Work Text:
Neither Kaeya nor Diluc were entirely sure how they wound up…
Wherever it was they were.
It had been hours, the sun long since set and the new moon blanketing everything in pitch darkness, with only the faint glow of the occasional lamp grass to prove they had not simply fallen into oblivion.
Their relationship was on the mend, but weak. Still, they had agreed to work together to track down a mugger that had managed to elude the Knights, and had cornered them in the city. The robber fled, of course, and the pair gave chase. Whomever it was that they pursued had been prepared, however, and successfully managed to evade them; but only after luring them several miles north.[At least, they think it was north.]
The figure escaped eventually, leaving the brothers gasping for air in the frigid night and frustrated at what amounted to a wild goose chase.
“Maybe they’ll take this as a warning and stop?” Kaeya offered weakly to the darkness, unable to see anything but the slight outline of his own hand in the dark, as even the stars had been blotted out by clouds; it was only thanks to the comforting glows of their respective visions that he knew where he stood in relation to his brother. He couldn’t see Diluc’s expression, but he could tell by the tone it was a frown.
“They had better, or else they will live to sorely regret it.” An irritable mumble. Kaeya was surprised there wasn’t any sort of hostile dig at him or the Knights, but Diluc had been making efforts to be less petulant towards him. It was nice.
The wind blew harder, pushing strands of hair into his face and Kaeya sighed. He turned to face the harsh breeze and pulled the tie from his hair, combing his fingers through the strands to re-do the loose ponytail. “Now what?” He asked.
“Can’t see a thing, and a storm is coming in. We should return to Mondstadt.” Diluc answered, just as the late autumn sky began to unleash the rain it had held back, perhaps to mock their situation further. Gradual drops fell harder until, within just a couple minutes, it was properly raining.
Diluc swore, trying and failing to maintain a flame in his hand to illuminate their path as they tried, vainly, to find their way back to the road. It was only when they took cover under particularly thick trees that he was able to hold anything worthwhile.
They were drenched to the bone quickly as the rain turned into a deluge, which wouldn’t have been an issue normally but the temperature had plunged to just above freezing once the sun set; they needed to get out of the rain.
That was the last thing either of them were sure of. It was a haze of bickering and blind stumbling that led them to what appeared to be a complicated cave network. They were still soaked, but at least they weren’t at risk of hypothermia; even Kaeya’s cold resistance could only help so much. Eventually their fatigue was enough that they stopped and, after piling some plant debris they found into a small mound, lit a sad excuse of a ‘campfire’ to warm their fingers as they sat hip to hip.
“This is a domain.” Kaeya said suddenly, making Diluc lift an eyebrow.
“What?”
“Didn’t you notice? It’s easier to see inside these caves than it is outside. The stone under our feet are tiled; not completely natural.” The younger brother pointed out, running his hand over the stone. Diluc glanced around as it occurred to him.
“...You’re right… When and how did we stumble into a domain?” He asked, bafflement in his voice. Kaeya could only shrug.
“I like to say I know all of the domains in and around Mondstadt; this one isn’t in any of our documents. I’d like to explore a bit.” The Captain looked around, the urge to adventure pushing him to abandon the warmth of the small fire and go. With a sigh, Diluc nodded, but made no move to get up yet.
“Lets wait until the fire dies.” He requested, holding his chilled fingers out to it. A soft nod and Kaeya settled properly beside his brother, the pair sharing body warmth as they waited.
Eventually the last of the plant fibers burned away, and the fire turned into a small pile of embers before finally going out. Despite the loss of light, they could still in fact see, just like Kaeya had said. They donned their still-damp coats and checked their weapons, preparing to face the hidden secrets of the domain they had stumbled across.
It was an odd sensation; once they had acknowledged that this was, in fact, a domain, it was as though the cloud that had settled over their consciousnesses had lifted. They could now clearly see the unnatural formations, the carvings of stone, the mechanisms that glowed as they approached. How had they not realized they had entered a domain; was there something that deliberately clouded their minds?
Neither spoke, but the shared looks they exchanged was enough for them to know that they shared their thoughts on the matter. Wordlessly they continued their descent into the domain.
-
They walked for what felt like hours, their clothes eventually drying as time moved on. They found mechanisms, strange blue fire that followed them like a seelie, igniting strange torches that opened doors. Neither had seen anything like it, and the sheer uncertainty of their situation began to weigh on them.
“Domains are not normally this large, are they?” Diluc asked, rhetorical.
“Not any I’ve encountered.” Kaeya answered anyway, if only to make sure his voice still worked. “This place is different. There’s something about this place that feels...” He couldn’t think of how to explain it and trailed off.
