Chapter Text
Diluc
The night at the Angel’s Share had been busy. It was the last night of Ludi Harpastum and everyone was trying to get in one drink for the festival. The air was filled with reverie and for once, Diluc let himself sink into the atmosphere.
As the crowds finally started to die down, a familiar figure leaned against the counter of the bar.
“One Death After Noon. No ice.”
Diluc mutely mixed the requested drink, pouring it into a glass and sliding it across the counter. Kaeya caught it with ease, the outside frosting over as he swirled it in his hand. Sipping his drink, Kaeya eyed him carefully.
“Getting back into the normal routine? No more... anomalies I hope?” He asked.
Diluc grunted, “That should no longer be a problem.” He stopped by Albedo’s lab to make sure there were no other concerns and the alchemist confirmed what he had already suspected. “Ask the Chief Alchemist if you need more details. Suffice to say, that power is now a part of me.”
Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “Oh? So you could summon a barrier of storm and seal away Mond if you wanted?”
“Perhaps...” Diluc shrugged. “But I have no need for that kind of power.” Currently his control of anemo and pyro seemed mutually exclusive. He preferred his flames anyway. It had been so long since the warmth of his vision had pulsed within him. He hadn’t realized how much he had missed that feeling. Fire could destroy, but it was also essential in cold long nights to give light and provide warmth. He wished he learned that lesson sooner.
Well that’s good then...” Kaeya titled his head back, downing almost half the drink. “Back to business then. The Knight of Favonius thank you for your open and willing cooperation. If you are in need of further services, please file proper paperwork next time. I'm going to be spending the next week trying to sort out the mess you’ve left us with.” He snickered, “I don’t know how you sat still enough to do that kind of work. Do you still have do have to that for the winery?”
"Sometimes," Diluc admitted slowly, eyeing the knight carefully, trying to judge his angle. "But Elzer takes care of most of the legal work. He still runs the majority of the business."
"Mhmm," Kaeya was quiet for a moment before answering. "Then it sounds like you have everything all figure out, running smoothly as always." His tightened around the his glass as if there was more he wanted to say, but stayed silent. It was impossible to miss the guarded way he positioned himself. Even after all this... that distance remained.
Diluc swallowed, focusing on the imperfect stained wood of the counter, as he took a breath. “Last time you were here, I- Decarabian said some things to you. He was wrong.” He said quietly.
Blinking, Kaeya went still as he watched him.
“That night-” Diluc’s hand tightened, words he had thought about for years muddling as he tried to express himself. His tongue felt as heavy as lead. “I-” He couldn’t meet the knight’s eye, “I didn’t know how to apologize. I still don’t.” He paused, his hand nervously wrung the towel in his hand, twisting it back and forth, “After what I did... I know I don't deserve your forgiveness. So I didn’t ask for it.”
There was a long moment of silence as Kaeya quietly sipped his drink. “Oh.” was all he finally said.
Diluc looked up with a glare, irritated by the vague word. “That’s all you have to say?”
“Well I don’t know,” he shrugged. “Give me some time to think about it. Maybe...” he sighed, “Maybe I wanted to forgive you... You don’t make it easy though.”
Nodding, Diluc turned back to washing the glasses. He couldn’t ask for anything more. A moment later Kaeya glass slid toward him. He scowled as he refilled it. “You shouldn’t drink so much. You’ll die before you get old.”
“I’d be lucky to die from alcohol poisoning.”
The knight’s statement, dry and sarcastic, made him freeze. He slowly set the glass down. “During my travels, I met a Khaenri’ahn, older than you. Much older, guessing by what he mentioned. He explained a bit about your curse-”
Kaeya's hand hit the table. “Hang on, I’m sure you're about to say something gushy and far too sentimental for the amount of alcohol I’ve had, but first, back up- You met another Khaernri’ahn ?”
“It was a chance encounter,” Diluc explained. “He was hunting the Abyss Order. I was hunting Fatui. Our goals briefly aligned.”
“Where’d he go?” He tried to ask the question casually, but Diluc could pick up the higher pitches of a more desperate question.
“He left without explaining where he was going next. To be honest, I didn’t really care at the time.” Diluc said.
The knight rolled his eyes, grabbing his drink and throwing it back. “You didn’t care . Of course. If it’s not about you and little revenge plot, then you can’t be bothered,” he muttered with a small sneer. “I shouldn’t have expected anything else.”
