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He ducks under another laser. Another one! Whose bright idea was it to put so many lasers in this place? Kaeya brushes his hair back with a small flourish of his cloak while he discreetly makes sure none of the fabric had been seared. His attire was not cheap, and he muses on how much money he could wrangle from Childe’s Northland Bank fund should his clothes get damaged during this excursion.
Kaeya hears Lumine muttering something about the walls not being climbable while their other traveling partner chuckles and shoots another Hydro-infused arrow. As wary as Kaeya remains around the Harbinger, he is relieved that Childe can easily maneuver through the building’s numerous traps and enemies.
He had never expected to go on a small day trip with a Fatui Harbinger of all people. However, Lumine had invited him to explore some of the ruins in Liyue with her usual enthusiasm and he’d never pass up the chance to see some new sights with Mondstadt’s beloved Honorary Knight. Kaeya had been looking forward to spending plenty of quality time with just Lumine as they headed to Lingju Pass to investigate the appearance of some Ruin Guards.
Then the nuisance appeared, requesting to look after his younger brother even as Lumine glared at him the entire time.
Of course, Kaeya didn’t mind that Teucer tagged along for some sightseeing in Liyue Harbor! Lumine adored kids, if her interactions with Klee were any indication, and for the most part Teucer was considerate and well-behaved enough (if not rather impulsive). Kaeya could do without travelling alongside Childe, however. He really did have to ask how Lumine could have gotten involved with one of the Fatui Harbingers during such a short time in Liyue. A part of Kaeya wonders how quickly Diluc would have sent a wall of flames at Childe.
He’s pretty glad that the other hadn’t accompanied Lumine on this trip.
A shout breaks Kaeya from his musings. He dashes to the group of slimes that Childe had shot at and sends a burst of ice that quickly freezes them over and makes quick work of this battle. Lumine sprints ahead of the group as soon as the door parts way for them, determined to find Teucer as quickly as possible. Kaeya and Childe follow closely behind.
“We make a pretty good team, don’t we?” remarks Childe with an easy grin. “It’s not often one gets the chance to witness the skills of the Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius.”
Kaeya gives a small laugh in return, saying, “I’d call it quite the unexpected show of teamwork, especially from the ranks of the lonesome Harbingers.” They’re still assessing each other, Kaeya recognizes immediately. He presumes that other than the presence of the young Teucer, their common friendship with Lumine is the only thing keeping their blades from each other’s necks in a hunt for blood and information.
He makes a small show of polishing the blade on his sword while they continue walking. Kaeya notices how Childe’s gaze lingers on him. They’re studying each other, he realizes. Even without any physical confrontation, the two have been analyzing each other. Something about guessing what Childe might make of him is exhilarating.
When they realized Childe was the brother Teucer had been searching for, Kaeya noted Lumine’s surprise at Childe’s family and his genuine care for them. She hadn’t been aware of this side of the Harbinger, Kaeya guesses. She must have witnessed the ruthless, cunning side of him before this day, and it must have made a clear impression. While he mostly knows about the near destruction of Liyue Harbor through Jean’s correspondence with the Tianquan Ningguang, he also hears tales of Childe’s role in summoning the Overlord of the Vortex. From the information he garners about the 11th of the Harbingers, he paints the portrait in his mind of a deceitful manipulator who prioritizes his own amusement above all except his orders.
Kaeya expects that Lumine and Paimon would have been taken aback by this family side of Childe. However, Kaeya himself recognizes some semblance of familiarity in the other.
“So Paimon was wondering about the size of the fish where you’re from! Be honest Childe, did you really fish up a humongous sea monster to cook up for Teucer? One that was 200 times our size?”
“No need to worry, not even Snezhnaya’s ocean creatures are that large. But I can still fish up enough to make a hearty meal for the whole family.”
“Don’t get any ideas Paimon.”
For the most part, the group works quietly and effectively to progress through the domain. Except for Paimon’s occasional questions and comments, they do not talk among themselves. Childe and Kaeya are too calculating, too wary of each other to try to make small talk when are were far too many unknowns in interacting with the enemy faction. Any throwaway comment about one’s life could become a thread to tug on, and then all the secrets come spilling out. Thank the stars Lumine quickly diffuses any tension between them.
