Chapter Text
Jean found herself communing at Windrise more often than not, these days.
The Dvalin incident may have been over, but the other troubles in and around Mondstadt never left. Pressure from the Fatui had dwindled yet their agents could still be found within the city walls, keeping the Knights and citizens alike on edge. She and precious few others knew that Signora had paid them a visit without any detection – A breach of security with dire implications. She and her ensemble hadn’t returned since, but with the Fatui one could never be too cautious.
The Abyss Order was another, more immediate threat looming on the horizon. Lately they’d been bolder than usual, with casual raids on traveling merchants and all but striding up to the city walls with an army in tow. When one small faction was defeated, two more took its place. No matter how often Ordo Favonius stomped them out, they remained closely under foot, scheming new plans to spread disorder and chaos. Intel had been slow as well, always intercepted beforehand by someone with either quicker feet or more influence.
Thankfully, as embarrassing as it was, the interception came as a boon to Mondstadt rather than a bane.
Jean sighed as she sat beneath Lady Vennessa’s tree. She could appreciate the help given the full plate of commotion Mondstadt was dealing with, but the Darknight Hero’s vigilantism was a frustrating double-edged sword. She didn’t doubt their allegiance or their cause, but their methods were… questionable, given the amount of burn marks that followed in their wake.
How they had yet to track down a Pyro vision holder that brutal was beyond comprehension.
Recently a section of the Knights had been dispatched to uncover the leak in intel, wherever it could be; but as Jean predicted, things were moving at the pace of a sapling’s growth. Whoever the Darknight Hero was, they were a professional at covering their tracks. Tonight was nearly no different.
Their raid on the Temple of the Lion panned out mostly as expected. Hilichurls were found sprawled across the ground, accented by the surrounding ash and debris with not a conscious soul in sight. Unlike the last few raids, however, this time they arrived early enough to catch the vigilante in action. Though there wasn’t much to see due to the massive sea of flames – Even an archon could be blinded by the heat wafting from the back room of the temple – once the fire had dispersed a bit, Jean caught sight of a dark figure leaping over a wall.
Given the running she heard, they were either going for a quick getaway or they had a target in sight.
Jean found she had little time to care about the Darknight Hero's agenda, especially after their inspection of the temple. The Dendro vines magicked for defense looked far different from normal, and she could tell at a glance that some of the hilichurl deaths were not the doing of Mondstadt’s shadow. Whatever the Abyss Order was experimenting with, the Knights would need to be more cautious in the future.
And she would have to be all the stronger for it.
A gentle wind brushed against the blonde’s face, taking her attention from her woes. Jean smiled wearily as the low hum and whistle of nature and its breeze fell upon her. The quiet of the night leant itself well to introspection, but perhaps she had overdone it for now. Was it Venti telling her to take a break? Or perhaps Vennessa? As she stood up and stretched, she found it didn’t quite matter. Whoever was speaking, they were right. She’d been out long enough.
Almost as if to mock Jean’s decision, a bright flash of color appeared from atop the cliffs south of Windrise. Sensing something amiss, the grand master ran towards it for a closer look. The Temple of the Lion wasn’t far from there – It could very well be related to their raid.
Her sprint was cut short upon realizing it was fire she was seeing against the sky. A breath of apprehension stalled her at the river bank. Those giant flames weren’t natural. They flickered in and out of sight, as if they were being snuffed out and reignited in seconds. A Vision in battle was the only explanation.
Jean had no doubts she could handle some Abyss stragglers, but adding the Darknight Hero to the equation made things both more difficult and unpredictable. They would likely entertain her help in defeating their mutual enemy, but afterwards? That was up in the air. For all the scenarios she ran through, however, she was ill-prepared to see a distinctly human shape fall from the cliff and hit the ground as the fire dissipated one last time.
Once Jean realized what she’d just witnessed, fear and horror overtook her and threw her trepidation to the stars. She sprinted across the river towards the Hero’s probable location with a geyser of adrenaline shooting through her. Vigilante or not, they were someone in dire need of help – And she would never forsake someone who needed it.
In the dark of the moonless night, Jean was not expecting to find her target right away. There hadn’t been anywhere else for them to fall, true, but with the reported black outfit the Darknight Hero wore, she was prepared for a much longer hunt; despite this, whether it was by Venti’s grace or Hell’s will, the knight found them within reasonable time.
Him, she corrected as the horror she’d felt before crept back. She’d found him. And how could she not, with hair as bright as the fire he purportedly used?
Jean wasn’t certain if she should be hurt or enraged that Diluc was the one laying in front of her, but she knew he needed help regardless of how she felt. She skidded to her knees without stopping, kneeling beside her former superior in panic as she looked him over. To her utter shock, he was alive and breathing. His jacket and shirt had been torn in several places, leaving both bloodied from the wounds beneath, but other than that he seemed strangely fine. (Well, as fine as one could be after falling off a cliff at any rate.)
A groan of pain startled her into backing up. Not only was Diluc fine, he was conscious. The wonder of that alone kept her silent as the man slowly adjusted to his new position on the ground. A low mutter came from his discomfort. “Of all the dirty tricks to fall for…”
In that moment, Jean couldn’t breathe. It was as if seeing him here wasn’t enough – Hearing his voice is what made her certain that this was real.
Diluc was Mondstadt’s vigilante.
The redhead caught sight of her between messy bangs. Both were stone-still in the deafening quiet, unsure of how to react to the situation at hand. For better or worse, the sounds of encroaching hilichurls broke them from their trance. Jean’s sense of duty took over once more as she got to her feet.