Diluc sighed, ignoring the jab and redirecting the conversation. “Kaeya, I saw what that curse does... if you feel the need to destroy this world or whatever to be free from it, I understand why. But I won’t let you destroy Mondstadt.”
Kaeya's single eye glanced back and forth, trying to read him. “What, you still don’t trust me?” He said with a sly grin.
“Do you?”
“Do I... trust myself?” The knight laughed. “Diluc, what kind of question is that?” But he didn’t answer, sinking back into his glass.
Cleaning up some ingredients that had spilled across the counter throughout the day, Diluc muttered. “You know... I don’t think I should be the only one who knows.”
“Knows what?”
Diluc glared, staring pointedly at the knight’s eye that was watching him before shifting his gaze to the one covered by an eyepatch.
Kaeya’s grin grew wider, obviously pleased he'd irritated Diluc. “Oh... that. If you really think that way, nothing’s stopping you from spreading the news across the whole city.”
He couldn’t understand why the knight continuously taunted him. Was he looking for something? Or did he just want an excuse to make him snap... It was exhausting. But it didn’t stop him from worrying.
“If something happens with your eye again... you should have someone you can trust you can go to.” Diluc said quietly, turning away to clean a glass.
He didn’t hear a response for a while. When he finally looked back at the knight, Kaeya seemed... surprised. He grunted, focusing back on cleaning up. “I’m going to have to kick you out.”
The expression turned to outrage as he sputtered, “Oh and here I thought were having civil conversation. Do you really hate seeing my face that much? Or did you run out of energy to pretend you cared?”
Diluc gaped for a moment, growling back, “I meant- the time !” He pointed toward the clock. “It’s well past midnight and you are the only patron here. I need to leave.”
“Sounds like an excuse,” Kaeya muttered, still bitter.
Rolling his eyes, Diluc didn’t bother to give a response. If the knight wasn’t going to have a conversation in good faith, there was hardly any reason to try. But he did have to admit, even if he couldn’t say anything, it was good to see his brother.
Kaeya had moved on far more than he’d ever been able to. While Diluc had ran away, Kaeya had stepped out from the shadow of the Dawn Knight and making his own name for himself. The “honor” of a knight might be flawed, but he was unafraid to upset tradition. If anyone would be able to make a change from within the Knight of Favonius, it was probably him. He might have his complaints and concerns, but Kaeya was making his own life for himself. Sometimes he wondered why the knight still even bothered to come to Angel’s Share. Surely, the only thing here were bad memories. If good drinks were what he was looking for, he’d heard the Cat’s Tail was making a name for itself.
“Goodnight, Diluc,” Kaeya said as he paused in front of the door. “I truly do hope that you sleep well. The Knight’s of Favonius are thinking about increasing the regulation around vigilantism.” There was an edge to his voice that came with a warning, before it was replaced with a smile, “Not that it has anything to do with you.”
Diluc rolled his eyes as the door shut, locking up the rest of the bar before making his way upstairs. Kaeya hadn’t been wrong about his plans. He slipped on the dark cloak, slipping on the owl shaped mask. There were still threats in the night, schemes that could slip past the Knight of Favonius, unseen dangers.
He pulled out a long claymore, inspecting the design of the weapon. It was simple, unadorned with grandiose design, just what he wanted from a weapon. He would make to give an extra tip to Wanger's for the beautiful sword. Stepping onto the rooftop, he let the warm flames from his vision ignite across its blade. He would be the fire light in the darkness. He may not be a knight anymore, but he would still protect the people of this nation, in any way that he could.
The sky was just starting to brighten, flares of yellow and pink starting to splash across the horizon, when Diluc finally made it back to the Dawn Winery. Slipping in the back, he had just finished removing his mask and cloak when he heard familiar footsteps approach.
“Master Diluc, it’s good to see you’ve returned safely. I trust that you were able to enjoy the last few days of Ludi Harpastum.” Adelinde asked.
He nodded, “I was. Perhaps next year the Dawn Winery could do something more for the festival. We could host an event here- a genuine one this time.”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea. I’m sure Elzer would be happy to arrange something.” She paused, clearing her throat. “Speaking of the business, there is a man here to see you.”
