Chapter Text
Kaeya used to be afraid of being summoned by the queen—especially individually. Even though he was careful, and he knew that he did nothing to incur the wrath of Liones, the paranoia would still seep in each time. The clairvoyance of Liones’ royal bloodline gave assurance to its people and fear to those with dearly kept secrets, and Kaeya had a lot of secrets.
Less now, after the queen fulfilled every nightmare Kaeya could consider and called him out for being a demon of the foul but long-departed race of miasma-infused warmongers (or however humans saw demons nowadays), but that was actually the best job interview he ever had. Surprise-surprise, her vision accurately depicted him as a demon who didn’t want to destroy all of humanity. Because he didn’t. Really.
Now, being summoned by the queen was just another Tuesday. Between being one of the tertiary commands of the Knighthood, and the personal babysitter—bodyguard—of the queen’s little cousin, he was here fairly often. Sometimes for important business. Sometimes because Klee blew something up. Sometimes because Klee blew something up and he was caught laughing instead of stopping said explosion. It all worked out though. Usually.
This time, however, the impromptu meeting immediately struck him as problematic. The presence of only him, Grandmaster Varka, and Assistant Grandmaster Jean was not abnormal by itself, although if Kaeya was invited to the knightly affairs meeting, it was normally on account of Jean, whom he served directly under as a cardinal, not by the queen. The more worrying factor was the queen herself.
Queen Mona was young—far too young to be the sole ruler, but that fate was beyond anyone’s control—yet usually very well composed, even under duress. She refused to be seen as anything less. It was a trait Kaeya could relate to. So, to see her slumped on the throne, head in her hands, and with bags under haunted eyes—it was worrying.
It only took an instant to read the room—also devoid of any other guards or staff or otherwise unwelcomed ears. Kaeya glanced to Jean, who met his look with an equally worried yet confused expression. So no one had been filled in yet.
Interesting.
The queen landed her gaze on Kaeya. “Oh good, you’re here. We can begin.”
“Is this a matter of urgency?” Jean asked, fingers itching at her sword. “I can have the knights start to mobilize while we debrief.”
“No, that won’t be necessary. This is urgent, but not immediately so.” Mona chewed her lip. “Last night, I had a vision—a, a prophecy, more like. A new Holy War is coming.”
This startled everyone present, and Kaeya was not startled easily. A Holy War? That suggested a clash of all races, and that included two that Kaeya hoped never to see again. Unfortunately, it was all too possible. The demons had already hoped for round two, even from inside the Coffin where they were sealed, and goddesses were so stubborn and prideful, they would find a way to kill demons from beyond their graves, body or no body.
Mona continued. “I saw the stars fall and the earth split open. It—it was too chaotic to discern fully. I’m only sure of two things. One, it begins with ten shadows that cover the kingdoms.”
“The Ten Commandments,” Kaeya muttered, displeased by the immediate revelation. They were an unpleasant bunch, wholly loyal to the Demon Queen and wielders of her power. “The top warriors of the demon race. They’re all supposed to be sealed still, but if what the Queen saw comes to pass, the seal must break sometime soon. It was already weakening when I slipped out some hundred years ago, but I was only able to because I was weak too, at the time.”
He could see now why Mona requested his presence. The three people in the room were three of four that knew of his heritage, and frankly, the only three that accepted it. Saw its use, even. He wasn’t the oldest demon, or the most powerful or respected, but his knowledge and ability was invaluable to humans. It was nice to be appreciated by someone, even if he knew that the masses would fear him on principle.
Varka laughed. “At least we got dirt on the enemy if they come for Liones! If anyone tries to attack us, they’ll have another thing coming!”
“Kaeya, if you have anything else, we’ll come up with some potential strategies to fortify the kingdom from this…Holy War,” Jean said, ever the diligent one.
He nodded. Truth be told, he had little faith that the strength of their forces would compare to the Commandments nor any goddess, but with enough contingencies, they could survive. In an ideal world, Liones could keep neutrality, and all they would have to do is fend off against collateral, but if this Holy War was anything like the last, lines would be drawn and sides would be established. The first time, the goddesses solicited both the fairies and the giants, while the demons only had themselves and the vampires. The humans were seen as insignificant at the time, but ultimately, they sided with the demons in a single battle, only to thrust the war into vicious overdrive, the demons and the goddesses falling to mutual destruction.
Neutrality would certainly be preferred.
Wait, there was something else. They needed all the clues they could if they were to plan properly. “Your Majesty?” he asked. “You said there were two things you knew, correct?”
Mona nodded. “The second is good news, thankfully. There are seven sinners that will come first, from all the races. I only got glimpses, but it was enough to know that these seven, though cloaked in guilt and misfortune, will be the ones with the potential to end the war.”
“End the war?” Kaeya frowned. “That could be a good or a bad thing, depending on where Liones stands in that outcome.”
She smiled at him, the hopeful, youthful spark returning. “Oh, I’m certain these seven will be boons to Liones. The vision might have been fuzzy, being impromptu, but I was able to ascertain the identity of two—including that of this order’s captain.”
That was certainly helpful information. With this, they could attempt to form a relationship with these warriors before the war ever began. “Oh? Is this person nearby? I can arrange to meet them subtly and test the waters.”
“There’s no need for that,” Queen Mona replied. “Captain Kaeya of the Seven Deadly Sins.”
—o0o—
“Kaeya.”
This couldn’t be happening.
“…Kaeya?”
Fate was definitely screwing with him. Captain of a Holy Knight order? Sure. Captain of some prophesied group of questionable powerhouses that was supposedly the best hope for the sanctity of the known world? Ha.
“Kaeya.”
Jean’s voice finally registered to him, and he snapped his head to the side to look at her. She was giving him that concerned look. Normally, he would find a way to brush it off, to redirect her into ease, but damn, he really did need some sympathy this time, so he allowed himself to sink his forehead into her shoulder. “I hate this.”
“It…is a lot,” she agreed, voice tight. She was probably worried for different reasons than he was. “But I think, if anyone can do it, you can.”
He lifted his head just to express his doubt.
“Don’t be like that. You’re already the Cardinal of the Holy Knights. Communication is your strong suit. And you’ve lead battles before. Being a captain isn’t much different.”
“It is and you know it. Public relations is much less personal. It’s easier to maintain composure and keep everyone calm when there’s a degree of distance. Tell me, when you were captain of our order, back then, how easy was it to reign us in?”
At least, Jean sighed in defeat. “With you and Diluc? It was impossible.”
“Rude, but I rest my case.”
“And, because you know, I’m sure you’ll figure it. You’re smart like that.”
“Gee, thanks.” Kaeya was comforted a little, though; taking the moment to vent to Jean helped, as it usually did. Even though he was far older than she was, she felt like a contemporary—an older sister, even. She had that kind of head about her.
He needed to begin the task at hand. He had no clue how long it would take, but they needed all the time they could get, with this unknown countdown above their heads. The queen had given him the means to start, but damn, he wished he had more. It was enough to transition from Cardinal to Captain of a new order, but to add not knowing the majority of said order? Challenging indeed.
“Oh, by the way… Does this count as a demotion?”