Chapter Text
“Kaeya.” Albedo’s voice tore Kaeya from his thoughts. His vision wavered for a moment before his sights were able to focus on Albedo. The man was standing by the canvas, though no paintbrush was in his hands.
“Hm?” He raised his eyebrows, blinking away the mundane things that had been on his mind; paperwork, having to write a report for Rosaria about Albedo’s rather boring behavior, the weekly quarters checks coming up…
“It’s finished.” Ah. “Would you like to see it?”
Kaeya kicked himself off of the boxes, standing up. He stretched his arms, “Do you even have to ask? Of course I want to see it.” He rolled his shoulders back, the sound of joints popping filling the cave for a moment before he felt loose enough to walk over to the alchemist.
“Do forgive me… I may have gotten a bit carried away with my interpretations and creative visions. It’s not entirely accurate to you or your standing…” Albedo seemed almost embarrassed, which just made Kaeya’s curiosity grow.
When he finally pivoted to face the canvas, where he’d been expecting to see something like exaggerated proportions or missing details, instead he was met with the most beautiful picture of himself he’d ever seen.
He was reclined in the sitting position he had been in, though he wasn’t sitting on crates in an old dusty cave. Instead, he was sitting upon a throne made from ice, snow, and bones, no doubt inspired by Dragonspine. A crown draped loosely over his forehead, loose, as if about to fall off at any moment. And as Kaeya got closer, he saw that the detail was impeccable; Albedo had even drawn tears down his cheeks. Had he gotten that reference when Kaeya had been reflecting?
Kaeya covered his mouth, not wanting to let Albedo see it gape. It was stunning, and… Something about it resonated with Kaeya. Even though he knew on the surface that Albedo had merely gotten the idea from their surroundings, something seemed to hit a bit close to home in Kaeya’s heart. Perhaps, a bit closer to an old home rather than his current one.
Albedo sighed, gathering up his brushes and putting them away, “I apologize if it’s not to your liking.”
“What?!” Kaeya reeled on him, but Albedo was already facing away. “Are you kidding, it’s gorgeous! I’ve never had a painting of me look this good. Or like. Anything. Not even one of those fancy Fontainian Kameras has made me look this pretty.”
“Oh.” is all Albedo said. Kaeya balked at him. Was he really that disinterested after he’d just created a masterpiece?!
“Albedo… It’s beautiful.” Kaeya calmed himself down. Looking back at the painting, Kaeya took more into account the colors; they were dark and cool, the only contrast being the warm hues of Kaeya’s skin and the flush on his cheeks. It was exaggerated by the dark background in the painting, the right side of the piece casting light upon his form.
Albedo finally turned back to him, “I’m glad you think so.” His voice was deadpan, though Kaeya had come to learn that that just meant he meant it. “You can keep it if you’d like. We shouldn’t bring it with us when we go back down the mountain today; the paint hasn’t completely dried and I have something else I need to take care of. But I’ll bring it back with me the next time I visit. How does that sound?”
“Really? You’ll just let me keep it?” Kaeya almost didn’t believe him.
“Of course. It’s an inconsequential thing, really. You were a wonderful model for me, and I have no need for a painting of you. So yes, you may keep it.” Kaeya watched as Albedo tried to hold back a smile. It was almost cute the way he tried to hide his emotions around Kaeya like this. But Kaeya wasn’t gonna push or tease.
If he did, he’d lose all the progress he’d made so far.
“Well, thank you, Dear Alchemist.” Of course, it wasn’t going to stop him from being a condescending tease about other things. He hummed, rolling back on his heels, “Welllll…” he dragged, “What’s next on the itinerary, hm? Going for a walk? Picking flowers? Heading back to the city?”
Albedo didn’t waste a beat, “None of the above.”
“Oh? Then what?”
“A new abyssal domain has popped up on Dragonspine. I intend to investigate; a congregation of abyssal power can only be harmful to Dragonspine’s fragile ecosystem, and I’d like to see if it will cause any harm. Anything I find within may also prove useful in other aspects of my broader research.”
Well, Kaeya couldn’t say he was expecting to be going domain-diving today. Thankfully, he’d brought his sword and his adventuring gear, just in case it came down to it. So he was prepared… Just caught off-guard.
“A domain. Got it, got it…” Kaeya had to admit, though... Abyssal domains weren’t his least favorite thing. Often, the puzzles and trials within were enough to stop any monsters like hilichurls from progressing through the dungeons, but it was always a simple enough matter for a competent-enough vision-wielder to get through.