Diluc frowned, “At this hour? How long has he been waiting?”
“He arrived just before you did, I believe. A merchant from Snezhnaya, I believe. He’s waiting in the foyer.” Adelinde told him.
“If it’s about Firewater, you can let him know that I have no interest in importing the drink. It wouldn’t sell well here.” He said briskly.
She shook her head, “He didn’t mention Firewater. But he was insistent that he speak with you directly.”
That made Diluc frown. He hesitated to remove his claymore. “Did he look to be Fatui?” He asked quietly.
“He bore no insignia, but I couldn’t be sure. That is more your field of expertise.”
With a shrug, he started making his way toward the hall. “I suppose if he is Fatui, it saves me the trip. Wait here, I’ll handle it.” He stepped into the foyer with a practiced smile and gracious bow. “I heard you were looking for the owner of this establishment. Master Ragnvindr at your service, what can I help with?”
The man turned to look at him. There was nothing inherently abnormal about his appearance, no mask, or sharp grinning smile, but it was the blood red eyes, same as his own, that tipped his true identity. He smiled, but the look in his eyes was more like looking at some thing that he might dissect if he felt inclined. “That red hair, you look just like him...”
Diluc folded his arms, now thankful he had instructed Adelinde to stay back. “Il Dottore, to what do I have the pleasure? If you are not here to inquire about wine, I suggest you leave before we move onto more unsavory business.” It was unclear if this was a disguise, or yet another segment, or even something else that Diluc didn't know about.
The Harbinger chuckled as if amused by his threat, “There is no need for hostility today. You have proven yourself a quite extraordinary specimen. I only wished to acknowledge your contribution to my research.”
He scowled back, “Let me make it clear that I had no intention of ‘contributing’ to your work. Any information you may have gained was unwillingly given. If I could, I would destroy every one of your laboratories.”
“I don’t need your permission,” the Doctor told him, shaking his head. “Crepus gave me his. He was a man of science, unafraid to push against the boundaries of fate. And it was his desire for progeny that led to your creation. He would have wanted you to reach your full potential.” He stepped forward, still smiling as he reached a hand out. “I merely wish to bring you back to where you belong. Come with me... back home.”
Something burned in Diluc’s chest as he looked upon the man’s saccharine expression. It hurt even more knowing that this same hand had been offered to his father, warping good intention into something twisted. He wanted nothing more than to burn this monster to ashes.
“It sounds like you didn’t know my father very well,” Diluc growled, almost baring his teeth as the Harbinger. “And you are not welcome here. Please leave.”
The Doctor sighed, his eyes rolling. “I was trying to ask nicely, but I will resort to other means if I can not convince you.”
Taking a deep breath, Diluc closed his eyes. He let the fire inside him die. Not quite out, but set aside for the next time he needed the vision’s guidance. Instead he drew on the other power inside, raw and overwhelming. As his eyes flashed open, a burst of anemo washed over the room. His hair flickered like burning fire as he lifted his hand, a sleek and long silver axe taking form.
The Tyrant King’s Executioner Axe was the weapon of a god. If anything could cleave a Harbinger’s head from their shoulder he guessed this would do it.
“Let me reiterate,” He said, stepping closer to the Harbinger. “You have no business with me, or the Dawn Winery, or any of the people I care about. And if you do go after them, know that you will never be safe again, you will never step foot in Mondstadt again, and this axe will taste the flesh of your neck.” His hand tightened around the weapon. “I owe you nothing. I do not care if you are my creator or even my sire, you mean nothing to me except a stain on this world I hope to burn away.” Taking a step he level his gaze with the red eyed man. “I’m already home.”
The pleasant expression of the Doctor soured, turning to twisted disgust. “I see. How unfortunate.” Stepping back, he sighed, “Very well, I will leave you alone for now. I suppose evolution flourishes when pushed to limit. ” He paused in the door, a small chuckle in his breath, “I wonder how long you will last on your own.”
“If you return, I will know.” Diluc told him “And I will be waiting.” With a blast of wind, he slammed the door shut. After a moment, he moved to a widow to confirm the Harbinger was really leaving. It wasn’t until he watched the figure finally disappear beyond the vineyard of grapes that he finally let himself breath.