“I feel it too.” Diluc sighed. “I can’t put it into words; it’s almost like we’re not in Teyvat anymore.”
“Yeah… Also, I think we’re going in circles.”
Diluc stopped short, his hand hovering inches from the blue flame that flickered in the dim room as he turned to his brother. “What?”
“Remember how, when we first came in here, we felt cloudy; didn’t really know how we got in? I think it happened again.” Kaeya explained. “Look at this room. We’ve been through here several times.”
Diluc took a moment and did just that, scanning the walls, the floors, the door they came in from, the door that they would try to unlock, and a side passage that led to a drop so deep they couldn’t even see the bottom.
All of it was identical.
“How long have we-”
“I don’t know. But this place plays tricks on the mind.”
“Were we lured here?”
“I don’t know.”
“Should we leave?”
“Maybe. I don’t know if we can, though.” Kaeya sighed and looked back at the door they came from. “I don’t know if I want to.” He hated the idea of leaving this mystery unsolved.
“What do you propose we do, then? Jump into the pit and see whats down there?” Diluc sighed in exasperation.
Kaeya just grinned at him.
“… Absolutely not.”
-
Both brothers stood at the ledge of the pit as Kaeya dropped a large stone down, listening as it fell. It took a concerningly long time, but they could hear a faint splash at the bottom. A far drop, even with water to cushion the fall.
“How would we even get back up?” Diluc hated the idea, but after their attempt to turn back seemed just as fruitless as their attempts to go forward, he was forced to concede to the possibility that this was the correct path.
“Domains have portals out at the end; we shouldn’t have to.” Kaeya and his damn sense. Diluc sighed. “Come now, ‘Luc. We don’t have a lot of options. We didn’t pack for an expedition, we’ll starve down here if we don’t do something.”
“I know that!” Diluc snapped, crossing his arms.
“We have our gliders, we’ll descend slowly, okay?” Kaeya said, soothingly. “It’ll be okay.”
Diluc frowned, glaring lightly at his brother and annoyed at how much he honestly believed those reassurances.
“Fine.” He grunted, taking measured steps forward to stand on the ledge, abreast to his sibling. He reached back and deployed his glider in preparation, Kaeya doing the same at his side. “On three?”
“On three.”
One.
Diluc wondered how they had gotten into this situation.
Two.
Kaeya hoped he could get Diluc home safely.
Three.
They leapt from the edge and into the darkness below.
-
Their drop was slow and measured, and it was easy enough for them to angle their gliders to allow them to alight on the stone shore, rather than falling into the water and soaking them once more. Kaeya rubbed his sore shoulders; he’d never been the most skilled at gliding, and it always made him sore when he did it for a long time.
Still, they had arrived safely to the bottom, neither hurt or missing; so, victory!
“Now what?” Diluc asked, looking around. It was fairly obvious what their next move was, as there was only one path forward. A narrow tunnel that led deeper into the domain.
“We go forward, no?~”
A sigh and a nod, Diluc took the lead as they continued forward. The tunnel was tight, only barely large enough to allow one of them to squeeze past the other if they wanted; forcing them to walk with one in front of the other.
The entire time they were inside of the domain everything was cast in a dim light; as though there was a hidden light source that could not be located. There were no shadows, no bright spots; just enough to navigate safely. Because of this, it was evident the moment that it began to get brighter.
The farther they went, the more illuminated it became, until finally they reached the end of the tunnel and stood inside of a large chamber.
‘Chamber’ was incorrect, as that would require them to be able to see the walls. Everything was a haze, as though the horizon was blocked by fog, with the morning sun hidden behind it with it’s rays were diffused across the room. There was a stone road with stairs leading upwards, with cloud-like fog that hid whatever was beyond the safety of the path.
They paused at the mouth, looking at one another and allowing their hesitation to show. With a steeling breath, Diluc was the first to gather the courage to continue, Kaeya on his heels.
There was an ethereal energy to their environment, a strange sensation of comfort and uneasiness filling them as they cautiously followed the path towards an unknown destination.
“Liminal space.” Diluc mumbled.
“Liminal, huh…? I think you’re right. That’s a good way to describe this.” Kaeya agreed softly as they climbed. He had looked away for just a moment, not watching where he was going and grunting in minor surprise as he ran into his brother’s back, narrowly keeping from stumbling. Diluc stood stock still, staring forward.
“’Luc, what’s wrong?” Kaeya asked, regaining his balance and peering around the wall of a man he called his sibling, looking at what lay before them.