They just had to hope that no abyssal creatures found their way out by tracing their steps.
“It seems relatively small. I doubt we’ll find any sort of petrified tree or ley line outlet. The main thing concerning me is its proximity to Durin’s Heart… If anything leaks out, it could be disastrous. I intend to attempt to close it if it proves to be dangerous.”
Kaeya nodded along, “Right. Sounds like a good enough mission-briefing to me. Lead the way.” He really, really hated mission-briefings. Even if they were important, they always seemed to drag on far too long, and the last thing he needed was for Albedo to be spouting out every single thing he planned on doing in the domain.
Although, it seemed even the meticulous Albedo didn’t know what he was going to find there.
He nodded, “Come along, then. We can take a shortcut or we can take the long way. Which would you prefer?”
Kaeya hummed, “Shortcut.” Shortcuts were always more fun.
Albedo nodded again, closing up his jacket and making sure everything was tucked in, “Alright, it might be a bit dangerous, but I trust you to hold your own. Any injury sustained will not be my fault.”
“You got it.” Kaeya affirmed with a small gesture of his hand, following Albedo out into the frigid cold. He shivered; maybe today wasn’t the best day to wear one of his shirts that exposed most of his chest. Albedo was very careful in his movements, heading right past the path and to the steep ledge that was right across from the cave’s entrance.
“Here. We’re going to go down from here. Would you like you or I to go first?”
Kaeya laughed, nervous. Scaling an entire cliff-face? No wonder Albedo was trying to put the blame off himself. “Uh.. You can go first. Show me how it’s done.”
Albedo continued wordlessly and Keaya looked over the edge as Albedo began his descent. The alchemist’s hands, clad in those thick gloves, gripped the ledge of the cliff. He saw Albedo take a deep breath before his vision glowed a brilliant gold, crystalline shards manifesting in the wall.
Albedo gave him a curt nod up before the shards seemed to phase through the cliff, disrupting it with the sound of rock crumbling against rock. A steady pace was set to lower Albedo to the ground, using his legs to keep himself steady during his descent. He hit the ground softly, dusting his hands together.
Kaeya gulped. He didn’t have a geo vision to help him here, watching helplessly as the geo crystals dissipated with a soft twinkling sound.
He took a deep breath, the frigid air hitting his lungs and searing the back of his throat. He could do this, it just might take a moment.
He carefully lowered himself over the edge, dangling by his hands. He managed to find purchase on two tiny protrusions from the wall. He reached down to grab onto another miniscule ledge that he’d seen, when he was startled by Albedo’s voice from below.
“Kaeya!” He’d never heard Albedo speak so loud before, it was jarring. Kaeya felt his foot slip, his stomach leaping into his throat. He gripped on tighter to the ledge his other hand was gripping, only for the soft earth of the top of the cliff to give way, loosening and leaving Kaeya with a hand full of snow and dirt.
But he didn’t plummet to his demise, even as he felt his body fall. Instead, while his stomach did leaps and twirls in his chest, he found his back hitting something solid. Something smooth and warm. It curved along his back in a recline as it slowly lowered him to the ground.
He braced himself against the wall at the bottom, his breath shallow as he saw the gold sparks of dissipating geo energy around him.
Albedo was quickly rushing to his side, hands finding Kaeya’s own to look over them. “You idiot.” Albedo scolded, “I was going to help you anyway, you just rushed into it.” Albedo felt along Kaeya’s wrists, which were only shaking a little bit(he was a man of dignity and risk; a little fall wasn’t going to shake him too much)...
Kaeya laughed nervously, trying to play it off. “Uhm.” He swallowed, “Yeah, sorry. I thought you wanted me to do it myself.” He had to admit, the feeling of Albedo being so gentle yet diligent with his hands, clearly worried, sent waves of warmth up his cold body.
Albedo sighed, shaking his head, “That was my fault, I- I should have told you.” Satisfied with his examination of Kaeya’s hands, he pulled away, dusting them off on his jacket. Kaeya let himself mour the loss of his hands for just a moment. “Are your ankles alright? Can you walk?”
Kaeya bounced on the balls of his feet, testing his weight on each foot and helping to steady himself after the tumble. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m good.” He assured Albedo, putting on a lop-sided grin. He wasn’t gonna let this little slip-up get to him for very long.