The power of Decarabian drained from his body and he staggered, collapsing back into a chair. Taking a few deep breaths, his heart beat started to calm. He could feel the warm flicker of fire reignite in his chest. He had successfully used Decarabian’s power without losing himself. Afterall, it was his power too.
Adelinde hurried in, a worried expression drawn across her face. “Well, looks like you were able to handle that.”
He grunted in response, giving a rough nod. “I’ll keep an eye on his movements. Make sure he actually leaves Mondstadt this time. For good, I hope.” Thinking it over for another moment, he added, “I need to send a letter,”
He didn’t need to say to whom. It was funny that despite his reservations, he knew that the knight would do what was needed with this information. One day his brother might betray Mondstadt, but that day was not today. He made a soft chuckle as he reached for a pen and paper.
“I believe the Harbinger is mistaken if he thinks I’m still working alone.”
Kaeya
A warm breeze gently drifted through the air as Kaeya made his way through the streets of Mond. It was quieter than usual, the city still recovering from the boisterous final night of the festival. Ludi Harpastum was over now, and work would soon return to its normal rhythm. His hand paused against the door of the Knight of Favonius Headquarters. Back to patrols and paperwork... It was for the best.
“Sir Kaeya!” Amber's voice cried over the wind, running toward him.
He looked back, giving a cheerful smile, “Ah, Miss Amber, what has you up so early? If I recall, our Acting Grand Master gave all knights today off. Unless you were one of those who volunteered for guard duty?”
She shook her head. “I was escorting Collei and Cyno to the Stone Gate.”
“So they’ve left already.” He was surprised that the Sumeru man had even stayed this long.
“Cyno said he knew a friend who would be willing to take Collei in. They’ll be able to help her. And apparently they have books! Collei is really excited to learn to read.” Amber told him as they walked inside the headquarters.
“That’s good to hear.” Kaeya thought about it for a moment. “Perhaps sometime we’ll have to go down to Sumeru and visit once she gets settled in?”
The Outrider’s eye lit up. “That would be great! I hope Jean would approve of a small vacation...”
“I sure she would,” Kaeya told her, “the only person she doesn't give time off to is herself-” he sighed as he stepped into his office, finding the splittered mess that had been left. “I forgot. I need a new desk.”
Amber looked over his shoulder, her smile faltering a bit. “I know Jean said that Master Ragnvindr was just helping as surprise training exercise... but it was more than, wasn’t it?”
“Hmm?” Kaeya feigned ignorance with a smile. “What could you possibly mean?”
She rolled her eyes with a glare, all too familiar with his act. “You were busy with something ever since that dinner gala at the Dawn Winery with the Fatui. That’s why you couldn’t help with the Dark Fire incident. Master Ragnvindr fell ill around the same time. Cyno said that he might have a Delusion spirit and there was that one night where the all the winds of Barbatos seemed to descend upon the city. Every time Master Ragnvindr was there at the center of it all.”
He was impressed by her attention to detail. He’d done his best to make it look as if each incident was unrelated, but she’d seen through it. “Oh? Let’s say you're right. What exactly was our dear Master Ragnvindr up to?”
“I-I haven’t figured that out yet.” She admitted. “I don’t think it was malicious, no one was ever hurt...”
Kaeya chuckled. “If you get it at least halfway correct, I’ll tell the whole story,” he teased, smirking at the concentrated look on her face.
“Really?” Her excitement suddenly switched into suspicion. “Wait, are you just messing with me again?”
“I don’t know, am I?”
“You-” she shook her head as she bit her tongue. “I’ll tell Jean you're causing trouble again.”
“Sure, and I’ll tell her you’ve been flying without a license again.” He said, skipping away and he held up the gliding license he pickpocketed in the moment they’d been talking.
“Hey! Give that back!” She chased after and he flicked it back as he raced up the stairs. As she scrambled to retrieve it, he paused at the top.
“Keep up the work,” he told her. “You have good detective skills.”
“I- huh? Was that a compliment?”
He had already disappeared down the hall by the time she looked up. Leaning into the alchemy lab, he found Albedo measuring out and taking stock of the ingredients they had. Klee looked to be doing her best to ‘help,’ organizing the materials by metric that Kaeya could not determine from a glance.
On the other side of the room, Sucrose was busy studying her plants, making notes about the growth and characteristics of each.
