore chuckled darkly. He stepped back enough to pull out his hand from the general’s mouth but kept his hold on his chin, “It would seem that the conditions I set have properly established themselves.” 

“What did you do?” Kaeya straightened as much as it looked like he was able, “What conditions are you talking about?” 

“Well, little yaksha? Would you like to inform the captain?” Their captor grinned menacingly at him. 

“I-I…I…” A flash of panic closed his throat off. He shook his head. 

“You…ah…leave him alone!” Cyno hissed, awareness flickering back into his eyes. 

“Your cognition is back with us already, general? That was rather fast.” Dottore’s grin widened, “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Such will is to be expected in the reborn God of Judgement.” 

Both Cyno and Kaeya tensed with sharp gasps. 

A pit opened up in Xiao’s stomach. 

He knew.

Chapter Text

Dottore’s words were still ringing in his ears when they were returned to the cell. 

“Such will is to be expected in the reborn God of Judgement.” 

He couldn’t breathe properly. He had a vice around his chest. 

“To be expected in the reborn God of Judgement.” 

His eyes were wide but he wasn’t seeing anything. 

“Expected in the reborn God of Judgement.” 

He was dimly aware of Kaeya and Xiao shifting him around, carrying him to one of the cots, and curling protectively on either side of him. One of them had their arms around him while the other gently held his hand. 

“In the reborn God of Judgement.” 

What their captor just said….no it couldn’t be true. It had to be a lie. There wasn’t any way he was…it just wasn’t possible. He wasn’t… 

“The reborn God of Judgement.” 

But what if it was true? What if he was what the harbinger said he was? What did that mean for him? What did that mean for Tighnari, Kaveh, and Alhaitham? What did that mean for Collei? What did that mean for Sethos? 

“Reborn God of Judgement.” 

Who was the God of Judgement…? 

It wasn’t him. It couldn’t be him. 

“God of Judgement.” 

No. 

“God of Judgement.” 

No! 

“God of Judgement.” 

No… 

The hand holding his squeezed enough to ground him in reality again. He sucked in a deep breath. 

“Cyno?” Xiao softly called. 

“Are you alright?” Kaeya asked. His voice reverberated through the chest the general found his head laying on. 

“I…don’t know.” Cyno shivered. 

“Do you want to talk about it or would you like us to distract you?” One of the captain’s arms shifted to start running gently through his hair. He spoke with a soothing tone that indicated he was experienced in this kind of conversation. 

“I don’t know.” He shook his head. His throat wanted to close up and his eyes started to burn, “I just…it’s not possible. I can’t be…he has to be lying…right?” 

“I’m sorry, Cyno.” Xiao’s hold on his hand tightened again. Guilt and sadness swirled in those golden orbs, “He…he wasn’t. I can sense your energy and…it’s shifted. You might not want to hear it but you are…a god.” 

Tears blurred his vision. A sob burst from his lips. 

It was possible. 

It was him. 

He was…the reborn God of Judgement. 

---- 

Albedo was starting to get a headache. 

Unsurprising to anyone who knew him, it took about twenty minutes to physically stop Diluc from instantly throttling the harbinger that had stumbled through the doors. 

Said harbinger didn’t seem to notice. 

“Xiansheng!” He ignored the scuffle and ran straight to Zhongli, pulling the former archon into a hug. 

“Mr. Childe, I told you to wait!” Collei jogged in, with Amber and two unfamiliar women following her. For some reason, Sethos and Yuri lingered in the space just outside, quietly talking to each other. 

“Ah, sorry I just…” Childe sheepishly stepped back. 

“What are you doing here, zhànshì?” Zhongli took the harbinger’s hands in his, a soft look in his eyes, “Shouldn’t you be back in Snezhnaya?” 

“Well, technically, yes. I probably should. But Yelan contacted me and showed me the note that the Liyue Qixing got and she offered to take me with her and her friend and well, now I’m here.” He glanced around the room with surprisingly soulless blue eyes. His gaze lingered on Lumine and Paimon for a second and then settled on Nahida, “I apologize for just barging in, Lesser Lord Kusanali. It’s just that-” 

“It’s quite alright.” Nahida smiled in that soft, yet somehow all-knowing, way of hers, “I know you and Zhongli are close.” 

“ What!?” If it were possible, Diluc would likely have flames coming out of his ears. (That’d be an interesting thing to experiment with later, Albedo quietly filed that into the back of his head.) Lisa smacked the wine tycoon in the back of the head with a book and then yanked him down to her level by the ear. Whatever chewing out the librarian was giving him was enough to distract him from attempting homicide. Again. 

“Ahah…the Ragnvindr is here…” Childe seemed to maneuver himself so Zhongli was between him and the angry winery owner, “I swear I had nothing to do with Dottore’s schemes. I don’t know what he’s doing or why but I can almost guarantee that the Tsaritsa did not and would not order him to do this.” 

“I know.” Zhongli put a hand on his shoulder, “I already guessed that you weren’t involved in this.” 

“And I can vouch for him.” One of the newcomers, a tall woman with blue hair, stepped forward, “I’m Yelan and this is Yanfei. I work directly with Lady Ningguang and she’s a legal expert from Liyue.” 

“We agreed that Mr. Tartaglia would appear here not as a harbinger but merely as himself.” The other one, presumably Yanfei, nodded, “And…both of us have met and worked with the Conqueror of Demons in the past.” 

They went into a brief explanation of how they’d met Xiao in the Chasm and what steps the Liyue Qixing were taking to aid in the investigation. In the meantime, Albedo observed a certain forest ranger approach his student. 

“Collei, you’re okay with working with him?” Tighnari glanced suspiciously at Childe. His tail was swishing from side to side in obvious agitation. 

“If he can help us get Cyno back, I don’t care who he is.” Collei put her hands on her hips, giving her teacher a determined stare, “The Doctor is the one who hurt me, who hurt Cyno and Sir Kaeya. Not him.” 

“I believe we can trust him, for now.” Albedo met the forest ranger’s gaze and nodded his head. In response, he got a very exasperated sigh and a somewhat resigned- 

“If you say so.” 

---- 

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to take off without telling them where you’re going?” 

Sethos paused in his tracks, glancing over his shoulder at Yuri who was reluctantly following him. 

“We told Alhaitham and Aarav where we were going?” He pointed out, “Anyway, this can’t wait. I have questions and I know that the answers lie back at the temple.” He started walking down the path again. They were about halfway to Caravan Ribat by then. 

“And what questions are those?” 

“Mainly, who Cyno’s parents were and how they found the temple.” 

“You think the answers are at the temple, why?” 

“Grandfather kept meticulous records of the Ba fragment experiments. I wasn’t allowed to read them before but since I’m the leader, I should be able to now.” 

There had to be something in his grandfather’s records that explained how Cyno became a god. He had to have written down something about the people who handed Cyno over to them. If his grandfather didn’t have the answers then maybe…maybe they would? 

“I suppose your idea might have some merit.” Yuri sighed, rubbing his temple with one of his hands, “Don’t look at me when your gaggle of friends get upset at you for running off. This was your idea. I’m just coming along because it’ll get me out of doing the Mahamatra’s duties for a good while.” 

A familiar grin tugged on the edges of Sethos’s lips. 

“Mhmm. Sure, Hat Guy, if you say so~” 

---- 

He didn’t want to wake up out of the cell. 

He didn’t want to leave Cyno’s side in his vulnerable state. 

He wanted to stay with him. To keep him safe, as impossible of a thing that was. 

But as always, his wants were completely ignored by their captor.

Xiao was forcibly pulled out of unconsciousness by a familiar jolt through his system. His eyes flew open with a loud gasp. As usual, he was back in that cursed lab. He was strapped down by his legs onto some kind of saddle-like structure, unable to move. He actually couldn’t really feel his lower half at the moment. His arms were chained behind him and linked around a pole. At least he was able to lean his back against it. Dottore sat across from him with that notebook of his open and across his lap. 

“What do you want now ?” The yaksha growled. 

“There’s no need to take that kind of tone with me, my dear.” Dottore hummed, “Cooperate with me today and all that’ll happen is answering a few questions.” 

“And if I don’t?” There was no way he fully expected him to comply without putting up a fight, right? 

“I was hoping that you’d ask that~” An instinctual shudder ran down his spine as he heard Web’s voice from behind him. He felt a pinch on his back and suddenly he became very aware of the feeling in his lower half. There was something inside him, ruthlessly splitting him open. A choked noise left his throat as his eyes went wide. 

“The device you’re connected to was originally invented in Fontaine, but saw further refinement in Snezhnaya.” Dottore explained with that irritating clinical tone of his, “It’s called a Sybian and I’m sure you can guess what its purpose is. Now, do you plan on cooperating or being difficult?” 

“I…aghh…you..!!” Xiao’s cheeks flushed with an indignant humiliation, “I will not be answering any of your questions!” 

“We’ll see how long you hold out.”  He didn’t sound surprised at all. The harbinger merely smiled at him, nodding at who he could only assume was the segment behind him. He heard a click. 

And then the thing below and inside him began to vibrate. 

---- 

“Uh, guys? Has anyone noticed where Sethos and Yuri have gone?”

Chapter Text

Bamoun’s diary was, of course, located in his grandfather’s old room. 

Sethos sat down on the bed. He flipped through the book until he found the dates that coincided with the time period that Cyno had arrived at the temple. While leaning against Yuri, he sucked in a breath and began reading. 

---- 

23rd Day of the 6th Month 

Azima and Shadi returned to the temple today from their artifact-finding expedition, bringing with them a small child alongside a bag of stone slates and various ritual objects. The story they told me was so incredible that if I didn’t have the evidence I did, I would write them off as maddened fanatics. 

They went to Khemenu Temple, deep into the underground area. They found evidence of recent tampering with our previous security measures, so they ventured further inside. The trail led them into Khemenu Temple’s Chamber of Secrets. There, they found several deceased Eremites surrounding the altar dedicated to Hermanubis. And on that altar…they saw this child. 

Alive. 

The child was living while the Eremite individuals around him were dead. 

Both Azima and Shadi said the area was littered with the ritual objects and slates that they brought back with them. I haven’t read them myself yet, but they claim that they contain the steps of a ritual to fuse several of Hermanubis’s Ba fragments together. One of the dead Eremites apparently had notes on the location of three previously unknown Ba fragments in the remnants of Tulaytullah. 

The question now is what does that have to do with the child they found? 

We’ll have to examine the slates and whatever else that was brought back to find answers. 

In the meantime, Cyrus is going to watch over the child. I might have Sethos join him… 

28th Day of the 6th Month 

I can’t believe it. 

That child is… 

I don’t know how those Eremites did it, but they fused three Ba fragments together and in the process… 

Created this child. 

The backlash from such a spell must’ve ended their lives. This child is, for all intents and purposes, the reincarnation of Our Lord, Hermanubis. The God of Judgement and the Greatest of All Sages. 

This brings our entire experiment with our own two Ba fragments into question. Do I implant both into this child? Or go with our original plan? 

Azima and Shadi are going to Tulaytullah in search of more answers. I’ve given them sufficient funds for the expedition. The three of us are the only ones who are aware of the child’s true nature. To everyone else, the two of them are the child’s parents. 

I hope we find the answers we need soon. 

18th Day of the 9th Month. 

Azima and Shadi are dead. Cyrus believes the lie I told him that the money I gave them before they left was payment for releasing the child into our custody. I can’t tell him the truth. I can’t tell anyone the truth. I’m sorry, Azima. I’m sorry Shadi. But the truth of your expedition and the child’s nature will have to become another mystery lost to the sands of time.

We are going forward with our Ba fragment plan. 

Both the child and Sethos…they are our only hope. 

I suppose I should mention that Cyrus and Sethos have given the child a name. 

Cyno. 

It…fits them. 

3rd Day of the 11th Month 

The experiment was a success. 

Sethos resonated with the fragments just as much as Cyno. 

One fragment was implanted in each child. 

For whatever reason, Cyno has had a much more severe reaction to the fragment than Sethos and Cyrus… 

He chose to leave the temple, taking Cyno with him. 

I know I should be furious. I should be livid that Cyrus took the reincarnation of Our Lord from here. But…

But he still doesn’t know that’s who Cyno is. He sees them as I see Sethos. A normal child that now has a fragment of Hermanubis inside of them. He sees Cyno suffering from migraines and fevers and acts where I admittedly have hesitated. 

Whatever divinity is inside of Cyno has remained dormant inside of them so far. Even with the added fragment…  

Sethos vaguely recalls the presence of another child, but doesn’t remember their name or why they were there. Maybe it should stay that way for now. 

I’ll tell him everything once he’s older. 

---- 

Endure it… 

Endure it… 

Endure it! 

His back trembled and he writhed in agony as his sense of reason was trying to be wrung out of him.

“Wh-what!? AAHHNG…What!? Ahhh…this…this…! Ahhaaaaah ahhhhh!” Tears streamed down his cheeks. Uncontrollably, his body ran straight up to a climax, “AHHHAAAHAAA!” No matter how much he thrashed and struggled, Xiao couldn’t escape the vibrations cutting straight through to his core. 

Endure it. 

Endure it. 

Endure it. 

Dottore was still calmly seated in front of him. If he was speaking, he couldn’t hear it over the loud rumbling of this device and his screams. 

“AAAHGAAAHNN NHIII…KUHH AHAAAA!” The burning sensation in his abdomen began to spread throughout his veins. Again and again, he felt his body tense and release in painful orgasms. 

Abruptly, the vibrations stopped. The yaksha slumped forward, gasping for breath. 

“So, Alatus, what was the name of your previous master?” 

Really? Did he think he was going to comply so easily? He huffed and looked up through his sweat-soaked bangs at the harbinger. He fixed him with a disdainful look. 

“If you think…I’m going to give in…after only this… you are sorely mistaken.” Xiao hissed. His captor hummed and tilted his head. 

“Hmm. In that case, I’ll have to make it even stronger.” 

Wait…stronger? 

The vibrations switched back on, assaulting him suddenly much, much more intensely than before. 

“MNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!” 

Another more powerful orgasm punched him in the gut. 

“AHHHG GUH!! NAAAAAAA NOO…!!” 

The fire consuming his insides only got hotter. 

“Fuhhiiiii…uuuh!? AAHNNNN!” 

Another climax pushed a layer of fog across his mind. Any sort of words that he had to say were turned into gibberish with no real meaning. 

“Mnnnnnng gaah hiiiAAAAAN! AAAAAAAAAAGH!!!” 

But still, one thought kept ringing through his head. 

Endure it! 

Endure it.

Endure it… 

Trying to keep his noises down was useless. They rang throughout the room without restraint. 

“FUUUHAAHHHAAAAN AAAHHHH!” 

He struggled to take in a full breath. His body felt feverish like molten lava had been poured into his stomach and was just getting hotter and bigger. 