“Alright…” Albedo sighed, running his hands over his face, before nodding, seeming to get whatever was bothering him off his mind. “Alright.” He was more confident now, “We’re not far now. Come with me.”
Right back to business as usual, it seemed. Kaeya fell into step behind Albedo, who seemed rather adept at traversing the snow. They weren’t on any trodden path, and so the snow was parted at their ankles and around their boots, trails and prints left by their feet as they made their way down the slight slope.
After a moment, Albedo broke the silence, cryptically deadpan, “Can you feel it?”
Kaeya blinked, staring at the back of Albedo’s head. “Huh?”
“The heart. Can you feel it?”
Kaeya scrunched his eyebrows together, not feeling anything out of the ordinary despite his best efforts to pick up on anything, “No?”
“Hmmm..” Albedo’s hum was contemplative. Whatever Albedo was ‘feeling’ was concerning to Kaeya. Kaeya knew about Durin; knew about the dragon that was felled on the mountain. But if there was a heart… Surely, it wasn’t still alive, was it?
His mind wandered, and before he knew it, Albedo was holding his arm out to stop Kaeya from passing him. They’d made a turn as they went down the slope of the mountain, until the two of them were in the gaping maw of another cave.
But this one… Was unsettling. Kaeya was snapped out of his thoughts by Albedo’s arm, looking up to face the sight before him.
A large crimson heart, cradled by the stone of the earth, its arteries extending into the ceiling above and anchoring it in place sat at the very deepest part of the cave. No snow dared to cover the ground, and instead the blood seeped into the soil, the grass growing red. It was warm, uncomfortably warm. Like the feeling of someone's hot breath on the back of your neck.
Kaeya couldn’t help the shivers that ran down his spine. Albedo turned and looked up at him, “Can you feel it now?”
Kaeya sucked in a deep breath, and sure enough the strong beating of the heart seemed to resonate throughout the entire cave. Ba- Dum… Ba- Dum… It was slow, but steady. Dormant, but alive.
He opened his mouth to speak, and it took a moment before he was able to get any words out, “Eh- Y- Yeah… Yeah, I can.”
Albedo nodded, “It is your first time here. I can understand why you’re having this sort of reaction. Just relax… Be calm. He cannot hurt you.” Albedo’s voice was somewhere far away, as if he were reminiscing about something.
They pressed forward until Albedo stopped them again, this time in the center of the cave.
“I can feel the domain… It’s here. But they’ve done well to keep it hidden.” He watched as Albedo pulled on the base of his gloves, tightening them down against his skin, “Stand back, Kaeya. I’ll get it open.”
Kaeya did as he was told, taking a few steps back and away from the wall Albedo was facing.
“It seems they’ve concealed it with a simple illusion… It shouldn’t be too hard to break.” The alchemist drew his sword, the vision at his throat glowing gold before flashes of gold filled the air, pummeling against the rocks in the cave.
Like a show of fireworks, geo blossoms surged through the air and crashed against the rocks, until a thin veil of the wall seemed to fade away, revealing the entrance to an abyssal domain. It was nothing more than a crack in the wall, but it seemed to stretch on far into darkness. And that same darkness almost seemed to leak out into the warm expanse of the cavern.
Albedo stepped back from his work, Kaeya coming up by his side. He gave a long whistle, “Well, it’s now or never, right?”
“Not quite.” Albedo was quick to quip back. “Do you have everything you need? We’ve both got our weapons and equipment, but neither of us are adept at medicine. If worse comes to worst we can always use our own clothes, but we don’t know what, exactly, we’re going to find in there.”
Kaeya hummed, “If it comes down to it, I’m sure we can think of something. Even if it means drastic measures. I’m no stranger to doing something crazy for the sake of survival.”
Albedo hummed, “I suppose. What do you propose we do if one of us gets injured, then?”
“Well… If it’s a slash or a cut, these types of domains usually have braziers, yes?”
Albedo pondered that for a moment, “I suppose they do.”
“And our swords are very heat-conductive…”
Albedo nodded, “So you could heat the blade and cauterize the wound... I see. You earned your title of captain rightfully, Kaeya. If that’s how you see things, we should have no issues.”
Kaeya couldn’t help but puff his chest a little, “But, of course. The Knights wouldn’t just appoint anyone cavalry captain. You know, I had to do a lot of work to get to where I am.” Even if that technique was something he hadn't thought of himself... Even if it was something that he'd picked up from the vigilant resolve of the previous cavalry captain. He just needed to keep lying to himself about it and all would be well.