Lumine calls for Childe to handle another Hydro elemental mechanism. Kaeya returns from his musings, as he assumes Childe does as well, and the two continue with a few feet of distance between them.
Yes, there is definitely much more to Childe than what he first allows others to see. Kaeya nearly humors himself with the thoughts of him being so similar to a Fatui Harbinger; both of them perform their own tricks in hopes of tripping up their enemy to gain a much needed advantage in (and out of) battle.
There is something intimately familiar about Childe. He knows the thrill of confronting one’s own mortality. He understands the necessity to use underhanded tactics to pry valuable secrets from the grasp of the world. (Kaeya also thinks about the brother he’s left to fend for himself, but he discards that line of thinking.) As Kaeya looks upon that same Childe with a small grin, he wonders what thoughts could be running through the other’s mind.
However, Kaeya brushes off the idea as he follows Lumine into another room in the building. It was a laughable comparison, really.
“If only- 3 o’ clock!” Lumine interrupts herself when she dodges to the left of a large missile and shields herself from the explosion. Kaeya dashes forward (another thing that could damage his clothes, perfect!) and sends another Frostgnaw at the Ruin Guard in front of them. It’s always a nightmare dealing with multiple Ruin Guards, Kaeya quickly learns.
Lumine blocks the closer Ruin Guard before it can swing at them again, and they finally defeat the troublesome thing. She catches back up to her previous thought and says, “If only Fischl were here, she can stun these things so quickly.”
Childe calls out from a few feet ahead, where he finishes bringing down a distant Ruin Guard. “Hey now, is that a jab as my aim?”
“I mostly see you tapshotting or just switching to your Hydro blades. There’s not much I can say about your aim when I see so little of it,” Lumine shoots back. Kaeya watches as Childe concedes, and the Harbinger laughs and repeats some comment about being more skilled with other weapons.
Lumine brings up the custom Mr. Cyclops kite she had commissioned for Teucer. Kaeya sees that she’s astute enough to avoid prying into any part of Childe’s involvement with the Fatui, and instead chooses the far safer option to let Childe drop his guard a little more.
Kaeya will admit, he wants to know why Childe had to cover up the existence of Ruin Guards as toys for children. The Harbinger could string together some amusing performances, from what Kaeya had witnessed of his botched monologue to the new Fatui recruits.
Paimon pipes up, reminding the group that they’ve almost reached Teucer’s location. As usual, Lumine rushes ahead while Kaeya and Childe lag only slightly behind. Childe dissipates his blades and keeps his bow in hand; Kaeya knows he would normally keep a closer watch on a risky individual if they were armed and getting dangerously close to him or Lumine but relaxes his guard just a bit. Just a bit, of course.
He’s curious to know more about Childe.
Lumine sharply tugs on Kaeya’s arm, pulling him backward and out of the main chamber. They had just defeated two Ruin Guards only for half a dozen more to appear, and Childe asks Teucer for just ten more seconds with a humor that belies the presence of even more danger. When he’s the only one left in the chamber, Childe activates his Delusion.
Kaeya is acutely familiar with Delusions. No, he’s too familiar. When he sees the electricity arcing between Ruin Guards and the torrential force from curved Hydro blades, he is struck with an overwhelming comprehension of Childe’s powers. His slashes are just a little less restrained, his movement a tad more exaggerated. Kaeya’s mind wanders back to Diluc and the time he spent wielding the Evil Eye, the Delusion that had stolen their father’s life. He recalls how quickly the effects of a Delusion could begin to consume everything, including its owner, and concern lingers in the back of his mind.
Then Childe transforms, and that’s when his blood truly runs cold.
Kaeya knows about Childe’s Foul Legacy transformation. But good heavens, is that form giant. His shock only manages to stave off his building sense of horror for a second, before his gaze snaps to Teucer and then to Lumine; the kid is still counting, oblivious of the destruction that begins unfolding in the newly-arrived swarm of Ruin Guards. Kaeya takes a small step towards the two smaller people. He knows better than to underestimate Lumine’s capabilities (she was the one who defeated Childe after all), but he’s ready to shield her at a moment’s notice.
So, this is how Childe’s Delusion manifests itself.