Endure it… 

Endure. It… 

Endure... It… 

The device switched back off. Again Xiao’s body went bonelessly forward. The fog in his head abated a little to let him have semi-coherent speech again. His eyes blinked the tears out of his vision. He waited for the harbinger to ask his question, as he did not doubt that he would. 

“What was the name of your previous master?” 

A shaky breath passed through his lips. He had to brace himself for what was going to come next. Once more, the yaksha glared up at Dottore defiantly. 

“I’m not…telling you anything.” 

----  

Once it was established that neither Sethos nor Yuri were anywhere in the general area to be found, Kaveh immediately sought out Alhaitham in Cyno’s office. 

And of course, the bastard just happened to know what he was going to ask before he opened his mouth. 

“If you’re looking for Sethos and Yuri, they’ve gone to the Temple of Silence to look at Bamoun’s old files.” 

The architect swore that this man and this man alone would be the reason his hair went grey before he was fifty. He dragged the scribe back to the rest of the group and made him explain. Thus began a short debate of whether or not to send somebody after them. (Curiously, Zhongli and Childe weren’t there when he came back but Tighnari gave him one of those looks of his and he wisely chose not to pursue the matter further.) 

And as if the universe hadn’t given them all more reasons to be stressed, a courier nervously knocked on the door with a thick envelope. Addressed to Diluc of all people. 

“Who is it from?” Paimon asked as the winery owner was handed the envelope. 

“It says both Adelinde and…Jean?” He sounded confused. 

“Since when does the Acting Grand Master know your head maid?” Amber frowned. 

“Well, ever since Master Diluc, Kaeya, and Jean were young.” Lisa covered her mouth with her hand but she was very obviously smirking at the glaring redhead, “The three of them grew up together, you know. And even after Master Diluc went his separate way, Miss Adelinde always made sure to check in on our two resident workaholics.” 

“Two…?” Collei tilted her head curiously. 

“I know one of them is Master Jean but…who is the other one?” The outrider paused for a moment, then her eyes went wide with realization, “Wait, hold on, the other workaholic is Sir Kaeya!? But he’s…” 

“Been carefully crafting that persona of his for the past five years.” Albedo crossed his arms over his chest, staring icily Diluc’s way, “But enough about that. Open it.” Wordlessly, the winery owner complied. He pulled out what looked like another envelope and two letters. 

“One of these notes is for me, the other is for Lesser Lord Kusanali. They’re both from Jean.” Diluc handed Nahida the letter designated for her and then started reading the one for him. Whatever was written on there couldn’t have been good because the color began to drain from his already very pale face. He all but tore open the main envelope and took out…what looked like photographs. Kaveh made the mistake of peering over his shoulder to look at them. 

It was picture after picture of some guy in a Fatui uniform….assaulting another man with tanned skin and blue hair. From the fact that the package was sent to Diluc it was highly likely the man was Kaeya. In the first few photos, Kaeya’s expression was one of annoyance and anger with the occasional smug smirk. But then another man appeared and his face began to turn more afraid and panicked. And then the last photo… 

It was three people asleep curled around each other on a thin looking cot. The one in the middle Kaveh immediately recognized as Cyno. The general had the most distressed look he’d ever seen on his face while Kaeya and the one that was probably Xiao held onto him. All three of them looked exhausted beyond belief. 

With the exception of that last one, Diluc shoved the photos back in the package they came in and threw it onto the table. The last photo he put gently on top and just…stood there. Staring down at it with an unreadable expression. The architect suddenly heard a snarl from right next to him. He didn’t need to look over to know that it was Tighnari that had made the noise, but he whipped his head towards him anyway. His eyes were slitted like the foxes his race resembled and his tail was the bushiest it had ever been. 

“Tighnari…Tighnari, hey!” Kaveh put one hand on the forest ranger’s shoulder, the other carefully cupped his cheek to turn his head towards him, “Look at me, it’s okay. It’ll be okay.” 

“No it’s not okay!” Tighnari snapped, shaking his head. 

“Fine, then it’s not okay right now. But it will be. You know that. We already have a lead from Candace and Dehya. We just need a concrete direction and we’ll get that soon.” 

“But…” 

“Master, please.” Collei grabbed his hand. 

“I…ugh.” Tighnari slumped down onto the couch with his head in his hands. 

“Look, I’ll go back to Aaru Village and find out what else they know.” Kaveh scratched the forest ranger behind the ear in the way that usually helped him calm down when he was stressed, “See if they have any updates and maybe run into Sethos and Yuri on their way back.” 

“I’m going with you.” Diluc spoke for the first time since opening the envelope. 

So it was decided that Kaveh and Diluc would go out to Aaru Village. Likely knowing Tighnari needed something to fuss over, Alhaitham and Nahida strongly suggested the forest ranger go to the Bimarstan and help out wherever he could. 

The architect could only hope for everyone’s sake that they found something concrete soon.

---- 

A sharp poke in his arm jerked Kaeya awake. 

Instinctively he tried to sit up, but of course he didn’t get far. Once again he was strapped down  to that metal table. His arm was turned so his palm faced upwards, with a thin tube inserted in the vein in his wrist. Blood was slowly dripping down the tube and somewhere out of sight. There was a rubber gag in his mouth, so he couldn’t form words or ask what the hell was going on once Dottore entered his field of vision. The captain glared questioningly at his captor as he yanked on his restraints. 

“I’d advise keeping your heart rate slow, Captain.” Dottore tapped the tube in his arm, “It wouldn’t do for you to bleed out before our yaksha regains consciousness.” He grabbed his face and turned his head forcibly to the side. 

Xiao was obviously passed out, chained down to some kind of saddle-like device. He wanted to demand to know what the hell that monster had done to him but the gag in his mouth prevented him from doing so. 

“You might be wondering why you’re out here and what is going on.” Oh joy, he was a mindreader, “I have a few questions for the yaksha and so far he’s been quite uncooperative in the matter. I’m hoping your involvement will help…loosen his tongue so to speak.” He paused, then brightened as if remembering something, “Ah you must also but be wondering where the general is, hmm?” Kaeya’s heart sank. He’d…admittedly forgotten about that in the moment. The next sentence only further deepened the pit of dread that opened in his stomach, 

“My segment, Web, is taking good care of him.”

Chapter Text

At some point, he must’ve passed out during the exhaustive interrogation. He didn’t quite remember and he really didn’t want to. He could tell that he was still strapped down onto that infernal device. His walls fluttered around the massive intrusion remaining buried inside him. He was very sore down there, which only made indignant anger flare in his chest.

“Hnn…” Xiao’s eyes fluttered open. He expected to still see Dottore sitting in front of him. But he didn’t see that. 

Dottore was indeed before him. However…he wasn’t alone. Kaeya was lying on the metal bed, pale and shivering, with a tube slowly dripping blood into a container on the floor. He had a gag across his mouth and he was breathing shallowly around it. It seemed like he was barely conscious.

“Kaeya!” The yaksha jerked forward, hissing at his body’s aching protests. He glared at Dottore, “What have you done!?” 

“I see you are awake again, yaksha.” The harbinger took a threatening step towards him. He grabbed his chin in his hand. 

“What. Did. You. Do!?” Xiao growled. 

“Since you insist on being so difficult, I thought the presence of our dear captain in a dire state might convince you to cooperate. And on the off chance that just this isn’t enough, I suppose I should inform you where the general is. Where he will remain until you answer all of my questions.” The breath caught in his throat. He froze in place, “You see, Web has been pestering me to let him play with the general again, so I’ve decided to indulge him.” 

“No…” His stomach dropped. That segment…that…that monster had seemingly become obsessed with Cyno after he’d attacked him, “What is he doing to him…?” 

“I don’t know. He’s allowed to do whatever he wishes with him, provided that he doesn’t permanently disable or kill him, and pass on to me whatever results come from it. The general will stay with Web until you cooperate with me.” Dottore released his grip on his face to move back by Kaeya’s semi-conscious form, “Also, if you cease your pointless resistance, I will shut off the tube draining the captain’s blood and insert this IV of fluids to restore the volume lost.” 

“I…” Conflict warred across his mind. He desperately wanted to stick to his principles. To keep his past secrets out of the harbinger’s hands. 

But… 

Gold eyes flickered toward Kaeya as his mind conjured up whatever horror Cyno was likely experiencing.

No.

There was nothing to debate. 

“Fine…I’ll answer your…questions.” Shame flushed his cheeks. His gaze fell to the floor, “Help Kaeya first…and then whatever you want…I’ll tell you.” 

“I knew you could be reasoned with.” 

---- 

He should’ve guessed he’d have no time to fully process everything before being thrown into another experiment. 

Cyno woke up alone, in a room he didn’t recognize, with both arms and legs restrained in an X-shaped strange machine. He didn’t see Xiao, Kaeya, or Dottore nearby. Instead, the only one in front of him was Web. 

“ General! You’re awake!” The segment cheered happily, “I’ve been waiting for ages! I thought that Prime might get through with questioning the yaksha before you woke up!” 

“What…what is this?” Cyno swallowed his panic and fear. He glared daggers at the segment, “What is Dottore doing to Xiao!?” 

“Oh don’t worry about them.” Web slipped a pair of gloves on and picked up an ominous-looking jar from a nearby table, “I don’t want you thinking about someone else while I’m playing with you.” He dipped one hand in the jar, gathering an oily substance into his palm, “I’ve been just dying to play again since our last session, so I’m going to be making the most of this!” Then he began smearing the strange liquid onto the general’s skin. 

“What are you doing!?” He demanded. His expression twisted to one of disgust. It was slimy and cold and sent odd tingles through his body, “What is this!?” 

“Some lotion with Dendro and Electro elements and…other fun things infused within it.” The segment cooed, his fingers lingering on the insides of his thighs, “You’ll see what it’s for in a moment.” His touches got rougher the closer his hands got to his slit and nipples. Beyond that, he moved with clinical efficiency. Once every exposed portion of skin was covered, Web stepped away, “While that sets in, I’m going to set up a few things for a later part of our fun~” He walked out of his line of sight. 

As Cyno listened to the clanging of metal and shuffling of papers, his body started to heat up. The tingling was getting worse and worse. He set his jaw and clenched his eyes shut. His limbs trembled with humiliation and the uncomfortable warmth in his core. He’d never felt anything like this before. His breathing became ragged and gasping. It was beginning to dawn on him what ‘other fun things’ were in the lotion that he’d been smeared with. At the same time, his mind started to feel…fuzzy and odd. It was like…something was being tugged on from within him. A thin thread of consciousness or power leading out beyond this place. 

“My, my, it looks like the special alterations I made to the ‘lotion’ have taken full effect.” Web’s voice came from right in front of him. He didn’t bother opening his eyes to look at him. Suddenly, it felt like a piece of cloth was tied around his head. Even if he opened his eyes now he likely wouldn’t be able to see anything, “As I’m sure you’re well aware of now, some of the components in this ointment are forcing your body into a strong state of arousal. The effect is slightly stronger than the aphrodisiacs Prime has drugged your friends with, but it doesn’t last nearly as long.” Gloved fingers rubbed his nipples without warning.

“Haahng!” A cry leapt out from his lips before he could stop it, “St-stop! Don’t touch me there!” 

“Ah, forgive me.” Web chuckled, “You’d much rather be touched here, hmm?” Two fingers plunged deep within his unwillingly soaked pussy.

“AAAHH!!” Just that movement alone was enough to wrench an orgasm from him. And the segment didn’t stop there. As much as he would’ve wished for that to be all, fate was not that kind. Those fingers immediately started pounding into him with reckless abandon. It was so much more intense than anything before, “Ahuuh!? Ughhuaaah! Sta-aaaahhh!!” 

From that point onward, he lost track of time. Minutes, hours, days, he had no idea how long had passed. Cyno’s insides were melting. He couldn’t grasp when one orgasm ended and another began. His muscles started cramping painfully as he convulsed in his bindings.

“Ahhggh! Stop! Ghaaah!!! I can’t! I can’t I can’t I can’t!!!” 

“Oh is it getting too much for you?” The segment laughed mockingly, “I recall you lasting much longer than this while you were on my cock.” The reminder made acid splash the back of his mouth. He didn’t want to think about that again, “You can handle a little more, can’t you?” Another painful climax ripped through him. He desperately shook his head, letting out a loud sob. Suddenly the tormenting fingers pulled out. He barely had time to relax or think before the machine holding his limbs hostage abruptly released their grip. Cyno dropped like a ragdoll into the awaiting arms of the segment below. The next thing he knew, he was being pinned against the ground with his wrists trapped above his head and his knees nearly touching his chest. The blindfold remained covering his eyes. 

“Guhh nngh stop! Get off me!” He forced his exhausted body to struggle, as useless as that was. His muscles screamed in protest. And then, to add even more insult to injury, he felt the segment’s cock split him open with little resistance, “GUHHAAAAHH!? Noo…take it out!” But there wasn’t anything that he could do. He was helpless against the assault. 

Helpless, like always.

----

Sethos didn’t know why, but after reading his grandfather’s diary and the truths within it, he began to feel an incessant tugging on his soul. It was so strong, like a rope was tied around his chest and it was being pulled by four sumpter beasts. 

The next thing he knew, he was walking out of his grandfather’s old room, into the hallway, and towards the entrance of the temple. He distantly heard Yuri asking what the hell he was doing. He didn’t respond. He couldn’t respond. His mouth wouldn’t work and his feet wouldn’t stop moving. The desert boy could only grab his companion’s hand and meet his eyes, hoping to convey what was going on through his expression alone. Yuri sighed like this was the most inconvenient thing he’d ever done and nodded. 

They left the temple and made their way down the cliffs. It dawned on him that they were headed in the direction of Khemenu Temple. 

Whatever was calling him…it was coming from there. 

----

Even though Xiao had reluctantly agreed to cooperate, the Sybian below him was still turned on to its lowest setting. 

It was enough to send rumbling heat through his stomach but not enough to be all-encompassing and overwhelming like before. However, his oversensitive body immediately began trembling as if it were. 

“Just a little reminder of your position.” Dottore hummed as he set his chair between the yaksha and Kaeya. The captain was thankfully no longer bleeding out, the tube had been removed and an IV of fluids was inserted in its place. But he knew he couldn’t be completely relieved yet. Not until Cyno was back with them and away from Web.

“As if…aahh…I could forget.” He growled, “Ask your damn, nngh! Questions already!” 

“What was the name of your previous master before Morax?” 

“They were called...On…Oneiros.” An instinctive shudder ran down his back. He hadn’t properly thought about them in a long…long time, “They…also went by…ghhgh…Wang…Wang Meng.” 

“How old were you when you came into their service?” 

“I…don’t know.” 

“Hmm.” 

The sybian suddenly increased it’s intensity. 

“AHHGH! Why are you-!?” He didn’t understand. He didn’t…oh. He must’ve thought he was lying, “I do-don’t know how old I was! I was guhaah aaahhnng very young!” 