But Albedo was no longer amused, “Right. Well, let’s get going. Follow me.”
And with that, they were off. Albedo went in first; the cave was hardly wide enough for Albedo to walk in comfortably, his shoulders bent awkwardly to fit through the suffocating walls of stone. Kaeya was even worse off, having to slide in sideways, opting to allow his blind side to face the entrance; if something followed them in, that would be completely his fault for wanting to keep his sights ahead.
So close together, Kaeya could hear Albedo’s breathing echoing against the dank cave. It was calm, collected, even as they passed through the tunnel. It seemed to stretch on for ages.
Eventually, though, it relented, and the passageway widened, torches flaring to life as they passed by. The cold stone floor became paved with ancient stone bricks, moss and mildew adorning the crevices between each brick, inlaid in the winding patterns.
“Hm, looks pretty standard to me.” Kaeya kept his voice down. Even then, it echoed, bouncing off the walls around them, alerting them to a while of walking more.
Albedo nodded, “Nothing particularly of note. Let’s keep moving, and keep your voice down. We don’t know if there’s anything else in here.”
The two men pushed forward, the torches on the wall continuing to light up one by one as they walked by… Until one of them didn’t. Albedo stopped, Kaeya following suit. As soon as Kaeya was about to open his mouth to ask why they’d stopped or what might be the matter, Albedo held up a hand as if to silence him.
He took a few steps back, taking the torch that had last lit up, pulling it from its sconce. Kaeya watched with abject fascination as Albedo reeled his arm back and tossed the torch further into the chamber.
Immediately, something stirred, and the sound of echoed growling filled the cavern. The lights further down the corridor where the torch had landed flared up, revealing their once-concealed foes: a group of small, wolf-like beings that seemed to have just woken up from a nap.
Gold embellishments adorned their almost skeletal bodies, no hind legs to be found as they hovered in the air.
“Rifthounds.” Albedo said simply, his weapon materializing in his hands. “Aggressive. Follow my lead and don’t let them break your skin. Got it?”
The weight of Kaeya’s sword was comfortable in his hand as he took the space in Albedo’s blind spot, “Got it.”
Without further notice, one of the ‘Rifthounds,’ as Albedo has called them, lunged forward. Albedo stopped it dead in its tracks with a slash of his sword, the blade finding a place between two of its oddly disjointed sections. Albedo whispered something under his breath, likely a curse, before flinging the thing off to the side where it smacked against a wall. It gave a howl of pain before getting back up.
Seemed they were in for a struggle.
They moved rather competently together; Albedo would use his vision to create hazards on the ground and in the air to stop their advance toward them, where Kaeya would go in for the offensive and slash through them.
What Kaeya found odd was that the hounds didn’t seem to bleed. Instead, dark energy, almost like a gas, leaked out from each gash and wound the duo managed to land on them.
One by one, the miasma seemed to consume the hound entirely until it shriveled up in itself, simply disappearing. Where it went or if it had completely disintegrated was unknown. But by the end of it, the two knights were left with an empty hallway, not even a drop of blood to prove a struggle had taken place.
Albedo let out a sigh of relief once it was done, the isotoma on the ground folding it on itself before it disappeared entirely along with his sword. Kaeya dismissed his own blade.
Before Kaeya could say another word, Albedo was moving forward again.
Kaeya let him have silence for a moment, before curiosity got the better of him, “So… What exactly were those?”
Albedo stayed silent. A shame that Kaeya couldn’t see his face; he’d have loved to see what sort of expression the alchemist was making. Was he scrunching his face together? Was he completely stoic? Or was it something else entirely?
When he finally answered, his tone wavered, “They were… Creations. Made of this world, but that don’t belong in it. It makes sense that they would find a home in a place like this.”
Kaeya decided not to press the issue. There was something in the way Albedo spoke that suggested that it wouldn’t be wise for him to ask any more questions. He couldn’t help himself from wondering, though… What did Albedo know that he wanted to hide? What did he know about those creatures?
There were more questions than answers, and as he just started to drift off into the dream-like trance of daydream, Albedo stopped him once more.
“There’s an opening up ahead.” Albedo observed.
Kaeya cocked his head to the side, “How can you tell?”
“The sound of our footsteps.”
“So like… Echolocation?”