The stairs let out into a large round space, almost like a city center with a large healthy looking tree dominating the middle. Beautiful, in all honesty, but it was clear that wasn’t what had stalled Diluc.
No, what had stalled him was the people. There were not many, perhaps half a dozen in immediate view. They were hazy, indistinct; some noticed them and some either didn’t, or didn’t care. That was only surprising, what was absolutely astounding was the fact that they recognized one; and they recognized them as well.
“...Well I’ll be.” A voice spoke, a faint reverb to it as an older man approached the pair with a smile. Kaeya slipped past Diluc, standing at his side as he stared at their old gardener.
Who had passed away almost five years ago.
“M-Mr. Wilson?” Kaeya asked, his voice a choke. This was a joke, right?
“At your service. My, look at you both; Young Master Kaeya, Young Master Diluc; you’ve both grown so much! And look at you; is that the Cavalry Captain insignia you wear?” The old man spoke as though he were not the dead speaking to the living, and the pair could only stare numbly, Kaeya nodding.
“Y-Yeah. Um...” Kaeya, normally so skillful with words, found himself at a loss.
“Ahaha, you poor boys. You must be so confused. Honestly, I’m surprised you found your way down here; you’re awfully alive to be in a place like this.” Mr. Wilson laughed. “You shouldn’t be here too long, this is no place for those who still draw breath. That being said, though...” He turned and glanced around, his gaze landing on a platform a handful of flights up; a solitary figure standing on it with their back to them.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Wilson, what… Is this place?” Diluc asked in a whisper.
“I couldn’t say, exactly. Purgatory seems wrong, since we can leave whenever we please. I guess it’s more like a waiting room?” Mr. Wilson mused softly. “We are the dead who aren’t quite ready to move on yet. Some more restless than others, but some are simply… waiting. Like I am. Some of us have forgotten what we’re waiting for… But once we get what we want, or we have time to settle our hearts and accept our fates, we move on. Yes. It’s a waiting room.” A sage nod, he turned back to the brothers. “You should leave soon, but before you do. Come with me?”
Under normal circumstances, sense would have told them no. These were not normal, however, and the pair simply nodded in silence and did as they were asked. The followed the old man as he led them along the path, scaling flights of stairs until they stood at the bottom of one last flight.
“I leave you here. It was nice to see you both; you’ve grown up into wonderful men. I hope not to see you again for a very long time. I wish you both well.” With that farewell, Mr. Wilson turned and began to walk away, pausing as Kaeya called out.
“Wait, what’s going on? Who is-”
“Go up and find out, Young Master.” With that final, unhelpful statement, Mr. Wilson vanished into the fog, leaving the pair along at the base of the steep stairs, unable to see who or what waited for them above.
Part of Kaeya was hopeful that it was who he thought it may be. Part of him was scared. How could he face him? Could he confess? Should he? Kaeya turned to look to his brother and his concerns vanished in the wake of the expression he was met with.
“’Luc, hey, come back to me.” Kaeya said, reaching out to gently cup his brother’s cheeks in his hands, patting one as he tried to bring him back to reality from what was likely a dissociative moment. Diluc grabbed his wrists with a deathgrip, staring at him in fear and anguish.
“Kaeya-” His voice was so broken. “Kaeya, is that-”
“I don’t know...” He was almost certain, but he didn’t want to lie.
“I don’t think I- Kaeya I killed him.”
“You saved him.” Kaeya argued, pulling Diluc into a tight hug. “It’s okay. Come on.”
Kaeya didn’t want to scale those steps, but he knew Diluc would never have peace if they turned back, and he was not going to leave his precious brother to face this alone. With a twist of his wrist, Kaeya freed his hand enough to grasp his sibling’s, squeezing reassuringly. In that moment he felt like they were children again, clasping hands to find comfort in one another as they warded off the dark.
Kaeya did not want to climb the stairs, even as he led his brother up them, even as they alighted to the top, and even as Diluc clung to his hand like a lifeline.
He did not want to face the man he was supposed to betray, even as he watched Diluc stare in silent awe at the familiar back of fire red hair, as the figure turned to them with an expression of surprise.
He felt his heart shatter at the noise Diluc made as their eyes met, feeling him let go of his hand as he took hesitant steps forward.
Crepus Ragnvindr wore an expression of shock as he looked at his sons, taking several moments to process what he was seeing before moving to also approach.
“What…?” A whisper of a voice that hadn’t been heard by mortal ears in years. “Diluc… Kaeya…? What are you-”
Diluc was filled with grief and despair, guilt ate at him every day and it all came spilling out at once; apprehension not stopping him from dropping all pretense and almost sprinting forward, wrapping his arms around the figure of his father like a little child. He clung tightly as every wall, barrier, and facade came crashing down with every tear that fell from his eyes.