“How did this Oneiros use your abilities?” 

“They…I was…” He always wanted to throw up whenever he thought back to that time and now was no different, “Hah…ah…I was their…bloodhound…gghh I was sent out wh-whenever…ugh uuhn they wanted…” 

“I’ve heard rumors that you have the ability to devour dreams.” His heart sank, “Is there any truth to these?” 

“Y…yes…I…I can.” 

“How do you devour dreams? Do you require them to live or is there another purpose?” 

“I don’t really know how…haah gugh…to explain it’s just…was instinctive?” Xiao’s breathing was starting to hitch, his thoughts were growing muddled from the pleasure forced on him from below, “Ahh it…I haven’t…since being freed I do…I don’t know h-how or why anymore…” 

“I suppose that answer will do for now.” Even though the harbinger said this, he still turned the Sybian’s power up a few notches, “What is your true adeptal form? Can you still shift into it?” 

“My true…form…ooh hahh…a-a bird.” He squeezed his eyes shut, trying his best to hold back the overwhelmed tears, “I can’t…aaaahh!! I can’t shift anymore.” 

“Oh? And why not?” 

“Don’t have…gghh…my wings anymore…n-no…huuh…they took them…” 

“Who took them?” 

“O-oneiros. Mnihh…” 

“Didn’t want you flying away, did they? Well, that’s enough about that. Tell me… 

…what were the names of the five foremost yakshas?”

Chapter Text

He’d never actually been inside of the Khemenu Temple before, much less this deep. 

His grandfather had once forbade him from entering this particular temple. In hindsight, he finally understood why. 

Sethos and Yuri stood in front of the altar for Hermanubis. The same altar from his grandfather’s diary. The same altar that Cyno had pretty much been born on. 

“So, why are we here?” Yuri looked around with a wrinkled nose. 

“I…don’t know.” Sethos shook his head. That pulling sensation was still there. He felt so so close to what it wanted to show him but it was still just out of reach. The feeling compelled him to step forward. He put his hand on top of the altar. 

A sudden jolt ran up his arm. His vision blurred. His surroundings shifted. 

“Child.”

“Huh? Who!? Where!?” He twisted around to face the voice. The area around him had completely changed from before. Yuri was no longer anywhere in sight and the room looked more like a hallway. A winding…twisting hallway. The stones that were indicative of King Deshret’s era were different. The style was more like the kind he saw at the Ruins of Dahri or that one time he visited Devantaka Mountain, “What the…?” 

“This way, child.” 

That same force was back. He had to follow it like before. 

“Who…are you?” Sethos whispered into the darkness.  

“He needs you.” 

The strange voice and feeling were accompanied by a sharp, familiar scream.

“Cyno!” He didn’t think twice before running down the hall.

The stones gradually transformed into red rock with bits of ancient metal sticking out of it. He passed through doorways covered in symbols he vaguely recognized from Ruin Guard parts. Another scream reverberated through the space.

“Hurry, child. There isn’t much time.” 

“Hold on, Cyno! I’m coming!” Sethos called out. 

He stumbled into a large, open chamber. Again the architecture had changed, this time back into the desert-style he was used to. There was a raised platform in the center of the room. Massive branches circled around it, coming together to form some kind of cage. And inside that cage, with sharp vines tightly restraining his limbs was-  

“Cyno!” 

----

It took a lot longer than he would’ve liked, but Childe eventually got Zhongli to take a nap. 

The poor dragon was obviously as strung out and stressed as it was possible to get, but he was putting up his usual “everything is fine” facade around other people. Old archon habits die hard, he assumed. 

Not that he could blame him. 

Dottore gave him the creeps on a good day. And this was far from a good day. He knew the man was bat-shit insane, but to go to this level for his crazed experiments!? To take Sumeru’s General Mahamatra? Mondstat’s Cavalry Captain? To take Xiao? This was a whole new level of just…no. 

Childe let out a long breath, shifting the sleeping dragon so his head rested against his chest. 

“We’ll get him back, Xiansheng. I promise.” He whispered. 

The door to the room opened and closed quickly. He looked up at the forms of both the Dendro and Anemo archons. 

“It’s a miracle, the old rock is asleep.” Barbados, or should he call him Venti like everyone else, giggled quietly. 

“Uh…is there something you need from me right now…?” Childe asked. 

“Well, Diluc and Kaveh have left for Aaru Village.” Lesser Lord Kusanali nodded, keeping her voice low too, “Venti and I thought we should bring you up to speed on everything we know so far.” 

“Alright. I, uh, I appreciate that.” 

They explained the incident that alerted them of the situation. Sethos, the boy with the thick, braided hair he’d briefly seen when arriving, had been the only witness of Cyno’s kidnapping. He ran through the desert and rainforest for nearly two whole days to get to Gandharva Ville. (Childe would have to admit, that was impressive.) He relayed what had happened to Nahida and the others, mentioning a certain detail that clued them in that everything was much more complicated than it appeared. 

“...you certainly put up more of a fight than that Cavalry Captain. One could put your skills on par with the Last Yaksha.” 

Yeah, that sounded like something the maniac might say. 

So it was through that statement that they figured out who had been targeted. The group was gathered here and from there several revelations that explained why exactly those three were taken. 

The Cavalry Captain, Kaeya, was apparently Khaenria’hn and he belonged to a noble family that at one point had been the ruling regents of the underground nation. That didn’t appear to be the only reason he was taken, as apparently someone named Albedo had voiced some doubts, but it was the main working theory. 

It was little simpler why Xiao would’ve been taken. He’s the last of the five foremost yakshas and regularly deals with godly remains. 

And then there was the General Mahamatra. Who was apparently a god himself!? 

“I’m sorry, what!? He’s a- how is that…?” He sputtered in disbelief. 

“No idea.” Barbatos shrugged, “But I have a feeling once Sethos comes back from the Temple of Silence, we’ll know for certain.” 

“That does track with Dottore’s whole obsession if I’m being honest.” Childe sighed heavily. He was already getting a headache from this and he’d barely been initiated into it, “So beyond waiting for the others to get back, what are we doing here? What can I help with?” 

“Honestly, there’s nothing for us to do. For now, just keep doing what you’re doing.” The bard gestured at Zhongli, “Taking care of this old fossil and making sure he doesn’t overwork himself. If they get back before he wakes up, we’ll come get you.” 

“Alright…” 

He wasn’t a fan of staying put and doing nothing, but… 

Childe glanced down at Zhongli’s sleeping face, at the dark circles under his eyes. He supposed he was doing more good in here than out there. 

Plus his boyfriend was kind of lying on his lap so the laws of the universe stated he wasn’t allowed to move anyway.

---- 

If Yuri had a physical heart, it likely would’ve jumped out of his throat the moment Sethos suddenly collapsed. 

One moment the desert boy was standing, his hand resting against the altar. And then the next his eyes once again flashed gold and purple before rolling into the back of his head and he just about dropped like a dead weight to the ground. Or he would’ve hit the ground if Yuri hadn’t grabbed the idiot. 

He wasn’t quite sure what to do at that point. He gently laid him on the ground with his head resting on his lap. 

Obviously something had been calling Sethos out here. Whatever it was, it wanted him to see something. 

Something to have to do with the Mahamatra, no doubt. 

Yuri huffed, picking up the diary that he’d been carrying. Until the desert boy woke up, it looked like he was going to have to entertain himself. 

---- 

Cyno wasn’t sure exactly when Web had stopped assaulting him and strung him back up in that contraption. It was possible that he’d lightly blacked out for a moment. He drifted repeatedly in and out of consciousness. He felt clips and sensors being connected to his head and body. He detected the strong scent of…Spirit Borneol? 

That was the last thought that went through him before his eyes closed. He felt his consciousness shift. And then he found himself trapped in this…strange cage. 

Alone and confined by branches. 

Vines with sharp thorns curled around his limbs, digging harshly into his skin. Occasionally, the vines would tighten, wrenching a sharp scream from his raw throat. It hurt, but he didn’t understand why. He was dreaming…right? He was asleep…right? It didn’t make sense. What had Web done to him? 

Cyno suddenly heard the distinct footfalls of someone running nearby. 

“Cyno!” 

His head snapped up towards the voice. Towards the figure running to the branches forming the bars of his cage. 

“Sethos…?” The general sucked in a breath. 

“Cyno!” Sethos skidded to a halt in front of him. 

“How did you…how are you here?” His eyes widened and his stomach dropped. This was impossible. He couldn’t be, he shouldn’t be here. 

“Honestly, I don’t know.” The desert boy shook his head, “There was just his…tugging on my chest that led me to Khemenu Temple. I followed it and now…” He pulled at the branches keeping them separated, “Well, now I’m here. Wherever here is. I have no idea what was pulling me…” 

“Do you…” Cyno hesitated a little. He tugged slightly on the vines around his wrists, wincing at the tight pain that radiated from them, “Do you think…it’s remnants of the fragment you had…?” 

“The fragment? I guess that makes sense.” Sethos frowned. His brows furrowed in thought. An expression of realization and something like…guilt crossed his face, “Cyno, there’s…something I found in Grandfather’s diary that I think you should know…” 

“Oh, wonderful! You found your way here.” 

Web’s voice echoing around them sent a shock of fear down his spine. 

The very same vines that had been restraining Cyno suddenly burst from the ground around Sethos’ feet. They wrapped around his upper arms and wrists, forcing him down into a kneeling position. 

“Hah!? What the!?” He yelped in pain. 

“Sethos!” 

“I had a hypothesis that the two of you were still connected.” The segment appeared just outside the branchy cage, grinning menacingly at them, “Prime didn’t think so. I am so happy that you’re here to prove him wrong!” 

“ You.” For some strange reason, Sethos seemed to almost recognize the man between them. Not only recognize but…be angry at him.

“Ooh. You appear to know me. Interesting…now why might that be?” Web stepped toward his brother. Panic flared in his chest. No. No. No! He could not let that monster be anywhere near him. 

“Stay away from him!” Cyno growled, pulling tightly on the vines around him. Electro sparked from his fingers as blood dripped down his arms, “Don’t you dare touch him, you creature!” 

“Creature? Dear general, you can surely come up with something more creative than that, can you?” He seemed to successfully catch his attention, diverting it toward him. The branches parted around the segment as he approached, “You certainly had some choice words for both Prime and I before.” A hand grabbed his neck while another pressed against his lower stomach. 

“What do you want?” Sethos demanded, “How did you call me here?” 

“I’m so glad you asked, dear boy.” Web turned his head, his grin widening. His next words made Cyno’s stomach churn, “Prime didn’t think this avenue would be one to investigate. But I’m curious. I want to know what connection remains between this new God of Judgement and one that once housed a piece of his power.”

Chapter Text

Dizziness and nausea greeted Kaeya as he fully grasped back onto consciousness.

As to be expected from significant blood loss. 

He sucked in a shuddering breath. 

“Awake now, dear captain?” Dottore’s voice was accompanied by a hand grabbing his chin. Fuck, whatever this psychopath wanted wasn’t over with yet!? 

Despite how heavy his eyelids felt, Kaeya managed to peel them open to take in the situation. He was still in the lab. But he was no longer strapped to the table and Xiao wasn’t tied down onto that strange saddle. 

That didn’t mean what sight greeted him was any better. 

The captain was tied to a chair by his wrists, ankles, and waist. In front of him, he saw Xiao strung up like a doll by chains around his arms. His eyes were half-closed, hazed and unfocused and a gag was shoved in his mouth. There were two or three agents along with Dottore around them. Much to his chagrin, he recognized Vasin among them. He immediately noticed that both Cyno and Web were not among those in the room. 

“What is…what is this…?” He slightly pulled on the restraints, not really attempting to escape but just testing the limits of how far he could move. Predictably, he couldn’t move much, “I…I thought after Xiao answered your questions, that this would be over?” 

“Hmm, did I say that?” Dottore cocked his head with a faux clueless tone, “I can’t recall. To answer your first question, however, I’ve decided that since I have you here, I might as well question you about a number of things I’m curious about.” 

“If you’re looking for answers about Khaenria’h and my family ties, I’m afraid you’re going to walk away disappointed.” Kaeya allowed a slight smirk to tug on his lips, “I’m sure you’d get much better results talking to your Director. According to my sources, he’s a pure-blooded Khaenria’hn who lived through the Cataclysm, unlike me.” 

“I’m not too terribly interested in that at the moment.” The harbinger sat in a chair between him and Xiao, “We will get to that eventually. I am more interested in your upbringing in the Ragnvindr home.” 

“No.” His smirk disappeared, settling into a deep frown. 

“No?” 

“There is nothing to tell.” 

“I’m sure that’s not quite true.” Dottore turned to one of the agents, one that was thankfully not Vasin, “We’ve had our first refusal. You know what to do.” That agent stepped behind Xiao with a long whip in her hand. 

“Wait, what are you-” 

SNAP 

The whip cracked across the yaksha’s shoulders. His head snapped back with a startled and muffled yelp. Clarity returned to his previously distant gaze. Their eyes briefly met. They were barely given a chance to communicate anything other than bewilderment through their expressions before the agent struck out again with the whip. Another sharp cry rang in his ears. She hit him again. And again. And again. And again. The last hit seemed to have hit something sensitive because it wrenched a loud sob and a hard shudder from the yaksha. 

“Xiao!” Kaeya lurched forward as much as his bindings would allow, “What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” He turned his head to glare at the harbinger. 

“I thought a demonstration of the consequences of not cooperating would discourage further attempts to be difficult.” Dottore smirked smugly at him, “Especially since it would seem you react more positively when it isn’t you who pays for your insolence.” 

“Why are you even interested in my childhood anyway!?” He snapped, “It was as usual as a Mondstat child’s upbringing could be! There really isn’t anything interesting about it at all!” 

“We’ll see about that.” Dottore nodded towards the agent again. She drew her arm back. A surge of panic ran through his veins. 

“No, stop!” 

The whip cracked down again. 

---- 

The pictures felt like they were taunting him. 

So, save for a select few to be used as evidence, Albedo elected to burn them. 

Burning away the images of his partner being assaulted and tortured did nothing to quell the flames of anger smoldering in his chest. Kaeya’s expressions of pain, his fear, his tears, it was all just…wrong. 

As he watched the pictures turn to ash, he pulled out Kaeya’s vision from his pocket. He wasn’t certain, but it almost appeared…greyer than before. He rested his forehead against the cool surface, closing his eyes. He let out a soft sigh. 

“We’re going to find you, Kaeya.” Albedo whispered, “And we’re going to make that bastard pay.” 

---- 

Even though he was pretty sure this was some kind of dream state, the vines around his arms and wrists cut painfully deep into his skin. He wasn’t even pulling against them and blood was still dripping steadily to the floor.