“Alchemists don’t take a break either, do they?” Kaeya asked as he stepped in.
Albedo looked up, greeting the knight. “I thought it would be advantageous to restock our materials here while there are less people in the building. Some of these components can be quite volatile. There’s less risk of unintentional reactions while transporting them.”
“And I can’t stop watching my plants, whether it's a holiday or not,” Sucrose said without looking up from her work. “They don’t take a break so neither can I.”
Leaning against the back counter, Kaeya looked at the two piles Klee was making, “And it looks like you’re working hard too. What are these for?”
The girl brightened, eager to show him her work. “Big brother Albedo asked me to organize these for him. These are the ones Dodoco likes,” she pointed at one of the piles, “and these are the ones Dodoco thinks are stinky!”
Kaeya couldn’t help but chuckle as he looked at the alchemist, “What an interesting method. I’m sure it’ll be very useful to Albedo.”
Albedo glanced back at the comment and shrugged, “Don’t worry about it. I’m actually curious to see if there is a deeper collation she might have picked up on.”
Ruffling Klee hair, he whispered to her, “If he doesn’t find anything, it’s just because you were able to pick on a detail so subtle, even the great Chief Alchemist couldn’t notice.”
She giggled, “Yay! I’m better than big brother!”
Albedo sighed, smiling as he watched Kaeya’s mischief. “What about you? I wouldn’t have expected you to come today, even if it is past noon already.”
“Can’t I just want to visit my favorite alchemist?” Albedo raised an eyebrow and Kaeya smiled back. “Oh alright, I had a few questions. I heard you saw Master Ragnvindr the other day.”
“That I did. He just wanted to make sure there would be no further complications.” Paused, the alchemist noticed he was still waiting for more of an answer. With a sigh, he set down the box of material he was looking at. “We’re out of Agnidus Agate. Sucrose, could you go with Klee and help her grab some from the basement?”
She looked up, her long ears twitching, “Oh, of course. They’re just with all the other stones down there, right?”
“Klee knows where they are!” the girl said as she ran over. “The basement is very dark dark and kind of spooky. But don’t be afraid, me and Dodoco will protect you.” She reached up grabbing Sucrose's hand, “Now we can’t be separated.”
“O-oh, haha, thank you, Klee...”
Kaeya felt a genuine smile spread across his face as he watched the Klee lead fox eared alchemist out the door. For all the chaos he helped her caused, he only hoped that she had fun. A child should get to enjoy their childhood.
Clearing his throat, Albedo brought him out of his reverie. “You wanted to know about Diluc’s condition and I guess more importantly, Decarabian.”
“Yes, Diluc said that the tyrant god wouldn’t be a problem anymore,” he shrugged. “I can’t help but wonder if that’s really true. You’ve explained enough to me before that I know that power doesn’t simply disappear. Especially a god’s.”
The alchemist hummed and nodded, “You would be correct... that is if the being we decided to call Decarabian was actually the tyrant god.”
“They weren’t?”
“It’s complicated,” Albedo’s hand drifted over the box of materials he had left on the counter, pulling out a teal gem. “Let’s say this is Decarabian, the tyrant god. Decarabian died.” Albedo smashed the gem down across the counter, causing the gem to shatter apart. “His power was fragmented. Now if someone took one of these shards and...” he picked up a piece of the gem and placed into a dish, mixing in some water and chalk, “...made something new with it, this creature would have the power of Decarabian, possibly even memories of other fragment of the dead god. It might even be able to regain more of the god’s power, becoming an actual reincarnation of the tyrant god.”
“But then, let’s say after creation, someone decided they didn’t want this to happen. They wanted their creation to live a normal life like any other. Decarabian’s power would need to be sealed away.” Albedo tapped the dish, a flash of geo energy crystallizing with substance. The reaction seemed to draw apart the shard of the gem from the rest of the ingredients, separating them in two. “This is how Diluc lived for the majority of his life. But when he came back into contact with Decarabian's power, his body began to reintegrate its power back into him. However... the problem came about because the power of god can gain sentience. This...” he lifted up the sharp crystal, “was a distilled amount of Decarabian’s power that had formed its psyche around protecting Diluc. What you helped him achieve was full integration with the fragment of Decaraban.” Removing the geo energy from the shard, Albedo dropped the shard back into the dish, mixing them until each ingredient was indistinguishable from the next.