The instant of surprise on Crepus’s face was replaced immediately by one of affection as he wrapped his arms around his son, kneeling and bringing both of them to kneel on the ground. Diluc moved only to improve his grip, fingers digging into the ‘fabric’ of his father’s shirt as he was wracked with sobs.
Kaeya stood by in silence. He didn’t know what to do. Part of him wanted to do the same, to run to him and latch on in tears, but his own guilt kept him rooted. How could he, when he felt relief upon his death? How could he, when the whole reason he had joined the family was to betray them?
This was no place for him.
He wanted to run, and felt his foot shift slightly. He forced himself still, to watch.
Diluc clung to his father as though he would vanish in an instant if he let go, and Crepus held his son and soothed him with quiet whispers of reassurance, until finally he could dislodge him enough to look him in the eye.
Dignity was a forgotten concept, and in that moment all that was left was the young crybaby Diluc that had been lost the day Crepus died.
“Look at you, you’ve grown so strong.” Crepus said softly, scooping Diluc’s wayward bangs out of his face. “And yet you’re still the same at heart.” He turned to look over his son’s shoulder and smiled to Kaeya, sending a jolt of joyous pain through his heart.
“Kaeya, won’t you come closer?” He asked, holding a hand out. Kaeya hesitated; or at least wanted to despite immediately moving forward. He fell to his knees hard, and knew they would bruise later but didn’t care even as he was pulled into a warm embrace.
How could a ghost be so warm? Was the domain playing tricks on them? Was this a hallucination?
He honestly didn’t care, and like his brother his own walls came down, and with it years of repressed tears.
Crepus wrapped an arm around each of his sons, and Kaeya could feel Diluc’s arm latch onto his shoulder and pull him in tighter to the group hug, and he reached out and wrapped his own arm around his brother’s waist. Kaeya’s lungs burned as he failed to keep his composure; grief, gratitude, and guilt pouring out as he too abandoned dignity and buried his face in his Father’s shoulder, his body shaking with unrestrained sobs. He had never allowed himself to grieve, and in this moment it all came out.
“Both of you have grown, look at you.” Crepus said softly, rubbing comforting circles into their backs. “I’m so happy to see you again. I’m so glad to see you still together.”
Kaeya felt Diluc’s grip on his shoulder tighten.
Crepus’s hands slid up to card through their hair, gently pressing their heads to his shoulders. “Both of you are my pride and joy. Never forget that.”
“I miss you.” The first words Diluc could say came out strained and raw. “I miss you so much. I’m so sorry, Father. I’m so sorry, if I was stronger, if I was better-”
“Hey, now, stop that.” Firm but affectionately, Crepus shut Diluc down. “You aren’t blaming yourself for what happened, now are you? I made my choices, knowing the risks.”
“But I-”
“Diluc, my son, look at me.” Patience in spades, Crepus loosened his grip and reached down to tilt the tear streaked face of his elder son to look at him. “Yes, you may have been the one to end it, but had you not, I doubt I would have had enough soul left to meet you here. Thank you, and I am so, so sorry for having put you through that.” Crepus’s expression turned sorrowful as he offered his own apology. “I wish I could genuinely say that I wish I had never acquired the delusion, but I’m sure you would have also died that day had I not. For that, I have no regrets other than what it put you through.”
Diluc tried to speak but his words came out as a choked noise instead, pressing his forehead back against his father’s shoulder. Crepus let his child have the time he needed, looking to Kaeya.
“Look at you, Cavalry Captain now? I’m so proud of you; I knew you would do well.” Genuine praise sat bitter in Kaeya’s stomach, and he didn’t have the heart to fake a smile for his Father. “Ah… I know that face.”
Kaeya opened his mouth to talk, then closed it again. Should he? It felt wrong to receive such genuine love, no matter how much he wanted it. He needed to come clean. He glanced to the side, surprised to meet his brother’s gaze. Diluc was a mess, but with a faint nod, Kaeya understood.
“I’m sorry, Father...” Kaeya began.
“You need not apologize. You came as quick as you could.”
“It’s not only that… I need to tell you...everything.” He was terrified, his arm dropping slowly from Diluc’s shoulder, only to be claimed by his hand in silent support. He really did feel like a child again, gripping his big brother’s hand as he got ready to confess to misbehavior.
“What is it, Kaeya?” Crepus asked softly. “What troubles you so?”
Again Kaeya opened his mouth to talk and found no words, only a helpless noise escaping. A pause, a deep breath. He tried again.