“Precisely.” Well, Kaeya be damned. He supposed it made sense; Albedo was the captain of the investigations team… He surely had acute senses. But to be able to tell the layout of a domain based on footstep echoes… It made Kaeya wonder what else Albedo could hear. Or feel.
Soon, the two of them found themselves in a large room, empty save for the large chandelier-like object hanging above their heads. It burst into a cool yellow glow the moment Albedo’s foot took the first step into the room. A hallway was visible on the opposite end, but between them there was a tiled floor, on which strange symbols were drawn.
Albedo walked right up to where the symbols began and crouched down.
“So, Chief Investigator, what do we have here, huh?” Kaeya leaned over him, watching him carefully, his eye twinkling with delight at getting to see the man work.
“It appears to be something made by an abyss mage… The symbols don’t match up to those typically found in abyssal domains, but do align with the spells and incantations their mages use.”
“So? What does that mean?” Kaeya was all too thrilled to push the man further.
“It means… This isn’t any sort of puzzle. It means this was made just to keep people out.” He stood up, carefully brushing the dust off of his knees.
Kaeya watched as he turned to face him, his usually-stoic expression now with the hint of a smile adorning his lips, his eyes filled with something devious hidden beneath those aqua hues of his. A hand was offered to him.
Hesitantly, Kaeya reached to put his hand in Albedo’s, “Kaeya, how fast can you run?”
“What-”
Before he could give a real answer, Albedo had a vice grip on his hand and was tugging him along. It took a moment for Kaeya to right himself and keep up with him, but when he did, he understood what Albedo had meant.
As their feet fell upon the tiles, the symbols lit up with dormant spells in an eerie purple. And not a moment later, they exploded with elemental energy. Bursts of pyro and cryo, electro and hydro all clashed against one another behind them.
It would be a death trap to any unsuspecting hilichurl or slime that happened to get caught in the blast. Thankfully, Albedo and Kaeya were fast enough and smart enough to outrun the slight delay of the trap.
Kaeya ended up slightly ahead of Albedo by the time they reached the other side, just on account of his long legs. Hand still in Albedo’s, he tugged him close just as the final burst of pyro erupted and clashed with the traces of electro still in the air.
Albedo was pulled flush against his chest, and they both ended up tumbling over. Kaeya landed on his rear with Albedo on top of him. For a moment, their eyes locked, and Kaeya gazed deep into Albedo’s own. He felt Albedo doing the same, and it was as if a piece of twine were being pulled, stretched between them, begging to be released.
In those eyes, Kaeya felt like he was falling, sinking deep into an ocean of unknown depths. There was something so captivating and enchanting in the way their breath mingled between their faces, their hearts beating at a mile a minute.
Kaeya felt something tugging at him. It took hold in his chest and yanked him forward. But in that same moment, Albedo jerked away, his hand slipping out of Kaeya’s as he stood. He cleared his throat, brushing the dust from his knees.
Kaeya let himself laugh, both nervous and exhilarated, as he pulled himself to his feet as well, brushing off his rear and thighs. “You couldn’t have given me any warning?” He joked, meeting Albedo’s side-glance with a toothy grin.
Albedo gave a small, amused hum, observing the distance they’d run. “I could have. But I figured it would be more fun without one. We’re both in one piece, yes?” There was a tease in the way he spoke, ever-soft but with a sly lilt.
Kaeya scoffed in mock-indignance, “Barely- you nearly got charred!” Kaeya exclaimed. Albedo merely shrugged.
“Come on, we’ve still got quite a ways to go. At least, if I’m correct in my assumptions.”
Kaeya rolled his eye and followed as Albedo began to lead them down the next hallway.
Thankfully, this one didn’t stretch on for too long, and it spit them out in a room that was quite familiar to the both of them. It appeared to be a room in which abyssal domains hosted challenges for those brave enough to enter, the promise of bountiful rewards at the end of the trial.
But something was off. As they approached the room, there was already commotion from within. They climbed the steps wary of the crumbling stone on the edges of the exposed staircase, until their gazes fell upon the scene within the challenge’s chamber.
There was a man, tall and adorned in dark clothing, already taking on the challenge. He wielded a dark sword, his bright golden hair and light flesh the only contrast to his dark figure.
He was pitted against a large abyssal creature who spun flames in its hands, calling forth embers that brought the entire room into sweltering heat. Sweat stuck to the man’s forehead as he yelled at the thing, “You know nothing of what you’re doing here!”