Sethos could only imagine how much pain Cyno was in, seeing as both of his arms, legs, neck, and torso were wrapped in the exact same vines… and he was actively straining against them as Web somehow passed through the branches forming the cage. His hand reached out, grabbing Cyno’s neck while the other pressed against his lower stomach. He did not like where the latter had rested. That was too close to… 

“What do you want?” Sethos glared at the psychopath, his hands curled into tight fists, “How did you call me here?” 

“I’m so glad you asked, dear boy.” Web turned his head with a sick grin on his face, “Prime didn’t think this avenue would be one to investigate. But I’m curious. I want to know what connection remains between this new God of Judgement and one that once housed a piece of his power.” 

Both of them tensed. Cyno’s expression turned stricken. Sethos’s stomach sank. 

They knew? Dottore knew!? He thought his grandfather was the only person left who knew the truth before he found his diary. 

“Oh, were you not aware?” The segment seemed to take his confusion in a different way. He slipped behind his brother, using the hand around his neck to forcibly tilt his head back. The hand pressed against his stomach moved to cover his eyes. Cyno’s body immediately went tense, “I’m afraid that your dear general has never been human. According to the files that Prime has shown me, he was born through a ritual fusing three similar fragments of power that once resided in you.” That…tracked with what was in his grandfather’s diary. If it were possible, Cyno would’ve tensed even further, “Now that the general has fully awakened his divine power, I wonder what effect that has had on you. Obviously there is a connection of some kind between you two, otherwise my experiment to draw you here would’ve failed. And now that you’re here…” Web released his hold on his brother, again stepping toward Sethos. As the segment stepped out of the cage, the vines around his arms released their grip. He didn’t get much of a chance to do anything before he was grabbed and shoved into the cage. At the same time, the bindings holding Cyno hostage also relaxed. His brother collapsed to the floor, “You’re going to stay right there while I go show Prime that for once, I was right and he was wrong!” He vanished about as quickly as he suddenly appeared, leaving only the two of them within the strange dreamscape. 

A moment of silence lapsed between them. 

“Cyno…” Sethos pushed himself onto his hands and knees, wincing at the burning pain in his arms, “I…” 

“What you wanted to tell me…” Cyno didn’t seem to bother with trying to sit up. Or maybe…he was just too tired to, “What you found in Bamoun’s diary...it was what I am…wasn’t it?” 

“Ye-yeah.” He nodded, “Grandfather knew. He wrote it in his diary and then…told no one. I only just found the stupid thing.” 

“So what he said…was it true…? About how I…I was born?” He started to tremble.

“According to what Grandfather wrote, yes. It is.” At his answer, Cyno let out a quiet, wounded noise. Without thinking too much about it, the desert boy drew him into his arms and held him tightly. He didn’t like how exhausted his brother looked, how limp he was in his grasp, “It’s going to be okay, Cyno. We’re…we’re going to find you and get you out of there. All of you. Please hold on, alright?” 

“I know…” Cyno nodded, “The others…they’re okay? Is Collei…okay?” 

“Yeah. Yeah they’re all okay. Collei is okay. We’re all worried about you, but okay.” Sethos felt his chest tighten. Of course he’d be worried about everyone left behind in Sumeru. 

“Good…” He gave a small, shaky smile. 

And then suddenly he tensed and released a loud scream. His body spasmed in uncontrolled bursts.

“Cyno!” 

“Well this is certainly unexpected. It would seem Web was correct in his endeavors.” The entire space around them shifted and darkened. An endless, black expanse stretched out before them. A figure materialized a few feet away. A figure he recognized as the man that had taken Cyno in that temple and the one that had directed the ‘experiment’ that hurt Xiao, “Hello there, Sethos, leader of the Temple of Silence and a former vessel of the God of Judgement’s power. I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced.” 

“I know who you are.” Sethos narrowed his eyes in a scathing glare. He protectively tightened his hold on Cyno, “Il Dottore, The Doctor. Second of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers. Formerly known as the Akademiya student, Zandik.” 

“You’re quite well informed, my boy.” The harbinger grinned down at him. He fought a shudder that wanted to run down his spine. He could not, would not, show this monster his fear. Especially not while Cyno was still convulsing in agony in his arms. His brother cried out and clutched his stomach.

“What are you doing to him!?” He demanded. 

“ I am not doing anything. Web just can’t keep his hands to himself, it appears.” Dottore tilted his head like a bird. He stepped toward them and instinctively the desert boy moved back, “There’s no need for you to be so guarded against me. There’s little that I can do to you as far away as I am.” 

“ These beg to differ.” Sethos held one of his cut up and bleeding arms out, “I don’t know what you want from Cyno and the others, but I won’t let you get away with it!” 

“Get away with it?” Sharp, chilling laughter, rang out all around, “This is not about getting away with anything. This is about gathering knowledge that could surpass The Seven!” The harbinger got closer, “Your organization should be familiar with such things…if only you would be open to collaboration.” 

“The Temple of Silence will never work with something like you.” The mere thought made him sick. 

“Not even if it saves your god?” Dottore was close enough now to reach out to him. Gloved fingers dug into his cheeks, tilting his head upward.

“I-” 

“Get your hands off of him!” 

Suddenly he felt a strong wind push him and the harbinger apart. He either lost his grip on Cyno or his brother somehow found the strength to break free. A bright light took over his vision. 

“Go! Wake up!” 

He faintly recognized that voice… 

He didn’t know when he closed his eyes… 

…but he opened them to a group of very concerned faces leaning over him.

Chapter Text

Kaeya despised being forced to tell the truth on a good day. The kind of days where Jean or Albedo somehow seemed to know that he was overworking himself and neglecting to sleep or eat. 

But this…. 

Dottore dolled out question after question about the most random of things about his childhood with Crepus and Diluc and if he so much as hesitated, even for a second, then he’d nod to that agent and then… 

Then that whip would crack across Xiao’s back. 

Again. 

And again. 

And again. 

Until he finally answered in a way that satisfied the psychopath. 

This went on and on until Web came sauntering through the door. Kaeya’s stomach dropped to his toes. Where was Cyno? Why did the segment come through alone? Why did he look so…smug? 

“Oh, Prime~” 

“Is there something you needed, Web?” Dottore frowned in annoyance. He flicked his wrist and a sudden wave of drowsiness descended on the captain. Somehow he fought the urge to slip into unconsciousness, clinging onto awareness to hear the conversation around him. 

“I was right! There is a connection remaining between the general and the Temple of Silence boy!” Web grinned triumphantly, rocking back and forth on his heels like an excited child. 

Temple of Silence boy…? 

“Oh?” He could hear the raised eyebrow in the harbinger’s voice, “How so?” 

“It’s similar to the bond Morax has with the yaksha that we blocked before. I’ve been able to draw the Temple of Silence boy into a dreamscape if you’d like to see for yourself.” 

Morax…the Geo Archon…has a bond with Xiao? And Dottore blocked it? 

“How did you accomplish that?” 

“By putting immense physical strain on the general’s mind and body while heightening his elemental energy until he began to subconsciously reach out through the bond. The temple boy must've responded to his god’s distress and came running.”

He could only guess what kind of ‘strain’ the segment had put Cyno through. 

“Hmm. I suppose I may as well take a look myself.” There was a pause, “Bring the captain and the yaksha with us. I’m not quite done with them.” 

Kaeya grit his teeth. He felt the restraints around him being released. Of course they had to cuff his hands behind his back. He assumed they did the same to Xiao. His eyes were half-open, but he couldn’t see all that much. He was picked up and carried over the shoulder of one of the agents. (He hoped it wasn’t Vasin but with his luck it probably was.) The entire way to wherever Web had taken Cyno, the segment babbled on about his theories and possible future experiments to test the connection between ‘the temple boy and his god.’ 

He didn’t explicitly say it, however Kaeya was an expert in reading between the lines so it was fairly obvious to him what he was asking for. 

Web wanted to go after Cyno’s brother. 

---- 

Xiao had managed to go into any kind of depth about the other yakshas during his questioning. He gave their names and nothing else. He would not budge on this. He could not budge on this. Their memories would not be stained or exploited by this monster. 

He supposed that was why Dottore had chained him up by his wrists and had that agent strike his back with a whip. He also figured that the harbinger instructed that agent to aim for the twin strips of scar tissue between his shoulders. 

The place where at one point he had wings. The yaksha could feel blood running down his back with each lash. 

And of course their captor would take any opportunity to force information from one of them, so he was being used against Kaeya to get him to talk about his past. 

Xiao did his best to grit his teeth against the gag shoved in his mouth and keep his sounds of pain down. It didn’t work very well. What was strange, though, was the direction of the questions Dottore was asking Kaeya. He thought he’d want to know about his Khanria’hn ancestry and whatever else that entailed but instead… 

…he was asking about the family he grew up with in Mondstat. 

His heart leapt in his throat when Web strolled in alone. That was about all he was able to take in before that unnatural tiredness forced his consciousness down. He remained in the floaty, not-asleep-but-definitely-not-awake-state for a while. He could tell he was being carried somewhere but that was it. Until they must have crossed some threshold and a dreadfully familiar scent reached his nose. 

Spirit Borneol. And lingering underneath that was the smell of a dream. 

He felt the moment that his consciousness inadvertently slipped into the dream. The area around him was dark, blanketed in shadows. Somehow, he could see perfectly fine in front of him. His ears suddenly rang with a sharp scream. 

“Cyno!” A voice he didn’t know called out.

He twisted around to face the source of the voice. Not that far in front of him were three figures. Two of them he recognized immediately as Cyno and Dottore. The third one he had never seen before, but from the way he was protectively holding onto Cyno he had an idea of who it could be. Cyno was curled up in the third person’s arms as he shook violently. 

“Well this is certainly unexpected. It would seem Web was correct in his endeavors. Hello there, Sethos, leader of the Temple of Silence and a former vessel of the God of Judgement’s power. I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced.” Once Dottore spoke it confirmed what the yaksha suspected. This…this was Sethos. But how did he end up in this dreamscape too? Why? He wanted to move, to put himself between their captor and the other boy but…but he felt rooted to the spot. 

“I know who you are.” Sethos frowned, sharp green eyes fixed on the harbinger before him, “Il Dottore, The Doctor. Second of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers. Formerly known as the Akademiya student, Zandik.” 

“You’re quite well informed, my boy.” Dottore hummed. Cyno suddenly cried out and clutched his stomach.

“What are you doing to him!?” 

“ I am not doing anything. Web just can’t keep his hands to himself, it appears.” Dottore tilted his head and stepped toward the two. The other boy moved back, “There’s no need for you to be so guarded against me. There’s little that I can do to you as far away as I am.” 

“ These beg to differ.” Sethos held out one of his arms. Xiao noticed for the first time that both of his arms were crossed with deep and freely bleeding cuts. The same wounds covered almost all of Cyno’s body, “I don’t know what you want from Cyno and the others, but I won’t let you get away with it!” 

“Get away with it?” Dottore threw his head back with a cutting laugh, “This is not about getting away with anything. This is about gathering knowledge that could surpass The Seven! Your organization should be familiar with such things…if only you would be open to collaboration.” He took a few steps closer. 

“The Temple of Silence will never work with something like you.” 

“Not even if it saves your god?” Dottore was only a foot or so away, close enough to reach him. In a familiar gesture, the harbinger grabbed Sethos’s cheeks to tilt his head upward. Whatever force had been keeping Xiao in place suddenly vanished. 

He didn’t hesitate for a moment. The yaksha teleported between Dottore and Sethos. 

“Get your hands off of him!” 

With a burst of wind, he pushed them apart. He grasped onto Sethos’s consciousness as gently but firmly as he could. He felt him register his presence. The yaksha shouted once at him.

“Go! Wake up!” 

He pulled Cyno into a protective embrace. Another burst of wind broke out around him, shattering the dreamscape. 

---- 

While he was unconscious, Sethos’s arms suddenly started bleeding. 

A concerning amount. 

If he wasn’t supposed to move him, Yuri figured he’d just deal with being yelled at for it later. He put the desert boy on his back and left Khemenu Temple. He didn’t bother running on the sand. There wasn’t time for that. He used his vision to fly to Aaru Village in a quarter of the time running would’ve taken him. 

The two of them must’ve made quite the sight. A flying boy in Inazuman robes carrying an unconscious and bleeding desert dweller across his shoulders. 

The only person he knew and trusted in this village was its guardian, Candace, so he made a beeline for her home. He expected that he might find her (presumed) girlfriend, the mercenary woman there. But he didn’t expect to find the architect and the Ragnvindr there too. 

“Oh my god, Sethos! What happened!?” Kaveh gasped as soon as he laid eyes on them. 

“I don’t know!” Yuri snapped, harsher than he meant to but he couldn’t find it in himself to care, “These just randomly appeared after he collapsed in that temple!” He allowed Candace and Kaveh to take Sethos from his back, laying him across one of the couches. 

“What temple?” Candace asked as she used her vision to clear the sand from the wounds. 

“Khemenu Temple.” 

“What were you doing there?” Dehya stared at him incredulously. 

“Ask him once he wakes up, I don’t know! I was just following him to keep him out of trouble!” 

“You said these just…appeared?” Diluc leaned over the desert boy with a deep frown. 

“Congrats you have ears. Yes!” 

Suddenly, Sethos loudly gasped. His eyes snapped open and he sat straight up. 

“Wait!” He yelled. One of his hands reached out toward something in front of him. 

“Sethos, what the hell happened!?” Yuri grabbed his shoulders. 

“Huh, wha…? How did we get…?” The desert boy blinked a few times. He looked around with a bewildered expression. 

“According to Yuri, you suddenly collapsed inside Khemenu Temple and a few minutes later, your arms started bleeding.” Candace explained, “What were you doing there?” 

“Uh, well…it’s…hard to explain…” Sethos looked up at Yuri nervously, “I have some good news…some bad news…and some bad news that could be good news if we play our cards right.” 

“Okay…?” 

“Well. Good news is, we’ve figured out how Cyno became a god.” He stopped, glancing at Candace and Dehya, “Yeah, so Cyno is a god now, apparently. Actually, he kind of always has been? Yuri and I found my grandfather’s diary. The story that my grandfather told us about how Cyno was brought to the temple…it wasn’t true. Cyno’s ‘parents’ were just two temple members that found him.” 

“Found him? Then what happened to his real parents?” Kaveh asked. 

“He doesn’t have any.” Yuri crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head. He held up the diary the information was found in, “The Mahamatra was born from a ritual fusing three Ba fragments together. Rather than a vessel for Hermanubis, it would be more accurate to say that he is Hermanubis reborn. The old man and the two temple members were the only people who knew. That is until the two temple members mysteriously died. Then the old man just wrote it down and kept it to himself until he died.” 

“So that’s the…I guess somewhat good news?” Sethos sighed, “The bad news is…Dottore already knows.” 

“ What.”