He keeps Childe in his sight and contemplates a contingency strategy. Would Childe be able to control his transformation? Of course, a Harbinger should be able to restrain their powers, but Kaeya always reminds himself to expect the worst case scenario. What toll would it take on the Harbinger’s body if this Delusion also turns on its owner? Would they still be able to subdue all of the Ruin Guards? Can he make sure Teucer won’t see any of the blood?
Lumine’s hand on his shoulder doesn’t stop his train of thought, but at least it turns part of his attention elsewhere. She gives a nod of affirmation, and her gaze holds steady despite her concerned expression and the twinge of worry in her eyes. Kaeya only then realizes that he’s drawn his sword.
Electricity bolts from one corner of the room to the other in currents. The power sets Kaeya on edge and he can’t look away. Childe is ruthlessly efficient; there’s no screaming and no blood, and no one loses control. He wonders when the day will come that he too will have to face the Harbingers’ Delusions as well.
The ten seconds are already over. The final Ruin Guard collapses with a mechanical hum. And Teucer opens his eyes and shrieks in delight at the dozen Mr. Cyclops figures scattered through the chamber. Static hangs in the air.
Kaeya is very glad that Diluc hadn’t accompanied Lumine on this trip.
They spot Childe by the bright red of his scarf, where he’s tucked away in the corner of a hidden alcove. It takes him a little too long to realize they’ve spotted him. When Lumine approaches him, hand cautiously outstretched, Kaeya notices that Childe’s heaving in the quietest breaths he can.
Kaeya’s familiar enough to recognize symptoms of exhaustion in the Harbinger, and he’s even more well versed in recognizing when others are trying to hide symptoms. While Lumine crowds around Childe, Kaeya keeps his distance in the opposite corner of the little alcove. From here, he can observe both Childe and Teucer.
Childe doesn’t muster up the strength to bat her hand away, and that seems to worry Lumine more than the pallor of his skin or the way his gaze flickers between her and Kaeya. Paimon floats out of sight of the large chamber and into the tiny room the group has sequestered themselves in, and the small fairy’s reprimanding of Childe is less forceful than usual. Kaeya silently observes Childe’s falsified show of grandeur.
The sound of Teucer’s laughter echoes off the walls of the main room, and Kaeya hears the faint shifting of mechanical parts as the kid ducks under a Ruin Guard’s outstretched limb. A part of him wants to make sure the guards were truly deactivated, but he turns his focus back to Childe. Still, Kaeya can’t help but note the cheerful tone in Teucer’s voice; he’s as energetic and playful as when he traveled with him and Lumine, but his voice is now a little more animated when he asks where his brother could have gotten so many Mr. Cyclops replicas from. Kaeya wonders if Childe is aware of how much Teucer had missed him.
“Why?” Lumine hisses at Childe, tension building in the air around her. “Why do you keep doing this to yourself?” How ironic is it, Kaeya thinks, that Lumine would show such worry for a Harbinger that had just demonstrated one of the fiercest demonstrations of his strength? But she gives more focus to the battered man sitting in front of them than the warrior from just a minute ago. It’s rather characteristic of her.
Paimon pipes up, adding, “Yeah, one of us could have distracted Teucer or gotten him somewhere else! You didn’t have to use the Foul Legacy transformation again back there.”
As Childe mumbles his explanations to a concerned Lumine, Kaeya listens. He listens and hopes for an answer as to why Childe would turn to rely on his Delusion again. He needs to know why the Harbinger would risk tearing himself apart for the sake of a child’s fantasy. He needs to know what could be worth the other’s life. How he could use the Delusion without consideration for the consequences.
“Anyways, childhood dreams are all too easily shattered. Even if you just leave them be, they will fall to pieces all by themselves.” That’s when Childe’s ramblings capture his attention; that’s the answer he’s been searching for. Kaeya thinks of that conversation about imaginary friends, when Diluc had candidly said that he had long discarded the concept of one. Would there have been a lifetime in which he could have preserved some of the light in his brother’s eyes?
“So, someone has to protect them, right?”
Would things have been better if he never knew the truth?
“If you make a promise, you keep it.” Childe talks about the promises he’s vowed to keep. Kaeya’s already broken too many of his own, the ones he’s made for the family he’s abandoned and the ones he’s given up for the family he once had. Unlike Childe, he had let go already. Kaeya had ended the life he’d had before coming to Mondstadt, and he’d ended his next life with the death of their father.