The creature chuckled, flicking a clawed finger, a pillar of flame erupting from the ground where the man stood. But he was quick on his feet, hopping back in time to dodge the attack. Kaeya and Albedo quickly hid themselves on either side of the entryway before they could be spotted, their backs pressed against the dark stone.
The abyssal being spoke in a distorted cadence, “We know exactly what we’re doing here, traitor. Siphoning the dragon’s power will allow us to accomplish so much. The mountain, the cold, is what is preventing the spread of-”
The man growled, lunging at the creature, “Oh, shut up, already.” He managed to land a hit, a strange dark aura forming around the wound that he’d inflicted. The creature doubled over, its feet touching the ground as it held its side.
He held the blade at the thing’s throat, “I don’t care what you planned to do. Whatever it is, you won’t get the chance. Now go crawl back to your corner of the abyss before I send you off myself.”
The creature laughed as a dark portal formed on the ground which it promptly sank into. As it descended, it spoke one last time, “This shall not be the last time we meet, Dainsleif. Your plans will never work.” Its laugh seemed to echo throughout the chamber even after the portal closed.
Albedo and Kaeya met eyes across the open doorway. Kaeya raised a hand to his throat, making a sharp sideways gesture. Albedo met him with a nod, pressing his index finger to his lips.
They heard as a weapon was dismissed, and both of them let out a quiet breath.
Kaeya looked at Albedo and took his hand, making the motion of drawing a sword, before he jabbed his thumb toward the door. Albedo met his miming with a nod, holding up his fingers. He counted down… Three… Two… One…
The two of them summoned their swords, dashing to meet in the middle of the doorway, their weapons pointed at the man who was now crouched down where the abyss creature had been, observing something on his gloves.
He didn’t even so much as look up when the two revealed themselves. Instead, he simply stated, “I was wondering when you two would show yourselves.” He dusted his knee off as he stood, crossing his arms as he came to face them finally.
What Kaeya found striking immediately was the side of the man that they hadn’t seen when they approached the room; the side that had been facing away. There seemed to be a layer of something crusted to his skin. It was a deep purple and seemed to course with flowing blue energy, like veins, all save for his eye affected by the corruption.
Kaeya’s eye traced it down, until he came to see his arm; what Kaeya had thought was a glove was actually more of that same darkness, those vein-like structures faintly glowing against the inside of the man’s dark cape.
Albedo spoke where Kaeya couldn’t find the words, pushing his sword an inch further for emphasis, “Who are you. The domain was sealed when we found it; either there’s another way in or you came from it.”
That seemed to pique the man’s interest, “Oh? That’s odd, then. Seems this domain has two entrances…” a hand came up to cup his chin, “Or perhaps it has an exit that you happened to stumble upon… Yes, that must be it; you came in from the back.”
Neither Kaeya nor Albedo let down their guard. The man sighed, “Lower your weapons, I won’t hurt you.” He held his hands up to show that he was unarmed. “I’m on your side here; I work against the abyss order.”
Albedo and Kaeya shared a glance before Kaeya led the way by silently lowering his weapon. Albedo followed, but neither of them were comfortable yet to dismiss their blades.
Kaeya finally worked up the gall to speak, “We still won’t trust you. We meet you in a domain, fighting the... The abyssal creatures, sure I’ll give you that. But here you are, suspicious as all hell, neither of us have seen you in our life. You’re not from Mondstadt, are you? And you don’t look like you’re from Liyue.”
The man ran his hands through his hair, taking a deep breath, “I am Dainsleif. I am not from Mondstadt nor Liyue as you correctly presumed, but my origins aren’t of importance. If you wish to help seal and banish this abyssal domain, you may accompany me. If not, then leave now.”
Kaeya swallowed thickly; this guy seemed to have all his shit together, whereas Kaeya and Albedo had gone into the domain on nary a whim. Kaeya relented, allowing himself to dismiss his blade silently, “Alright, I’ll bite. But if you make one wrong move, you’re as good as dead.” His words were as sharp as a blade.
Dainsleif nodded, “I can agree to those terms.” Kaeya saw Albedo dismiss his own blade out of the corner of his eye, “Come on, then. We haven’t got time to waste. There’s a passage I passed by up ahead; I figured I’d take care of that abhorrent creature first.”