Kaeya tilted his head, “Me? What did I do?”
The alchemist hummed, “I am not completely sure of that. I only know that Diluc mentioned something about you helping him understand.”
He almost scoffed. It didn’t feel like he hadn’t been able to do much at all. Letting out a sigh, he leaned back. Maybe he wished he could have done more.
But the alchemist didn’t seem to be quite finished, fingering through the book shelf, he pulled out a singed leather bound journal. Kaeya's eyes widened as he read the name across the front. It was Crepus's journal.
“He said you might have some interest in this. It was able to confirm some of my theories about Diluc’s composition.” Albedo said.
Kaeya reached out, almost snatching the book. He hadn’t been surprised that Diluc had lied to him, but he felt vindicated now. Curiosity filled him as he flipped through the pages, diagrams and formulas filled the pages, mixed in with neat penmanship detailing everything. Most of it looked like research on Delusions, but toward the back half it seemed to spiral into a larger project. One that looked like had let to- he swallowed, looking back up, “Isn’t this something... Diluc would want to keep? Are sure you should be letting me look through it.”
The alchemist shrugged, “He told me I was free to do with it as I wished. He said he already got what he needed out of it.”
Kaeya didn’t respond, still staring at the book. What had Diluc looked for within its pages? Was he like Albedo, seeing this as nothing more than a dead man’s research notes, looking for nothing but the nature of his own creation, or... had he looked for solace in the words written by man he’d known as his father. Words he’d never hear given voice again.
A man who could never hear the secrets he had waited too late to confess.
Maybe if... Maybe if he’d told him, things might have turned out differently. “It will never be the same again, will it?” Kaeya muttered quietly.
Albedo paused, looking up at him. The alchemist’s eyes took in every twitch of his face, but remained quiet, waiting.
“He’s not going to win ‘Pile ‘em Up’ this year or the next, or maybe ever again. He’s not going to rejoin the knights. He’s not the cheerful foolhardy brother I used to know. He’s changed.” His hand tightened, squeezing against his palms. He’d known it from the day Diluc had drawn his sword against him, from the moment their Father had breathed his last breath, this was all inevitable. Maybe things could have gone differently, but they hadn’t. “...I suppose I’m not the same either.”
Stepping around the desk, Albedo gentle touched the knight’s hand running his fingers across the lines of his palm. “Things change. That is the way of life. Caterpillars turn into butterflies which are eaten by birds that eventually rot away, consumed by every manner of bug until the nutrients are reabsorbed by the earth.” He spoke softly, “All we can do as living creatures is try to overcome and adapt to that change.”
Kaeya swallowed back the ache those words left him with. He squeezed the alchemist's hands, feeling their warmth, solid and firm. He was not alone. There were still people who cared about him.
Taking a deep breath, he whispered, “I’m going to tell Jean.”
Albedo blinked for a moment, confused before his eyes widened as he understood. “Are you sure?” He knew just how much Kaeya had avoided this, vowed never to tell another soul, but it was all rather ironic. He just couldn’t help himself.
Nodding, he let go of the alchemist. “Good luck with sorting all this,” He grinned cheekily, nudging the piles Klee had created. Albedo didn’t return the smile, only watching with a somber expression.
Turning back down the hall, Kaeya passed Klee and Sucrose waving to them with a bright grin. Neither of them were any the wise to absolute terror starting to build in his chest. He was struggling to maintain his grip on his expression by the time he reached the Grand Master’s Office. Knocking lightly on the door, he stepped inside.
Just as he expected, Jean was sitting at her desk, deep into a stack of paperwork. She looked up as he approached, greeting him with a smile. “Sir Kaeya, what can I do for you?”
He paused for a moment before answering. A part of him still couldn’t believe he was really going to do this. “There is something I need to tell you...”
Hearing the gravity in his voice, she straightened up. “Of course, if there’s anything you need, I’ll do my utmost to help. What is it?”
Her words only made his chest squeeze tighter. That’s what Diluc had said too. That's what they had believed... until they learned the truth. He fought the panic threatening to overwhelm him. He had to do this. He needed to. For some twisted self centered sake he could rationalize. He didn’t want to lie about this to her any longer.
“I...” Kaeya took a deep breath, “I am a Khaenri’ahn.”