Chapter Text

Shattering the dreamscape caused an intense headache to blast through Xiao’s brain. It normally would’ve been enough to shoot him wide awake, but the cuffs around his wrists were still dampening his consciousness down. He couldn’t see anything or speak, and his hearing was taken over by pained ringing. He couldn’t move his arms as they were trapped behind his back. He appeared to be sat in some kind of chair. For the first time since he awoke in this damned place, the yaksha wanted to fall deeper into unconsciousness. His head was splitting and his body was aching. 

Over the ringing in his ears, he heard loud voices. One of those voices was definitely Kaeya. The other ones he figured were Dottore and Web. He couldn’t make out what anyone was saying. 

Abruptly, Xiao felt a hand wrap around his neck. The gag was ripped out of his mouth violently.

The heaviness on his mind was finally lifted. 

“Open your eyes, yaksha.” Dottore growled. He opened his eyes and fixed a challenging glare at the harbinger, “You broke the dreamscape, didn’t you? How?” 

“How…?” He swallowed the lump in the base of his throat, “You…al-already have the answer to that question.” The grip around his neck tightened. His air was briefly cut off. A warning. 

“Don’t play coy with me. It doesn’t suit you.” 

“I’ve already told you!” Xiao snapped, “I don’t know how! I just…I just do it!” His neck was squeezed again. This time for much longer. Pressure built up in his head. His legs kicked instinctively. 

“Leave him alone!” Kaeya’s shout turned his attention to the side. The captain was struggling in the grip of two agents. Next to him stood Web with a semi-conscious Cyno in his grasp, one arm wrapped around the general’s waist while the other was threateningly hovering over his lower stomach. Cyno was weakly trying to wrench himself free with little success. Those wounds from the dreamscape had transferred into reality and blood was dripping freely from them. 

“K-kaeya…” The yaksha wheezed out, “Cy…no…”

“Settle down, captain. I have very little patience for disobedience at the moment.” Dottore’s fingers around his neck tightened even further and then released. 

“ You have little patience!?” He’d never seen or heard Kaeya so angry, “I can almost guarantee that I have even less! I’ve watched you whip him for hours while you asked pointless questions about my past!” The temperature of the room started to get colder, “You’ve done enough to him! Do whatever you want to me just leave. Him. Alone!” 

The silence that fell afterwards could’ve been cut with a blade. Even without the crushing pressure around his throat, Xiao couldn’t breathe. He half expected their captor to explode in anger. But…that didn’t happen. 

Dottore only sighed and shook his head. 

“And you were so cooperative before.” 

That was almost scarier. 

---- 

The first person Sethos wanted to see when they got back to Sumeru City was Cyrus. No matter how much they tried to argue he should at least go to the Birmarstan or straight to Tighnari, he was very adamant on this point. 

If anyone deserved to know the truth about Cyno, it was his dad. 

The retired sage was outside in his home, watering his tomato plants with a tired expression. He looked up at the group of four as they approached. Sethos stepped forward, the journal tightly grasped in his hands. 

“Cyrus…there’s something I think you should know…” 

---- 

Zhongli had slept a little over a full day. 

He must’ve been more exhausted than he thought. Thankfully, Childe didn’t seem to mind being used as a pillow for that time.

When he and the ginger-haired harbinger returned to the sanctuary, a fair number of their group appeared to be absent. The only ones present were Lumine, Paimon, Venti, Nahida, Lisa, Amber, Albedo, and Yelan.

“Zhongli! You’re awake!” Paimon happily cheered. 

“You feeling better after finally taking a nap?” Venti leaned forward with a cheeky grin. 

“Like you’re any better, tone-deaf bard!” The white fairy huffed. 

“I am fine, Paimon. Thank you for your concern.” Zhongli patted her head. He sat down on one of the couches and as he did so, a photograph on the table in front of it caught his attention. He reached out and picked it up. A pang went through his chest. 

Xiao…

He looked so…small. And tired. He was curled protectively around Cyno alongside Kaeya.  

“Where did this come from?” Childe asked. 

“It came from a package sent to Dawn Winery before being sent to us.” Lisa gestured toward an envelope on the table. The photograph the former archon was holding now had been resting on top of it, “It was addressed towards Master Diluc. Alongside the photograph in your hands, that envelope contained pictures of something rather….distressing happening to our missing Cavalry Captain.” 

“So Dottore sent it…?” 

“No, actually. I don’t believe it was sent directly by him.” Nahida shook her head, “The Knights of Favonius’ Acting Grandmaster stated in her letter to me that on the original note sent with the photographs, it was signed by the name Vasin.” 

“Hey, do you know anybody by that name?” Amber suspiciously narrowed her eyes at Childe, who didn’t seem to mind and only shook his head. 

“Nope. I’ve never had any subordinates or superiors with that name.” He looked over at Yelan, “Have you ever gotten any intel about a guy named Vasin?” 

“Not that I can recall.” 

“I believe now would be a good time to share my suspicions on the true motive for Kaeya’s abduction.” Albedo suddenly spoke up from a nearby fireplace. 

“Wasn’t it his family’s connection to…you-know-what?” Paimon frowned. 

“I don’t think so.” He crossed his arms over his chest, “Sure, Kaeya’s Khaenria’hn heritage might’ve played a part. From what Dainsleif told us, his lineage does have some degree of resistance against Abyssal influences. But I am of the opinion that, at least where Mondstat is concerned, Kaeya is not his main target.” 

“Wait, you don’t mean…” Lumine’s eyes suddenly went wide with realization and horror. 

“This package has only confirmed my belief. Dottore only took Kaeya so he could get his hands on Diluc.” 

---- 

“Now, since you insist on giving the yaksha and general a rest, I’ll offer you a deal.” 

Dottore pushed Kaeya into the space he dubbed in his mind as the ‘fighting room.’ The same wooden rod from last time was shoved into his hands. 

“Survive without getting pinned for two hours and I will leave the three of you be for an entire day.” 

“And in those two hours…what are you going to do to them?” He glared at the harbinger’s retreating back. For a brief moment, he considered trying to smash the rod into the back of his head. But he held himself back. If he tried that…who knew what would happen to Cyno and Xiao as a result. 

“Well, I believe that I’m going to have to stitch quite a few of their wounds closed.” His captor glanced over his shoulder with a sickening grin, “And…hmm I suppose I might as well test my device on the yaksha. See if it can extract that karmic debt he’s so concerned about.” 

“What…?” The captain’s stomach twisted and sank, “Do you have any idea what that could do to him?” 

“ That, my dear, is exactly the point. To find out what it’ll do to him.” 

With that extremely ominous statement, Dottore vanished from sight. He was replaced by the predictable group of five agents ready to try and take him down. He tightened his grip around the wooden rod. 

So, he wanted him to fight? 

Fine. 

Then he would fight. 

The first two agents who lunged at him got slammed in the gut by the rod and his shoulder. 

The third tried to hit him with a baton of some kind, which he easily sidestepped and lashed out with his own attack. 

The fourth, he disarmed before they could even try. 

The fifth got knocked out by him slamming the pole into their head. 

Just like the time before, it wasn’t long before they were replaced by five more. 

And just like before Kaeya fell into a sort of rhythm with it. 

Twisting the weapons out of the agents’ hands with a flourish. Smacking them in their heads to knock them out. Dodging. Weaving. Lunging. Punching. Kicking. His body moved automatically. 

Until he heard a sharp, piercing, loud noise that came from behind the blacked out window above. A noise he recognized at once. 

Xiao. 

And he was screaming.

Chapter Text

Cyno and Xiao had been separated from Kaeya. 

The yaksha didn’t know where Dottore and the agents had taken him. He and his fellow captive were dragged back into the observation point of the fighting room. They were placed into what could only be described as a medium-sized cage. But at least Web left the room and not with them. If he had stayed with Cyno… 

He shuddered at the thought. 

At the sudden movement, sharp pain lanced through his back. Xiao grit his teeth and bit back any sound of pain. Next to him, Cyno groaned and somehow managed to push himself onto his hands and knees despite the still bleeding wounds covering his body. The bleeding did seem to have slowed down, though. Whether that was a good or bad thing remained to be seen. 

“Xiao…?” The general tiredly looked at him. 

“Cyno…” He reached out to grasp his hand. 

“You…you woke us up, didn’t you?” 

“Yes.” His cheeks flushed slightly, “I’m sorry that I entered…your dream without permission.” 

“Don’t be.” Cyno shook his head, his hand squeezing once, “You got Sethos out of there. Thank you…” He sucked in a shuddery breath, “Are you…okay? Your back… What did…what did he do to you?” 

“He asked about my past. My previous master and what they used me for.” Another shiver went through him, “And…he wanted to know about my siblings…the other yakshas.” The grip on his hand tightened, “I wouldn’t tell him anything other than their names…” 

“He didn’t like that, did he?” 

“No.” 

“So that’s why…” 

“Yes.” 

The door behind them opened. Xiao looked over his shoulder to watch with a mixture of confusion and dread as Web and a number of agents wheeled in…the table from the main lab? Dottore strolled in after them, pushing a cart with a strange and ominous looking contraption sitting on it. It resembled a creature from the depths with sharp needles at the ends of its tentacles. He stopped in front of the cage. The yaksha protectively pushed Cyno behind him. The two captives pressed themselves into the side of the bars as far away from the harbinger as possible.

“You know that it is impossible to keep him from us.” He heard Web coo. 

He suddenly felt a sharp pinch in his arm. He turned just soon enough to catch the retreating needle in the corner of his eye. And then his limbs stopped responding. The door to the cage swung open. 

“No…wait…” Xiao weakly attempted to plead. Hands grabbed his upper arms, yanking him out of the cage. He was strapped down onto the lab table as quickly and efficiently as ever. A confused chirp left his lips. 

“Xiao!” Cyno cried. 

“Quiet, general.” Dottore coldly commanded, “Web, keep an eye on the captain. Once I’m finished setting up this device I’m going to stitch the general’s wounds.” 

“Aw why can’t I stitch up the general?” Web whined. 

“Because you will get distracted ‘playing’ with him.” The harbinger shot back, “Focus your attention down there and alert me if he fails our parameters.” Xiao opened his mouth to demand answers on what the hell he was talking about but he was shut up quite suddenly- 

-by the distinct sensation of needles pressing deep into either side of his skull.

His eyes went wide with pain and shock. His entire face went numb.

“Trigeminal nerve reached.” What…what was happening? He couldn’t move his lips to speak, “Give me the next two connection points.” 

“Yes, Lord Harbinger.” 

That was all the warning he got before the same sharp pain pushed into the base of his neck. Whatever the needle hit caused his lungs to spasm. 

“Found the phrenic nerve.” 

Two more were inserted into his shoulders. 

“Median nerve.” 

The insides of his upper thighs. 

“Femoral nerve.” 

Deep into his abdomen. 

“Uterovaginal nerve.”  

And then straight into the center of his chest. 

“Lastly, the cardiac plexus.” 

If he was able to move at all, he would’ve been shaking and spasming in agony. His vision was blurred with tears that he wasn’t able to do anything about. His ears were ringing. Over that noise, he thought he heard Cyno shout once or twice. He couldn’t figure out what was happening. He felt one last pinch in his arm, something was being pumped into him, and then something shifted. 

His karmic debt surged and roiled. The familiar burning and twisting sensation rose up within him. Then, where each needle was inserted, he felt an inexplicable tugging sensation. Suddenly, the pain from every wound flared up with an intensity unlike anything before.

Something was wrong, something was frighteningly wrong. 

A scream was wrenched from his lungs. 

His head felt light. If he was able to properly see he was certain everything around him would be spinning. A wave of nausea washed over him. The agonizing, ripping pain was all that kept him conscious. The pain became disorienting. All consuming. He couldn’t breathe. His heart was pounding out of his chest. 

It hurt. 

It hurt. 

IT HURT. 

Xiao shrieked and screamed until he ran out of breath. The burning in his lungs was now from lack of air. 

And then it suddenly stopped. 

His body trembled in the aftershocks. His head was swimming. It was difficult to think properly. 

In his semi-delirious state, he weakly grasped at the threads of the bond with Zhongli. Something was blocking him. He pushed and pushed in desperation against it but...it didn’t give. He couldn’t reach him. A sob fell from his trembling lips as he gave in to the exhaustion surging over his mind. 

He wanted his baba. 

---- 

Cyno had never felt so powerfully helpless before. 

He couldn’t do anything but watch Xiao writhe and scream in agony. He was sat up on his knees, leaning against the harbinger. He had been drugged again and the cuffs activated so that he couldn’t move. He couldn’t fight against Dottore as he stitched the deep cuts from the dreamscape closed. Not that it would’ve done much good if he could move. Not with that…restriction…in place. Still, that couldn’t stop him from shouting at their captor.

“Stop. Stop it!” The general demanded, “What are you doing to him!? Stop!” 

“Settle down.” Dottore ignored the yaksha’s shrieks and his yelling like he was used to doing so. If he was being perfectly honest that made sense, of course he was. The harbinger finished stitching a wound on his upper arm and moved onto the largest that wrapped around his leg, “This is simply a test to see if his karmic debt can be extracted by an external force. Pain is to be expected. It doesn’t exceed any perimeters.” He looked pointedly at the observation window, “Web, how is our captain faring?” 

“I think he can hear the yaksha screaming.” Web giggled with a wide grin, “He’s hitting harder and moving faster now. No one has even gotten close to pinning him down. Oh, and he keeps glaring up at me like I’m the one doing something.” 

“Interesting.” 

Xiao’s screams started turning to choked gasps for air. His lips began to turn blue. 

“Xiao!” Cyno’s heart dropped. More than ever, he wanted to be able to jerk forward, to at least be able to try and get to him. Frustrated tears welled up in his eyes, “No, stop! He can’t….he can’t breathe!” 

“So it would seem.” The harbinger offhandedly gestured at the agent at the controls of the machine. The cursed thing was finally switched off. Xiao sucked in a sharp breath and then went completely limp on the table, the only movement coming from him was the trembling of his limbs, “Disconnect the connection points and wrap up the yaksha’s back.” 

“Right away, Lord Harbinger.” 

The adrenaline that had been shooting through Cyno’s veins ever since he was jolted awake was wearing off. It was taking more effort to keep his eyes open. To keep himself conscious. He was exhausted, but he wanted to stay awake. He had to see what they were doing to Kaeya. 

The general was picked up off the ground by a harsh grip around both of his wrists. The cuffs dug into his skin with the pressure. A vial was pressed against his lips. As much as he tried to keep his mouth shut, it was a useless effort. His head was forcibly tilted back, his mouth wrenched open, and whatever liquid was in that vial was poured down his throat. It was thick and metallic. It made his head swim. 

His eyes fluttered shut. 

He was out before he could open them again. 

---- 

“Congratulations are in order, captain. You managed to last the entire duration.” 

“Spare me your false praise. Where are they!? What have you done to Xiao!?” 

“They’re on their way back to your quarters. Don’t worry, you’ll see them soon. There’s just one little thing I need to do before you join them.” 