Kaeya followed in step behind Dainsleif, picking idly at the fur of his cape, “Yeah, what even was that thing? I’ve seen plenty of abyss mages before, but… That definitely wasn’t an abyss mage.”
“It was an abyss lector. Creatures that pursue forbidden knowledge, and who have grasped so desperately at it that it consumed them. They command abyss mages, and hold a relatively high ranking within the order.” Dainsleif explained.
Kaeya nodded along, casting a glance back to Albedo who was uncharacteristically quiet. Albedo’s face was contorted into a confused grimace, as if he were trying to remember something that he’d forgotten. Kaeya wasn’t going to try to disturb him, though, but he did fall back slightly, just to make sure Albedo wasn’t getting caught unaware by lingering too far behind.
Dainsleif looked back over his shoulder and slowed his own pace a bit. Sensing that there was a heaviness in the air, he changed the topic, “You two are knights, yes?”
Kaeya nodded, “Yeah. Captains, actually. I’m Kaeya, the Cavalry Captain.” He gestured at Albedo, “And this is Albedo, Captain of the Investigations team. He’s also in charge of Alchemy and stuff, but that’s all way too complicated for me. I don’t even know what the applications are for knight work…”
Albedo finally piped up, seeming to have taken offense - which meant Kaeya’s provocation worked. He scoffed, “Alchemy can be used in investigative work; if we can get our hands on something that belonged to the offender, then we can use alchemy to trace who it may be. It’s a scientific process that requires a lot of discipline.”
He took a deep breath and his tone lightened. “But it’s also used to create things when they’re needed. For example, a lot of textile work can be replicated using alchemy to create new clothing, which is where a good portion of our uniforms come from. Not to mention, there’s a lot of practical uses; you can make some rather effective cleaning solutions with it.”
“I see…” Dainsleif trailed off, before rounding back, “Is that all you use alchemy for, then?”
“Within the knights? Yes. I do my own personal research as well, but that’s more of a private endeavor.”
There was a low, dangerous hum from Dainsleif, but nothing more. The three of them made a sharp turn down the hall they were passing through, and as they pushed deeper and deeper the light became dimmer and dimmer, until they were walking through naught but darkness.
The silence between them was deafening. Kaeya could hear the rushing of his blood in his head with every click of their shoes against the hard stone floors. But Dainsleif didn’t seem to slow down or hesitate at all, continuing to move forward through the darkness.
He halted, and so did Albedo. Kaeya nearly ran into Dainsleif’s back, but managed to catch himself before he did so. Dainsleif spoke, “I don’t know what’s up ahead, but I’d ready your weapons. There’s an abundance of abyssal power, and I can’t guarantee it’ll be harmless.”
The sounds of two sword being materialized whooshed through the small space between them. Kaeya twisted his wrist, feeling the familiarity of the blade in his hand, before looking back up, only to find that the bright blond of Dainsleif’s hair had disappeared into the darkness in front of them.
He spared a glance back at Albedo before pushing forward. As soon as he and Albedo took but a few steps forward, the room they’d unknowingly entered lit up in dim blue light. Its walls seemed to fall apart in chunks suspended in the air, the openness of the strange abyssal space always something to behold.
In front of them there was a rather familiar sight to most adventurers. A large gray tree with not a bloom nor leaf upon its boughs sat atop a strange mirror-like surface. Behind it, there was a large wall engraved with ancient runes.
Though, unlike most of these trees, the strange chandelier-like objects that often were found hung above it seemed to have had their cords cut; one of them was hooked around a large branch of the tree, while another was hanging by a single thread. The third was resting on the ground.
Spiderwebs crawled across the surface of the tree, winding and weaving between each limb. A few spiders, too, even crawled about, minding their business.
Kaeya’s attention, however, was dragged to the wall behind it. While many runes found in these domains tended to glow with a ghastly aura, whatever magic made them do that didn’t seem to be present here, the carvings staying as simply that: carvings.
Kaeya’s eye traced over the ancient runes; runes that he knew well from his childhood.
“In fortune there is solitude; in solitude there is fortune.” The voice he heard wasn’t the one in his head as his eyes traced over the shapes on the wall. In fact, it was multiple voices. Albedo’s and Dainsleif’s, mixed together.
Kaeya’s eye widened as he looked between the two of them. There was a beat of silence as Dainsleif and Albedo made direct eye contact, before Kaeya sensed danger from the taller man and took a wary step back.