“The nearby camp must have heard your fall,” she said distantly, holding her hand out. “We need to get out of here.” Diluc hesitantly accepted the help and pulled himself to his feet. Jean gave him another once-over now that he was standing. She spied a bigger injury at his side through torn cloth, previously hidden by his jacket – Along with a Pyro vision he definitely shouldn’t have.
Conversations for later, she decided. They weren’t in a position to stall, let alone discuss something she wanted to yell at him for. “You can walk, right?”
“Just scratches,” came a blunt reply.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Jean tightened her grip on him and took off in a light jog. Diluc stumbled in surprise at first but was soon able to match the blonde’s pace, albeit with a noticeable amount of limping.
“Bit more than walking,” he noted dryly.
“Be quiet, Diluc.”
He knew an order when he heard one. Knight or not, he knew better than to go against Jean when she got like this.
So he went silent.
The quiet endured even after they’d made it to Jean’s usual thinking spot. The acting master was keeping both of them hidden behind the giant roots of the Windrise tree as she watched for hilichurls. Diluc didn’t quite understand why she had to hold him down – He wasn’t about to leave her Dandelion Field while he was this sore – but it was probably more comfortable than the incoming conversation was about to be, so he dared not complain.
“They didn’t follow us,” Jean finally deduced, sinking down to sit beside her estranged friend. “I think we’re safe.”
A grunt was the only response she received.
For the first time in years, Jean refused to let his attitude stand. She glared at him with an anger she hadn’t felt in some time. “Some actual words might suffice here, you know. Maybe an explanation to go along with them as well.”
For all his pride, Diluc refused to meet her gaze. She pressed onward.
“I don't know how you thought this would go, but you don’t get to ignore me. Not now, not ever. I want answers. What the hell were you thinking? What in Celestia made you decide to go around fighting the Abyss Order as a vigilante? How do you even have your Vision back? You left it at headquarters years ago!”
“Kaeya.”
Jean groaned. She should’ve guessed. “Of course it was Kaeya. Why wouldn't it be him? That man is too crafty for his own- Wait, does he know about this!?”
“Unfortunately.”
“And he didn’t tell me.”
“Guess not.”
Jean felt like screaming in frustration. The brusque replies were really starting to grate on her nerves.
“Diluc, please,” she begged. “How am I supposed to understand any of this if you don’t talk to me? I’m willing to hear your reasons, but right now I’m feeling nothing but anger and hurt and… and betrayal.”
The last word seemed to stir something within her aloof companion. Diluc slowly stood up and brushed his clothes of stray dirt. “If you want to talk about betrayal,” he spoke evenly, “then look no further than your former inspector.”
“You’re talking about Eroch?” Diluc snorted and started his walk back to Mondstadt.
“Who else would I mean?”
“We’re not done here!” Jean called after him. She quickly dispersed her healing field and chased after her wayward former captain. “Look, it's not like I can't understand your anger. You and your father were severely wronged – That’s no longer in question – but that’s no reason for you to-”
“It’s not just about that. The Knights have proven time and time again to be useless.”
“Useless? You say that like we don’t help people every day!” Jean rushed forward and blocked his path. “What about me, then? Am I useless?” Diluc paused as he took in her expression, expertly masking his own. The genuine hurt and fury behind her blue eyes was startling. As his heartbeat echoed in his ears, he had to wonder: Had he ever seen her like this before?
“You’re the exception,” he explained curtly, adeptly hiding the way his heart rate had sped up out of nowhere. “You know diligence and morals. You put others before yourself.”
“Our knights are the same as-!”
“No, they aren’t,” Diluc cut her off with a hiss, wiping sweat away from his forehead. “If all of the Ordo Favonius was like you, we wouldn’t be in this situation; but not everyone can be exceptional.”
“What… does that even mean? I’m nowhere close to exceptional.”
“Hmph. So you say.” Diluc pushed past her without another word, hunched figure the very picture of a man who wished to be left alone. Jean trailed behind him without so much as flinching, refusing to give him the berth he wanted.
“You’re not going back to Mondstadt yet.”
“Doesn’t look that way.”
“I’m serious, Diluc! At least stay here until I know what to do with you!”
That gave the redhead pause. Diluc looked over his shoulder in thinly-veiled confusion. “What’s that supposed to mean, Jean? Are you not going to turn me in immediately? What I’m doing is illegal, after all.”
“I know! It’s just… I need more answers than what you gave me.” Jean’s ire seemed to subside as she spoke, replaced with a measured calm. “I don’t want to arrest you. I… I want you to give me reasons to not.”
Diluc remained quiet. Not for the first time in her life, Jean had no idea what he was thinking. She closed the distance between them and gently put her hand to his cheek.
“I want to understand,” she repeated slowly, “so let me.”
“Jean, I… will…”
“When, Diluc? When are you going to explain this to me in full?”
Once again he was slow to respond. Before Jean could prod him again, she got a better look at his face. The sweat she’d assumed was from fighting was still there, seemingly new and glistening on his extremely flushed visage. His eyes appeared glassy, and with how warm his cheek felt, she was suddenly no longer surprised that he couldn’t make eye contact with her.
“You have a fever,” she said. The winery owner gave a noncommittal shrug. Jean’s brow furrowed. “Did you have one this whole time?” Diluc pushed her hand away weakly.
“It’s nothing,” he mumbled. “I’ll get over it.”
“It doesn’t seem like nothing. You should rest more.”
“I don’t need to.”
In the end, his composed front was for naught. As soon as he spoke, the redhead felt his knees buckle and give out beneath him. He was powerless to stop his fall, and Jean’s panicked cries of his name were the only sound he registered as a hazy darkness overtook him.