“Wait…what are you doing…? Stop! STOP!” 

“Shh, don’t fight it captain. It’ll only hurt more and make resetting the bones that much harder.” 

SNAP. 

“Gaahh!!” 

“Place a splint on the captain’s leg for now. We’ll let that sit for a day and heal it properly once their rest period is over.” 

“You…y-you’re…this is…ahgg!!” 

“Enjoy your well earned ‘ rest ’ captain. The three of you are going to need it.”

Chapter Text

Unsurprisingly, the others panicked quite a bit at the sudden appearance of the wounds on Sethos’s arms. Tighnari and Collei wanted to drag him to the Bimarstan right away. 

However, they really didn’t have the time for that. 

So…he may or may not have intentionally steered the conversation away. 

“We have a lead on where Dottore could be!” 

“Really!? Where?” Paimon immediately latched onto it. 

“Calling it a lead is a bit much but…” Kaveh rubbed the back of his head, “Dehya and Candace found some information for us…” 

---- 

“So about a day ago, Candace and I were carrying supplies from Caravan Ribat to Aaru Village and we passed by a group of Eremites.” Dehya had explained, “They were complaining about some foreigner demanding they send a letter to Mondstat alongside their usual supply run.” 

“A foreigner?” Yuri raised an eyebrow, “Did they get any more specific than that?” 

“Blue hair, red eyes, weirdly shaped mask, wearing a suit in the middle of the desert, and giving off the distinct aura of ‘nope.’ Sound like anyone we know?” 

“Yeah…sounds like Dottore.” Sethos shuddered.

“They mentioned that the next run is in one week. I’m having one of my guys infiltrate that group and follow them.” 

“Okay.” Kaveh nodded thoughtfully, “So in one week, we’ll know for sure where they are. Theoretically…” 

“Wait, you mentioned they sent something to Mondstat? What did they send?” Sethos asked. 

“They…well…uh Diluc why don’t you tell them? It was addressed to you!” 

“Huh?” 

“That package was sent to Dawn Winery, my home. My head maid took it to the Acting Grandmaster of the Knights of Favonius, who sent it to the Akademiya.” Diluc crossed his arms over his chest, “It contained…photos. Of Kaeya. As well as one photograph of the three of them.” 

“Oh.” 

---- 

“So you mean we’ll just have to wait around for a week?” Amber groaned. Diluc couldn’t blame her one bit. The idea of just standing by and waiting while Kaeya was obviously being tortured didn’t sit well with him either. 

“It’s better than nothing but still…” Collei fidgeted with the edges of her sleeve.

“You may not like it, but that seems to be our best option for now. Acting rashly and recklessly will only put them in further danger.” Alhaitham shook his head, then turned his attention to the journal in Sethos’s hands, “When you left, you mentioned looking for answers on the reason behind Cyno’s dietyhood. Am I correct in assuming you’ve found them?” 

“Oh, right. Yeah.” Sethos opened the journal, flipping through until he apparently found the right pages, “Uh, so…I’m not really sure how to say this but…Cyno didn’t just become a god. He’s pretty much always been one.” 

“ What!?” Tighnari’s ears flattened against his head. 

“He’s…always been one?” Venti blinked owlishly in surprise.

“Yeah, so according to my grandfather’s diary, two members of the temple went on an artifact-finding expedition inside Khemenu Temple. When they went into the temple’s Chamber of Secrets, they found a group of dead Eremites in there surrounded by stone slates and ritual objects. There was also an altar dedicated to Hermanubis in that room…with a child on top of it.” 

“That child…was Cyno, wasn’t it?” Zhongli’s voice was solemn. 

“Yes. It was.” The desert boy nodded, “The Eremites that were in that room had documents about what kind of ritual they had been performing. It was a ritual to fuse together three Ba fragments from Tulaytullah to create a living being. The backlash from the spell is probably how they died.” 

“So the ritual…created Cyno and killed the Eremites?” For the first time since Diluc had met her, Lisa looked truly disturbed.

“But…what does that mean for Cyno?” Collei asked. 

“It means that for all intents and purposes, Cyno was never a vessel for Hermanubis like Sethos was but rather….he is Hermanubis. Or at least his form in this next Samsara.” For some reason, Nahida looked between Alhaitham and Kaveh. 

“The two people that found him, what happened to them?” Yelan asked. 

“They died on a return expedition to Tulaytullah.” Sethos flipped through a few of the journal’s pages, “I’m not sure why, but something about their deaths made Grandfather keep the truth of Cyno’s existence a secret…even from me.”

“You’ll have plenty of time to brood about that later.” Yuri took the journal from the desert boy’s hands, “Tell them about what happened after we read that particular passage.” 

“What happened…after?” Collei tilted her head in confusion, “Does it have anything to do with why your arms are all cut up?” 

Sethos then launched into his explanation of what had happened earlier. He described the strong pull on his chest that led him to Khemenu Temple and the Hermanubis altar. How as soon as he touched said altar, everything around him seemed to shift and he heard a voice and then Cyno’s scream. That he’d run through various hallways and spaces following it until he found a large room with a cage made out of branches in the center. He’d found Cyno in that cage trapped within the snarled grasp of thorny vines. They’d barely been able to speak to each other before the segment calling himself ‘Web’ showed up, gleefully revealing that he’d been the one luring Sethos into that dreamscape. He described the same thorny vines that restrained Cyno had burst out of the ground and wrapped around his own arms, so they were the source of the mysterious injuries. 

And then he revealed that Dottore knew exactly what Cyno was. 

For whatever reason, Web was interested in the connection between Sethos and Cyno. The segment gleefully pranced off to report to his creator about his findings, leaving the two of them alone. They both were able to talk a little bit. Cyno was now aware of his origins, which predictably distressed him. He’d asked about the others. 

That was as far as their conversation got before Dottore himself entered the dreamscape. 

“He started talking about the Temple of Silence 'collaborating’ with him. Which is never going to happen, by the way.” Sethos’s face twisted into a completely understandable expression of disgust, “And then, I was forced awake by something strange.” 

“Strange? Strange how?” Diluc’s frown deepened. 

“It was…it felt like there was a fourth person there at the end. This burst of wind suddenly just appeared between me and Cyno and Dottore, I heard them shout something, and then I woke up.” 

“Yeah that’s really weird.” Paimon hummed. 

“What did the voice sound like?” Zhongli had abruptly tensed, his voice sounding a bit strained. His face had gone pale.

“Um…I think it sounded like…a guy’s voice. A little lower than mine, probably closer to Cyno’s in tone. They were kind of raspy, but not all that much. Like they’re just not used to talking. And they sounded…kind of familiar but I can’t remember where I’ve heard them before. Why do you ask?” 

“That…sounds like it could be Xiao.” 

---- 

“Lord Harbinger, I come bringing news.” 

“Oh? About my future subjects, I hope?” 

“Indeed. Both Diluc Ragnvindr and the Temple of Silence leader have been spotted entering Sumeru City and the desert.” 

“Oh, Prime, so you were watching the boy before?” 

“Not particularly, he just happens to be with the Ragnvindr boy at the moment. Keep observing them for now. Should you get an opportunity to bring either of them to me, I suggest you take it.” 

“...” 

“Is there something more?” 

“Yes, well, we’ve received word that Lord Childe has also arrived in Sumeru.” 

“Of course he has. Following Morax like a little lost fox.” 

“What are your orders regarding his presence?” 

“Hmm…I believe I might have an idea how to keep him at bay. But I’m afraid that particular measure might have to wait a day.” 

“A day, My Lord?” 

“That’s how long I’ve given my subjects to ‘rest’ and this would require at least the yaksha. Web, how long would it take you to procure some more film for a video kamera?” 

“Less than half that time.” 

“Wonderful. That is your next assignment.”

Chapter Text

Before they shoved him back in the cell, Kaeya was forced to drink some kind of thick and metallic liquid. 

He was still coughing and sputtering when the agents opened the cell door and pushed him in. He fell onto his freshly broken leg because of course he did. It took him a moment to catch his breath and breathe through the sudden jolt of agony. 

“Kaeya…?” 

The captain raised his head to look at the source of the voice. Cyno looked barely awake, tightly holding onto a trembling Xiao. 

“What did…what happened to you?” The general asked quietly. 

“Nothing you haven’t experienced, I’m sure.” Kaeya sat up as best he could. He frowned as he took in the various bandages wrapped around the other two, “How are you holding up?” 

“I…I don’t know.” He shook his head, then turned his gaze to the shivering form in his arms. As Kaeya pulled himself closer, he picked up on the sound of Xiao’s gasping breaths. The kind of gasps that only occur when trying to recover from excruciating pain. 

The kind that he remembered letting out that night after being... 

He also noticed the grave and pensive expression on Cyno’s face. 

“Cyno?” The captain reached his side, “What’s on your mind?” 

“You overheard them talking about the dreamscape, right?” 

“I did.” 

“Web dragged Sethos into it. Using the connection between us.” His expression darkened, “The remains of divine power from the Ba fragment that Sethos had still links him to me somehow.” Cyno started trembling himself, his grip around Xiao tightening, “Thankfully…Xiao managed to enter the dreamscape and got him out of there…but…”  

“But?” Kaeya gently guided the other two captives to lean against his side, making sure not to jostle his leg or Xiao too much. 

“But…apparently I’ve never been quite human.” The general rested his head on his shoulder, “Sethos found his grandfather’s diary. I was…found in a temple in the remains of a ritual.” 

“What kind of ritual?” He carefully made sure his tone betrayed none of his shock and anxiety. It wouldn’t help any of them if he was freaking out too. 

“One that fused several Ba fragments together. Creating…me.” 

Kaeya opened his mouth to ask how Sethos’s grandfather even knew this when Xiao let out a loud, frightened-sounding keen. His hands latched onto Cyno’s gown. His entire body went tense. His head snapped back against the general’s shoulder and his back arched away from him.

“Nngh…ahg…no…” The yaksha whined. 

“Xiao?” Kaeya called softly. 

“Gnn…Baba…hahn please it…hurts…” Oh. Well if that didn’t feel like a stab to the chest. What Dottore had done had caused him so much pain that he was delirious with it. Now he was calling out for, presumably, Morax. 

“I know. I know it hurts.” Cyno carded one hand through raven and teal hair. He started gently rocking him back and forth, “Go back to sleep, Xiao. Sleep, tayir shujaei.” The yaksha chirped discontentedly once, went limp, then seemed to slip back into unconsciousness. 

“You should get some rest too, Cyno.” 

“Hmm…” The general hummed and a few minutes later he also seemed to drift off. 

Kaeya tightened his grip around both of them. The desire to protect these two still burned brightly in his chest. 

He promised that he’d do everything in his power to get them out of there. 

Broken leg be damned.

----

It was quickly decided that there wasn’t anything that they could do that night, so they were instructed to go and get some rest. 

Zhongli, Childe, and Lisa set off to return to Cyrus’s house. Kaveh and Alhaitham went back to their home with Collei, Amber, Yanfei, and Albedo. Diluc would be staying at the Akademiya with everyone else for…reasons. Apparently, he had some real hang-ups about staying in the same residence as a Fatuus. 

Whatever. 

Sethos honestly couldn’t find it in himself to care that much. Not when he had an idea to try out. 

“What the hell are you trying to do now?” Yuri raised an eyebrow at him as he sat cross-legged in the center of the room. Said room being Yuri’s bedroom where it was just the two of them, “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” 

“I will, eventually.” The desert boy shrugged and closed his eyes, “I want to try something first.” 

“You’re going to try to connect to the Mahamatra on your own, aren’t you?” 

“Yep!” 

“You do realize you probably won’t be able to on your first try, right?” 

“Yep.” 

“Of course you do.” He didn’t need to open his eyes to know that Yuri was either facepalming or shaking his head with a sigh, “As long as you know what you’re doing and actually get some rest tonight. You hear me?” 

Sethos nodded. 

“I hear you.”

----

It wasn’t surprising at all that pain was the first thing he felt upon waking. 

His karmic debt had been agitated and a portion of it ripped away. It left his body reeling in ways he could hardly recall happening before. Everything felt sore and raw. Even breathing rattled his lungs. A headache was flickering to life behind his eyes.

He gradually rose back to consciousness through the pain. He could tell there were arms around him in a protective hold and they seemed to be lying down. His head was resting on someone’s chest.

When Xiao sucked in a particularly sharp breath, it sent him into a painful coughing fit. It felt like countless needles were pricking the inside of his throat. The arms around him tightened. 

“Xiao?” 

A soft voice reached his ears. The yaksha managed to get his eyes about halfway open, gazing blurrily up at a blue and tan blob. 

“Mn…Kaeya…?” He winced at the scratchiness in his voice, “What’s….going on?” 

“Resting, for now.” Kaeya heavily sighed, “We’ll get at least a day where he’ll leave us alone.” 

“Hmm.” Xiao tilted his head to the side. It appeared that the person whose chest he was resting against was Cyno, and he was solidly conked out.

“Are you alright?” The captain asked. 

“Alright? Huh…” He clenched and unclenched one fist, a mild soreness running through his arm. The intense pain from before seemed to have settled more, “I’m…fine, at the moment…just sore and tired.” 

“Get some more rest, Xiao.” 

“Adepti don’t need as much sleep as mortals do.” 

“Pretty sure that doesn’t apply when adepti are as injured as you are.” 

Xiao frowned. A brief flash of indignation welled up in his chest, but then it faded away. He was likely right. Didn’t mean that he had to like it. Exhaustion was starting to dig its claws in to try and drag him back under anyway. This brief period of consciousness was fading quickly. 

“You…rest too, Kaeya.” The yaksha’s eyelids started to fall shut. 

He heard the captain chuckle quietly, a hand went to brush through his hair. 

“Sure thing, Xiao.” 

Chapter Text

For most of the ‘rest day’ that they were given, the three of them spent it asleep.

Overnight, Kaeya’s lower leg began to swell and the skin above the break turned purple. Moving it appeared to send scalding waves of pain through him. The half-hearted splint that had been put on didn’t help at all. 

Xiao and Cyno did their best not to jostle him too much when they were awake. Not that it was particularly difficult. The yaksha couldn’t speak for Cyno, but his muscles were still dully aching and his energy was depleted. He usually felt like that after karmic episodes. Weak and lethargic and just wanting to rest. However, he didn’t usually fall asleep so easily. Not on his own, anyway. 

He absentmindedly brought this up as he leaned against Cyno, watching the general carefully braid Kaeya’s hair. 

“When do you fall asleep easier then?” Kaeya asked. 

“I think…when Rex Lapis is nearby?” He hummed quietly, “Or when Barbatos plays his music. Those…typically soothe my karmic debt the best.” 

“So…when a god is near you?” 

“I…suppose? I’ve never…actively sought them out to test that theory.” 

“Has…being near me had a similar effect?” Cyno paused his braiding, his hands trembling slightly. 