Dainsleif stormed forward, a dark smog covering his hand as he brought it to Albedo’s throat. It wasn’t a vice grip, but it was a warning; Albedo’s hands came up to grasp at his wrist, his sword clattering to the ground, only to be harshly jerked away as if he’d touched something hot.
“How do you know how to read it.” It wasn’t a question, it was a threat; and it didn’t seem like Dainsleif was going to let go until he got his answer.
Kaeya felt his blood boil, holding up his sword and pointing it at Dainsleif despite the overwhelming feeling of helplessness in the situation. He raised his voice, putting on a cool facade, blade brandished with false intention, “Let go of him or so help me-”
To say that Albedo’s schedule was strange was an understatement. After he ate every last morsel of meat on that plate from Good Hunter, he just started… Walking around.
Had it not been for the sheer intrigue of the situation, Rosaria might have bemoaned just how much exercise she was being made to do having to stalk him around, but at least she was getting a rather good show.
There was no rhyme or reason to the way he moved through the city. Hell, if she hadn’t known at least of Albedo, she would have assumed that the man was brand new to the city and didn’t know his way around, blindly fumbling through the layered streets and tight passes between buildings.
What is he playing at…? her thoughts supplied the question as she watched him turn down an alleyway that she knew damn well was a dead-end.
It felt convenient. Too convenient. Almost as if he’d been planning to turn, to lure her into a trap.
The alchemist stopped once he was faced with the wall of brick and stone in front of him. He stood there, and Rosaria counted. One… Two… Three… Four… Five seconds.
Then the man spoke in that ever-hushed voice of his, “The least you could do is give me directions.”
Rosaria felt her blood run cold, pressing her back tighter to the wall. There was no way he was talking to her, right?
She heard a sigh, “You’ve been following me for the past three hours. You seem to know where you’re going, and I’d only like to make it back out of the city.”
Shit. He was talking to her, wasn’t he?
She quietly reached to her thigh, carefully extracting the small blade she always kept on hand. Even if she had her spear attuned, it would be an inefficient weapon in such a small space. While it could be done, she’d rather not end up snapping it in half.
Her grip tightened, twirling the blade to grasp it backhanded.
She took in a breath through her nose before pivoting herself into the alleyway, taking a defensive stance as she faced the knight.
“Ah, so lovely to actually see you.” The man’s tone was condescending.
“What are you playing at, Kreideprinz?”
“Like I said, I just want to leave the city. I fear I’ve gotten lost, though.” There was a dangerous tease in that tone of his.
Rosaria scoffed, “I’ll escort you back to the Knights of Favonius headquarters where I’ll dump you to report to Master Jean.”
Albedo cocked his head to the side, “What for? I’ve done nothing.”
“Where is Kaeya?” She spat, re-clenching her grip on the blade.
“Kaeya?” He tapped a finger against his cheek, chin on his palm. “Can’t say I know what you mean by that.”
“Bullshit. What did you do to him?”
“Honest, I have no clue what you’re on about.”
“Don’t play dumb.” Her eyes narrowed, “I saw him leave with you this morning, so where the fuck is he?”
A dangerous smile played on the alchemist’s lips, “Well, I’d love to tell you, but… Oh, I really don’t know.”
She hissed through her teeth, “So are you going to come with me or not?”
“Like I said, I’ve done nothing. You have no grounds to accuse me of anything.”
“Then I’ll take you to the city gates.”
“Oh, how sweet of you. That’s exactly what I needed.”
Rosaria rolled her eyes, “Fine. Come on, then.”
She turned her back on him to start walking out of the alley.
And she counted.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four!
She whipped around with a wide kick, the heel of her boot colliding with the alchemist’s blade, knocking it aside. He growled under his breath, and in the moment he was caught off guard, she gripped his shirt and pushed him against the wall, her blade hovering at his throat.
The alchemist only laughed, though, “Oh, I should have known you wouldn’t be so stupid.”
She pressed the blade further against the skin until something seemed to grab at her ankles and tug.
She lost her balance, falling back and landing on her rear. Sparing just a moment's glance down at her ankles, she saw a strange force wrapped around them; deep brooding purple chains emanating a sickly pink aura. It licked at her boots in writhing tendrils.
She looked back up at the man, who was casually picking his sword back up, “Now… Do I just leave you here? Or do I have a little fun first?” He said it in such a deadpan way that Rosaria couldn’t help but feel a chill down her spine.