Kaeya dreads the day he finds out what lies will end this current life he’s held onto.
“You are our last hope.” Childe had used his theatrics and now his Delusion, against all expectations, to protect what was likely the last thread tying him to any shred of his moral conscience. Kaeya thinks of the years that Diluc spent away from Mondstadt, travelling with only the protection of that accursed Delusion. He remembers the nights where he clutched a Vision that did not belong to him, praying to every god that may or may not have existed and hoping that this wouldn’t be the night that ends his brother’s life.
While Paimon urges Childe to see a doctor, Lumine shoves some hash browns into Childe’s hands. He chuckles, surprised and almost disbelieving, saying, “Really now, there’s no need to make such a fuss.”
“Let me remind you that you summoned a whale on top of me,” Lumine grumbles. “I am allowed to fuss as much as I please.”
Kaeya recalls telling Lumine a fabricated tale of a pirate’s heir and how enthusiastically they followed through with his plans. He’s curious about what Childe had been thinking of Lumine, up to their fight at The Golden House. And just like he’s done for every part of his life, Kaeya justifies his lies. Of course, it was the most convenient option available at the time, of course Lumine would understand. Of course, Diluc would understand.
In between his wheezing, Childe lets out a small laugh. Lumine’s breath hitches; perhaps she’s thinking about her own brother. Lumine and Childe both understand the same devotion, the willingness to cross worlds for a sibling.
Could he have done more himself? Could he have stopped Diluc, stopped their father?
And then Childe’s gaze is fully turned onto him, unnerving clarity in his voice coupled with the way he looks beyond Kaeya. “We may be on opposite sides here, but I’m sure you understand why I continue using my Delusion.” Childe presses his hand to the wall to force himself to stand.
“It’s as you say, opposite sides,” Kaeya’s words move faster than his mind. “Why would you trust this sort of information to a Favonius pawn, I wonder?” There’s a teasing lilt ingrained into Kaeya’s voice, and he wishes he could discard it for once.
“Perhaps it’s a little closer to assurance than trust. Words reveal information but faces tell stories.” Childe’s voice is far too steady. “You’re not the type of person to reveal unnecessary secrets,” he ends with a playful grin. And Childe returns to talking about his Delusion, brushing off the last few seconds of what he said to Kaeya.
Now that Childe is standing, leaning against the wall behind him, his voice grows quieter. “I am an agent of the Fatui. I carry out the will of Her Majesty the Tsaritsa. I’m a fighter. But no matter what else I become, I’m still a brother. Upon receiving my Delusion, I accepted it all. I’m sure you will understand, Cavalry Captain.”
When Childe mentions the Cryo Archon, Kaeya becomes even more aware of the faint icy blue glow of his Vision.
“And what will become of your tales, my Harbinger friend?” Kaeya does not fully understand why he’s called the other a friend. “When the lies eventually catch up to you, how will he respond?”
For several seconds, there’s silence between them. Kaeya fully understands Childe. The stars have not been kind to either of them; their facades are bound to crumble. The other finally responds, “It will become my burden to bear. I’ll just have to apologize.” And if you break it, you apologize. Childe trails off, and it catches up to Kaeya that they had both revealed far more than they knew was safe.
That’s when Childe pushes himself off the wall, regaining his composure. He presents them with a miniaturized, custom-made Ruin Guard toy and asks Lumine to give it to Teucer.
After giving a grin and a promise to Lumine for a fight in their future, Childe then looks to Kaeya, pointedly saying, “You know how to contact me.” Childe’s tone and the wink he gives reminds Kaeya of himself.
“Well would you look at that, a Ruin Guard that actually looks kinda cute!” Paimon exclaims. “And it’s super fancy, it’s even got Teucer’s name on it.”
Lumine’s hold on the doll is cautious, almost delicate. She treats it like it could fall to pieces if mishandled, and murmurs, “I think he’ll like it.”
While Lumine and Paimon discuss the best story to tell Teucer, Kaeya watches Childe use the last of his strength to silently leave the factory. Staring at the weakened Harbinger as he takes his leave, Kaeya can no longer tell which of them has forfeited more of their humanity.
His Vision feels heavy as it hangs around his waist.