“Maybe…” 

Xiao didn’t remember falling asleep after that. 

What he did remember was being jolted awake by the feeling of sharp needles stabbing through several points in his left hand. 

His eyes snapped open. He let out a startled chirp. Instinctively his body jerked upward, only being stopped by the tight straps holding him down. He was on that bed again with his arm stretched out to the side. He turned his head toward said arm. His breath caught in his throat. 

That device was back. 

The one that forcibly ripped out his karmic debt. 

This time all of the needles that had pierced his entire body were only inserted into various parts of his hand. His fingers were pinned at the middle joint like one of those insect collections he’d heard people create. The biggest needle went straight through his palm. 

“Prime, the yaksha is awake.” Web loomed over him menacingly. It was obvious that he was the one to hook him up to that damned device, “Can we get with the demonstration now?” 

“Demonstration…?” Xiao furrowed his brows. He looked past the segment at the harbinger across the room. Dottore seemed to be standing in front of another kamera. Between them, several agents had their hands on Cyno and Kaeya. The other two captives had their hands behind their backs and gags in their mouths. Kaeya’s leg was still purple and bruised, they hadn’t healed it at all. The captain’s eyes were squeezed shut in obvious pain. His tan skin was dotted in sweat and flushed with fever. Cyno was, as usual, trying to fight against the agents holding onto him with very little success. In the center of the room there was some kind of array that he vaguely recognized but he wasn’t sure where he’d seen it before, “What is this? What are you doing!?” 

“Don’t worry your little head about it, Alatus. ” Dottore stepped toward him. He waved Web off and the segment made a beeline straight to Cyno. Despite the general’s struggles, he was handed to him quite easily. The harbinger reached into his coat, bringing out a needle with a dark substance, “You don’t have to do anything for me for now. This is merely…a showcase of my new device to a certain colleague of mine.” 

“You’re…that is…” The yaksha’s eyes were glued to that needle. Or rather the substance inside of it. The blood drained from his face. 

It shouldn’t have been possible, but it appeared to be a concentrated form of his own karmic energy. 

“Oh? Recognize this, do you? This is a portion of your karmic debt that was extracted the other day.” Dottore grinned, no doubt pleased by his reaction. The tip of the needle was inserted into his wrist just beneath the strap holding him down, “Of course, that’s not all that’s inside this. But you will discover what else there is soon enough. Until then…” The plunger was pushed down. The hellish concoction was forced into his veins.

Just like before his karmic debt roiled and surged. He clenched his teeth together to keep any sound he made down. And then, he heard that machine click on. 

Like before, a burning, tugging sensation came from the places the needles pierced his body. Unlike before though, the ripping feeling was mostly located around just his left arm. 

That didn’t make it any less painful. 

Viscous pain erupted across his arm through his chest. The rest of his body broke out into cold shivers. 

“AGHHAAAAAHHH!!!” A shriek rang through the air. It took a moment for him to realize that it was his own. The pain crept into his head, forcing his eyes shut from the suddenly harsh lights. It felt like there was a vice around his ribs and lungs, slowly squeezing the air out. Every pulse of agony caused his muscles to cramp which added to the crushing sensations. Like before a wave of dizziness and nausea washed over him. 

Just when he thought that it couldn’t get much worse, it did. 

“NNGH!? HAAaah!” Pangs of something other than pain went straight through to his core. A dreadfully familiar heat began to settle in his stomach. Something that allowed him to catch his breath a little, though he would never admit that, “AGHHH! Wh-what did Ghuuaaahh!? What did you do to…ahhnnn to me!?” 

“Ah the aphrodisiac is setting in I see.” Dottore hummed, “Pain ended the experiment early last time, so I decided to prolong it by adding in some pleasure for you.” A gloved hand reached under his gown and began massaging that bundle of nerves at the top of his slit. 

“N-naahaah no!” Xiao’s back arched with a cry. The pain and pleasure alternated and somehow mixed together to completely overwhelm his senses, “ST-STAAAAAAH! HA AAAHGG! STOP!” 

“You can endure it, dear yaksha.” Two fingers pushed inside him. 

“Euuhaaaaah!! NO!” Deep in his chest spasmed in agony again, briefly overtaking the pleasure. He desperately shook his head, “TURN IT OFF!! AHGGGG TURN IT GGUUYAAAHHHGG!?” A sudden orgasm slammed into him. Once more the pleasure overtook the pain and then back again. Like a pendulum swinging violently back and forth.

From that point on, everything felt blurry and he lost track of time. 

Pain. 

Pleasure. 

Screams. 

Sobs. 

He couldn’t keep track of anything. 

---- 

It was almost the exact same situation as before. 

Cyno was left sitting helpless on the side as Xiao was tortured right in front of him. 

With his hands cuffed behind him and gag shoved in his mouth as well as Web’s tight grip around him, there wasn’t anything he could really do. (And Kaeya was in an even worse position with his still very broken leg and now obvious fever from letting it go untreated.)

Not until the machine finally, thankfully, switched off. Xiao went boneless against the table. The device was taken off of his hand. Dottore gestured for a few agents to move forward. While they unstrapped Xiao, the harbinger walked towards Cyno. 

“Hand over the general, Web.” He commanded. 

“Yes, Prime.” Web sighed petulantly, not unlike a child, but he complied with the order. Dottore carried him into the middle of the array. He was set down, the gag was taken out of his mouth, his arms were released from behind his back, and Xiao was practically dropped like a weight into his lap. 

“Xiao!” Cyno held the injured yaksha close. Xiao whined quietly, curling into himself with his left hand clutched against his chest. He glared at Dottore’s back as he stepped out of the array. The moment he did, the array lit up. A barrier of energy surrounded the two of them, “What is this…? What are you doing!?” 

“I noticed something quite interesting when I was studying the yaksha’s karmic debt.” The harbinger explained, “I anticipated that he would still be relatively unresponsive after only one day. However, being near you seems to settle it within a very short period of time. So what you’re going to do for me, general, is quell the karmic debt inside him.” 

“What…? But I…I don’t…” His heart leapt into his throat. 

“You don’t know how? Oh general, you do know.” Dottore laughed in a low tone that sent a shudder down his spine, “Or to be more specific, you don’t have to do anything but keep your hands on him. Your divine power will do enough.” 

“That’s…what is this array for then?” Cyno hissed. 

“It’s only a simple amplification array to speed up the process.” 

“Are we almost done here, Prime?” Web huffed, “You said I’d get to play with the general once the message was finished.” 

“Y-you…you stay away from him!” Xiao pulled himself into a sitting position while still leaning heavily against the general.

“Xiao…” 

“Hush, Web. You’ll have your fun soon enough.” Dottore turned back towards the camera that had been trained on them the entire time. 

Cyno chose to ignore him, instead focusing on Xiao by his side.

“Xiao, are you alright?” He asked softly. 

“Nngh…not…really, but…I…I will be…” The yaksha gasped and shook, “What ab-about…where is Kaeya?”

“He’s…” A quick glance outside the array confirmed that the captain was still in the grip of a few agents and still pretty much dead to the world. Nothing had changed between the last glimpse he’d had of him until then, “He’s alright…for now.” He tuned back into whatever Dottore was saying to the camera. 

“...can see, these are the results of my experiments. Unless you want things to get worse for your precious yaksha, you will stay out of my way.” What was he talking about, “I know you value your partner’s affections, so I can imagine him being quite displeased at you causing his last yaksha any undue pain.” As Cyno’s confusion grew, he looked down to see a look of realization crossing Xiao’s expression, “Although I am loathe to give up such a research opportunity, I am willing to part with the yaksha. Under the condition that you, Tartagilia, hand over Diluc Ragnvindr and Sethos of the Temple of Silence to me.” 

A bolt of pure anger and fear shot through Cyno’s chest. 

No. 

No!

He opened his mouth to shout- 

But he was beaten to it by Xiao letting out a loud snarl. 

“Nǐ gǎn àn tā shuō de zuò ma! ” The yaksha jerked forward, breaking out of his hold and slamming his hands against the barrier of the array, “Don’t you even think about complying, Ajax, Nǐ liǎojiě wǒ ma!? Stay away! Stay ba- AHG!” He suddenly spasmed and fell backward. The general only just managed to catch him before he could hit the ground. 

“Silence!” Dottore whirled on them with a furious twist in his mouth, “Do not interrupt me! This is a matter between Harbingers. It has nothing to do with you.” 

“Nothing to do with us…?” Cyno’s bangs covered his eyes, his grip around Xiao tightening again. The array around them flickered with purple and gold light, “You want to kidnap and torture my brother and you say it has nothing to do with us!?” Runic bandages started creeping up his arms. His voice seemed to…shift somewhat, “ NO! If you touch a hair on Sethos’s head I will make what the Raiden Shogun did to your colleague Signora look like a mere static shock!” 

Before he could get much further, he felt a sudden wave of unnatural tiredness descend on him. He swayed slightly and collapsed onto his side. The general glared at their captor through rapidly drooping eyelids as he approached the array. 

“Vasin, put the captain down and turn off the film kamera. It seems that both of our most troublesome subjects need a little reminder of where they stand.”

Chapter Text

Dottore wanted to make a point about their resistance irritating him. 

It started immediately after the kamera was switched off. Cyno and Kaeya were whisked off elsewhere. Xiao was pinned down on his stomach, bent over the table by the harbinger. His wrists were bound together behind his back. 

Like before, two fingers were suddenly plunged deep inside of him.

“Nnaah!!? Ha, no! Stop!” The yaksha cried. 

“It would be best if you were to relax and accept your punishment, Alatus. ” Dottore hissed without a hint of amusement in his tone, “We’ll be taking this nice and slow. I will not be using any of my drugs so you will have no choice but to feel how your own body betrays you.” Just as he said, the harbinger’s fingers slowly stroked his inner walls. 

“D-do you really think…nghh you can just…force me into…into submission like this!?” He turned his head to glare over his shoulder. 

“Oh my dear yaksha, I don’t think I can.” A cruel smirk was sent down at him. 

The ordeal truly began then. 

----

Kaeya was broken out of his feverish sleep by a sharp snap in his leg. 

“Guh-haah!?” 

He sat up with a loud shout of pain. The agony in his broken leg was somehow fading…the previously numb feeling in his toes was retreating. He looked down at his leg. It was…there were still traces of purple bruising however, even that was rapidly disappearing. It was almost like his leg was…healing itself. 

What the hell had Dottore done to him? 

The captain looked around. He rubbed at his throat, wincing at the acidic taste in his mouth. His vision was blurry but he could kind of tell that he was back in the cell. 

Alone.

----

He could tell that Web was delighted in the opportunity to ‘play’ with him further. 

The segment had dragged Cyno back to the room from the dreamscape experiment and strapped him down to a table that was tilted towards the head. A thick piece of cloth was tightly tied around his mouth and nose. 

Water poured over his face. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t scream. It felt like he was drowning. He was pretty sure water was trickling into his lungs. His body spasmed as he tried to cough the water up. To get it out of his system. Despite the position he was in he began to feel lightheaded. 

Just as he felt like he was about to pass out, the water stopped and the towel was removed. He gasped, taking deep, gurgling breaths. His chest hurt and felt like a heavy weight was pressed upon it. 

“Have you got your breath back?” Web cooed. He didn’t answer. He couldn’t answer. He could only cough uncontrollably. With a chuckle, he placed the now wet towel back on his face. Cyno shook his head as hard as he could, but it didn’t budge. The water returned, and once more he couldn’t breathe or scream or anything. His lungs shuddered and convulsed, inhaling water as it mercilessly attacked him. The lightheadedness returned. He hoped that he’d lose unconsciousness soon. 

But it didn’t happen.

---- 

Xiao had broken fingers before. Probably more often than anyone else he knew. It just came with his line of work. 

But…he’d never had them break like this. 

Dottore would take one finger and slowly bend it backward until the bone snapped. Then he’d move onto the next one until all five digits were bent in the opposite direction of where they were supposed to. And then…the harbinger would force an acidic, red potion down his throat. His previously broken fingers would snap back into place, which hurt just as much as breaking them did. The cycle continued like that. 

Broken and healed and broken and healed… 

Again. 

And again. 

And again.

----

“Tell me how you got these scars, captain.” Dottore ran a gloved hand along Kaeya’s right arm. Tied down on that damn table, he couldn’t so much as flinch away from the very uncomfortable touch.

“None of your business.” He pointedly turned his head away. He focused his eye on Xiao’s unconscious form chained to the wall of one of the alcoves. 

“That’s where you are wrong, captain. It is my business.” 

---- 

Web injected something into his system and caused burning pain to take over his entire body. 

It would be agonizing enough if he just left Cyno alone afterwards. 

He didn’t. 

He insisted on touching, caressing, and rubbing his skin, causing the pain to surge wherever his hands lay. 

Even inside him. 

----

Khalaf had no idea how Dehya had convinced him to do this. 

Sure, on the surface this job seemed easy. Join this one Eremite band, go with them to where they drop off the supplies for the Fatui, and then report back to Dehya with the direction they headed in. It should’ve been that easy. 

But it wasn’t. 

For some reason, that day of all days, they were met in a cave by a guy with the exact description Dehya had given him earlier. (Specifically blue hair, red eyes, wearing a mask, and giving the most unsettling aura he’d ever felt.) The leader of the Eremite group stepped up to him seemingly without a care in the world. 

“Alright, tabeeb, we’ve brought your weekly supplies.” She crossed her arms over her chest, “Got any more letters to Mondstat for us? If you do, you know it’ll cost you extra.” 

“Ah, Lunja. Straight to the point as always.” The man grinned creepily, “Prime does have something for you to send, but not to Mondstat.” He stepped off to the side, gesturing inside the cave, “If you would follow me, Prime would like to ask you and your men for a tiny…favor.” 

“Hm. Depends on what this favor is.” Lunja gestured for them to follow her. 

Okay….so the Fatui wanted them to meet inside of a strange domain. Inside of this domain there was the most advanced lab that Khalaf had ever seen. They were led deep inside, where another man matching Dehya’s description of the guy waited. 

“Prime~, I’ve brought them like you asked!” 

“Very good.” This other, honestly much more intimidating man turned to face them, “Lunja, it is good to see you again.” 

“Yeah yeah, Dottore. What’s this so-called ‘favor’ you need to ask of us and why does it involve me bringing my guys here?” Lunja demanded. 

“Oh? Did Web phrase it like that?” Dottore chuckled, “It’s not quite a favor. I’d phrase it more as a job or two.” 

“And what are these jobs?” 

“First, I’d like you and your men to assist in an experiment of mine. Once that is done to my satisfaction, I have a roll of kamera film for you to send to Sumeru City. Both jobs I will fairly compensate you and your men for.” 

“What’s the experiment?” 

The grin that crossed the harbinger’s face made Khalaf’s stomach sink.

----

For the first time in…who knows how long…the three of them were in the main lab together. 

It was kind of like when they first woke up in this pace. Their hands were cuffed behind their backs and attached to the wall. At least one agent stood between them. All three of them were gagged, and for some reason, Xiao and Cyno were blindfolded and injected with what was likely a concoction of aphrodisiacs. Kaeya was the exception…but he couldn’t figure out why. 

And then Dottore and his segment led in a group of Eremite mercenaries. There looked to be about seven of them. One woman and six men. Each were obviously well built, perfect for their line of work in the desert. 

Kaeya noted how immediately most of the Eremite’s eyes landed on Cyno. Even without his usual garb, blindfolded, and gagged, it appeared that they recognized him. 

One of the women threw her head back and laughed. 

“So you’re the lucky bastard that finally got the drop on the General Mahamatra!” Her cackles sent shivers down the captain’s spine. Cyno tensed slightly, so it was possible that he recognized her voice, “This ‘favor’ of yours might just be worth it after all!” 

“I wouldn’t call it luck, Miss Lunja.” Dottore shrugged indifferently, “Decide amongst yourselves who will take the general and who will take the yaksha.” Kaeya frowned and furrowed his brows. ‘Take?’ What did he mean by ‘take?’ 

“And uh…which one is the yaksha again?” One of the men asked, pointing at both Kaeya and Xiao. 

“That would be this one.” Web moved behind Xiao, taking a hold of his hair and forcing his head back. The yaksha growled through the gag. If he wasn’t blindfolded, he would likely be glaring daggers at everyone in front of him. The leader clapped her hands once. 

“Alright. Anqa, Isan, Ziri, you’ll take the yaksha. Azrul, Minum, and myself will take the Mahamatra. Khalaf, since you’re the newbie, you’re going to watch.” 

----

Cyno recognized the leader’s voice as soon as she spoke. 

Lunja. Leader of a small faction of the Farrokhzadan. 

He and Tighnari had run-ins with their group before, as had Lumine. He knew they followed orders from Dottore, following his odd attempt to capture Aranara but this… 

They unhooked his cuffs from the wall. The cuffs themselves were activated, restricting his movement and allowing these people to maneuver him as they pleased. Someone was lying on the ground beneath him. A pair of arms forced his legs apart while another held him upright. Fingers spread his pussy apart at the same time as the gag was pulled out of his mouth. 

“I gotta say, General Mahamatra, I never thought I’d see you like this.” Lunja snickered. 

“Ahh…haah…and I have to say…I’m not at all surprised to find you…nngh doing Dottore’s bidding again… Lunja. ” His mouth twisted in a frown. 

“Like you’re one to talk, Akademiya dog.” The man beneath him suddenly thrust his hips up as the person holding his upright pushed him down. He was practically split in half by the eremite’s cock. A punched out noise left the general. His body instinctively clenched down in a futile effort to stop the invasion, “Fuck he’s tight!” 

“Well, he is a small one.”

From somewhere off to the side he heard the familiar sound of Xiao crying out, muffled from behind the gag. 

“Uhaah! Gggh what the hell…hah kind of experiment… kaauugh is this!?” Cyno demanded. 

“I’m glad you asked, general!” A shudder went down his back at Web’s much too cheerful voice, “So far, both you and the yaksha have only been taken by one cock at a time, right?” A pit opened up in his stomach, “You’ve been able to keep up with me just fine and the yaksha endured hours on the sybian. So….we’ll see if either of you can keep up with multiple…well let’s call them partners for now.” 

This…

This was bad. 

---- 

This had been the longest week of Diluc’s life. 

He was not a fan of the current plan of waiting for Dehya’s guy to get back from the desert. It would be one thing if there was something he was actually able to do consistently but… 

Nahida was doing Archon things that he didn’t hope to understand. Alhaitham and Yuri had to go back to filling in for Cyno’s job. Tighnari and Collei went back and forth between Gandharva Ville and Sumeru City, sometimes Albedo, Lisa, and Amber would go with them. Kaveh met with architectural clients, Sethos ran around doing…errands for other people and Venti more often than not joined him. Yanfei and Yelan had to return to Liyue. He didn’t bother trying to keep track of whatever Lumine and Paimon were doing.

The only ones who were in the same limbo as him were Zhongli and…Childe. 

That wasn’t to say he didn’t find some things to do. In order to avoid the ginger-haired menace, Diluc took to taking walks around the outskirts of Sumeru city. He made sure to talk to Cyrus whenever he passed by the former sage’s home. Once or twice he helped him with his tomato plants. 

After one week, Dehya sent word that her guy had come back. 

And he had found exactly where Dottore had taken his brother.

Chapter Text

The tension in the room could be cut with a knife.

Today they’d finally get a lead. Zhongli would finally be a step closer to getting his hatchling last yaksha back. 

Dehya had come into the sanctuary, followed by a very shaken-looking man holding onto a parcel. 

“Guys, this is Khalaf.” The mercenary nodded his way, “He’s the one who infiltrated the group that sends Dottore supplies.” 

“In your message, you said he’d found where the mad bastard was hiding.” Yuri crossed his arms over his chest. 

“I, uh, yeah…I did…” Khalaf nervously fiddled with the package he was holding, “But uh…before I get into that…which one of you is ‘Tartaglia?’” 

“I…I am…” Childe tensed in his seat, “Why…?” The package was shoved into his hands, “What is this?” 

“I don’t know. And honestly, I don’t want to know.” The desert dweller shook his head, “But that crazy…that psycho was very insistent on getting it to you here.” He took a deep breath, clearly steadying himself for the conversation to come. He glanced at Dehya, who nodded at him again, “So, the original plan was to just go to their meeting point, to hand over the supplies and send whatever the Fatui wanted to wherever but…they took us into a cave where there was a domain. There was a lab inside…and…and that man offered the group the ‘opportunity’ to participate in an experiment…” 

“And…what was that experiment?” Sethos went pale. 

Khalaf swallowed thickly before responding. 

“He wanted them to…to rape the General Mahamatra and the yaksha…to see how long their stamina would last after a…a week of non-stop testing.” 

---- 

It was taking every ounce of self control he had not to throw up or look away. 

“Kuuuh, wh-what…ahh! AHH!” 

“Oh, does it feel good like this, Akademiya dog?”  

“G-good…? Haah no…!” 

“Hey, tabeeb, do you know if either of them can get pregnant?” 

His stomach sank at the question. 

“NO!” The yaksha suddenly let out a terrified cry. The gag had been taken out at some point during the assault, “No I-I can’t! I can’t! Ghhnn oghh stop it…stop!” 

“Hmm. Interesting query.” Dottore hummed. He had a strange, almost knowing smile on his face, “I admit I don’t know. My segments and myself aren’t capable of reproduction naturally.  This could be the perfect opportunity to find out.” 

If he could, he absolutely would be cursing that madman out to the Abyss and back. 

“Augh guuh no!” The yaksha thrashed violently from where he was pinned onto the ground, “I can’t…!” 

“Don’t you d-dare!” Cyno growled, which was a terrifying sound. Not that it seemed to intimidate anyone else. 

“Shut it, Mahamatra.” Lunja roughly grabbed him by his cheeks with one hand, the other pinching his clit, “You’re gonna do as The Doctor says and get knocked up by my boys.” 

“No, I won’t.” 

---- 

Khalaf ended his explanation and the room fell into an even tenser atmosphere than before. 

“Was there a third captive there?” Albedo’s hands clenched into fists at his sides, willing himself to stay as calm as possible, “A man with tan skin and blue hair?” 

“Yes. There was. But they…just made him watch. They mostly left him alone.” 

Okay. That was…kind of good, he supposed. Kaeya wasn’t made to do anything to either of the other two. 

“Other than the location of the domain and the names of the group that you infiltrated, can you tell us anything else?” Nahida asked. 

“Uh…well. Not really.” Khalaf shifted his feet nervously, “I just have a question of my own.” 

“Go ahead.” 

“Is it…can either of them, the Mahamatra and the yaksha, get pregnant?” 

“I can’t speak for Cyno, but in Xiao’s case, no.” Zhongli grimly reported, his hands curled into his coat, “His karmic debt…would kill any potential child inside him before he would ever be aware of their existence.” 

“Cyno also can’t.” Tighnari shook his head. 

“Right, he has that thing that the Amurta darshan came up with a few years ago, doesn’t he?” Kaveh sat up a little straighter, “I don’t remember what it’s called, but it goes in your arm and releases hormones to keep you from getting pregnant.” 

“He does.” 

“There’s no doubt that Dottore already knows these things.” Yuri huffed. 

“He likely answered the question about pregnancy in such a way that would guarantee that the group wouldn’t hold back at all.” Albedo frowned, fiddling with one of his gloves, “What did he want to send out afterward?” He eyed the still-unopened package in Childe’s hands. It didn’t remain unopened for much longer because after a beat of silence, he conjured a knife out of water and cut it open. His face immediately went pale and his eyes widened. 

“Xiansheng…” Childe looked at Zhongli with a distressed look. He reached inside the box with shaking hands, pulling out an odd-looking mask and… 

…a Liyuean anemo vision. 

“That’s…those are…” Venti sounded like he’d been punched in the stomach. 

“Xiao’s.” Zhongli gently took the items from the harbinger, cradling them close to his chest. 

“There’s also this…” An electro vision from Sumeru was placed on the table before him. Context would indicate that vision had to be Cyno’s. Alhaitham quickly held onto it. Childe made a confused sound and then pulled out the, hopefully, last item inside, “ …and a roll of kamera film?” 

---- 

There was no doubt in Childe’s mind that this package was a threat. 

What kind of threat? Well, that was to be determined by the contents of that kamera film reel. A film that only a few were going to be allowed to see. Not because he was trying to hide it or anything but because the room they were using didn’t allow that many people in. 

Childe, Zhongli, Venti, Diluc, Albedo, Alhaitham, Sethos, and Yuri were the only ones there. The film was inserted into the projector, and it whirred to life. 

The first thing that appeared was a spacious lab with a medical table square in the center of the frame. A familiar figure was being strapped down to the table by one of Dottore’s segments. 

Xiao. 

The yaksha was uncharacteristically limp and unconscious. 

Dottore himself walked into frame to hand some kind of device composed of wires and needles and whatnot to his segment. 

“Where do you want these inserted this time, Prime?” Right, his segments tended to call him ‘Prime’ for whatever reason. 

“Just the left hand for today.” Dottore turned to the kamera, “Hello again, Tartaglia. You might be wondering why I’ve sent you this film and the various items in the package that came with it. My people have brought word to me that you’ve arrived in Sumeru, likely hoping to remove my subjects from my possession.” 

Behind him, Xiao suddenly opened his eyes with a startled noise. He tried to sit up but the straps kept him down. The look that crossed his face when he noticed the device and the needles sticking into his hand spoke volumes. 

He recognized it. And he was afraid of it. 

Whatever it was, it had been used on him before. 

“Prime, the yaksha is awake. Can we get with the demonstration now?” The segment happily turned to his creator. 

“Demonstration…?” Xiao’s gaze went somewhere off to the side, out of the view of the kamera, “What is this? What are you doing!?” 

“Don’t worry your little head about it, Alatus . You don’t have to do anything for me for now. This is merely…a showcase of my new device to a certain colleague of mine.” Dottore walked to his side, a needle appeared in his hand. Almost immediately the yaksha’s eyes locked onto it, filling with a fear Childe had never seen in them before.

“You’re…that is…” 

“Oh? Recognize this, do you? This is a portion of your karmic debt that was extracted the other day.” 

What? 

Beside him, Childe felt Zhongli freeze. 

“Of course, that’s not all that’s inside this. But you will discover what else there is soon enough. Until then…” 

The plunger was pushed down. 

The device was turned on. 

And Xiao began to scream.

Chapter Text

Kaeya got pushed back into the fighting room for the third time. 

He didn’t want to be separated from Cyno and Xiao after…all that…but as usual he wasn’t given a choice. And of course Vasin just had to be the one escorting him inside. The agent held his wrists behind his back in a bruising grip with one hand, the other was resting dangerously low on his back. He thought he’d be shoved inside the room and then left alone like before but…the agent remained. The captain’s stomach twisted into an uncomfortable knot. As much as he wanted to pretend it didn’t affect him, he very much did not want a repeat of the day he was held down and raped while photos were taken. Photos that had likely reached Mondstat long ago… 

For a brief moment, he wondered if Diluc had even bothered to open whatever letter they were sent in. Or if he’d taken one look at the likely Fatui emblem on it and just handed it off to the Knights of Favonius. 

Another, almost more chilling thought crept forward. 

What if Jean saw them? 

What if Albedo saw them? 

The thought of his partner seeing him like that made a nauseous feeling settle in his gut. 

“My Lord, are we ready?” Vasin looked up at the darkened window. 

“In five minutes, we will be. Stand by and do not do anything before I command you to.” No matter how many times this happened he was still weirded out by only hearing Dottore and not seeing him. 

“Ready for what?” Kaeya demanded, “What do you want now?” 

“Patience, captain.” The agent purred in his ear, pressing much too close behind him. At least the hand left his back, “You’ll find out soon enough.” 

He never liked that answer. It never boded well. 

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Xiao’s screams were like nothing he’d ever heard before. 

They were filled with such pain, fear, and agony. His body was spasming and thrashing as much as the straps holding him down would let him. An instinctual, futile effort to escape the pain. 

The sight and sound of his hatchling’s the yaksha’s state grated on Zhongli’s own draconic instincts. He wanted nothing more than to gather him into his arms…to protect him from everything, to get rid of the thing causing his distress. But that…wasn’t possible. Like he’d told Sethos while they were in Irminsul, what felt like a lifetime ago, these events had already passed. There was nothing any of them could do. 

Suddenly the pitch of Xiao’s screams changed. Now confusion was added to the mixture of emotions filling his voice.

“AGHHH! Wh-what did Ghuuaaahh!? What did you do to…ahhnnn to me!?” His face began to flush unnaturally. 

“Ah the aphrodisiac is setting in I see. Pain ended the experiment early last time, so I decided to prolong it by adding in some pleasure for you.” Dottore reached under the gown. 

“N-naahaah no!” Xiao shuddered and started pulling much too hard on his restraints. If he was pulling any harder he’d dislocate his wrists, “ST-STAAAAAAH! HA AAAHGG! STOP!” 

“You can endure it, dear yaksha.” 

“Euuhaaaaah!! NO!” 

It felt like it went on for an eternity. 

The yaksha never stopped struggling to free himself. Never stopped screaming. Never stopped sobbing. 

Zhongli let out a breath that he didn’t realize he was holding when that damned device was switched off. His relief was very short lived as Xiao went almost entirely limp on top of the table. The previous flush to his face was replaced by a worrying shade of white. The only movement he made was the shuddering of his body in the aftershocks of having his karmic debt deliberately agitated and ripped out of him.