“I was supposed to be a spy. My birth father didn’t just abandon me. He left me there on purpose, to integrate with Mondstadt, to feed Khaenri’ah information when war started...” Kaeya said it, and it felt simultaneously like a weight was lifted, and a new one was affixed.
Crepus’s expression was unreadable, staring him down as the information processed. He glanced to Diluc, seeing their clasped hands and his elder son’s determination. Slowly he smiled, reaching out to cup his younger son’s cheek.
“Such an unfair burden to place on a child...” He said. “You’ve chosen Mondstadt though, I’m sure?”
“Of course he has!” Diluc immediately spoke up for him. “He always had, even if he didn’t realize it at first, right?”
Kaeya nodded dumbly. “I’m so sorry… I lied about so much-”
“There is nothing to forgive, my boy. The blame lies in the adults who put you in the situation. Though, instead of a spy, they gave me a wonderful son, and Diluc a wonderful brother, don’t you think?” He glanced to the other man.
The old Diluc beamed brightly, smiling unrestrained as he nodded in agreement. “I agree. You chose us, Kaeya. You always had.”
Kaeya was out of tears, yet still had the urge to cry. Cry sobs escaped as he finally let himself latch onto his Father.
-
It took time, but eventually they calmed enough to talk properly and get to their feet. Conversation flowed smoothly, and with the air cleared, they could reminisce.
“I see… I can understand why you’re angry at the Knights, Diluc.” Crepus nodded softly as he was told of what had happened after his passing. “I always suspected something was up with Enoch. I’m glad he was ousted… Do you regret leaving the Knights?”
Diluc hesitated. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. I’m sorry, though; I know you always wanted-”
“It’s okay. Please, enough apologies.” Crepus chuckled, ruffling his son’s hair. “Truth be told, though, that if something like this had happened to me, I would have expected Kaeya to take over the Winery.” He smiled. “You were quite the lightweight, Diluc. Have you finally learned to appreciate the taste of wine?” There was mischief in his eyes as he said this, and Kaeya grinned slightly.
“F-Father?!” Diluc blushed in embarrassment; it was a well kept secret that he couldn’t hold his alcohol, and he always got flustered when it was brought up.
Naturally, Kaeya was unhelpful. “He passed out for three days after slamming a glass of Snezhnaya Fire Water.” He said. “So no; he hasn’t.”
“KAEYA?!” More indignation from the elder son and Kaeya broke into laughter alongside their father, who sung a small ‘I knew it’ as he laughed.
“Well, it’s no issue.~” Crepus finally said with a smile. “As long as you’re happy in your chosen roles, I’m happy too. Please, don’t feel beholden to the dead. You’ve both grown into strong, respectable men; protectors of Mondstadt. Whatever form that takes is fine; you’re my sons at heart and I know you’ll do the right thing.”
“Father...” Kaeya’s voice was soft, accented with a faint warble as his composure threatened to crack again.
“You’ll always be my boys, and I’m so glad I got a chance to finally talk to you both one more time.” A step forward and Crepus bundled his sons into his arms once more. “I’m so grateful we’ve had this chance, but… you need to go.”
“Wait- what? No!” Diluc immediately protested, the child that had laid broken that night three years ago back and desperate to not let go of his father again.
“Diluc, my son, you know full well that we are not part of the same world anymore. This isn’t a forever goodbye, but the living have no place here.” Stern words were laced with affection. “I’ll miss you both, just as I know you’ll miss me, but one day we’ll be reunited again, okay?”
“Father… Thank you. For everything...” Kaeya spoke little, but had to say what he needed to, before it was too late. “For taking me in, for raising me, for forgiving me, even if you feel like there is nothing to forgive… Thank you so much.”
“Thank you, Kaeya, for letting me be your Father.” Crepus smiled in response, reaching up to pet the heads of his sons. “I love you both, more than anything else in the world. Now. I don’t want to see either of you again for a very long time. We should all get a move on.”
“You too?” Kaeya asked.
“Up until now, I didn’t know why I lingered. I do now; and I’m glad I did… I’m going to move on to the next step, and I look forward to the day we reunite there. That being said; don’t rush. I’ll be mighty mad if you come knocking in the next several decades.”
Brothers regarded their father wordlessly, watching as the man held his hands out to them both. Diluc and Kaeya both clasped his hands in theirs.
“Goodbye boys. Live long, be healthy, and be happy. Don’t worry about me, okay?”
“...Goodbye, Father.” A soft croak from Diluc.
“Goodbye, Father.” A whisper from Kaeya.
“Goodbye. Until we meet again, in a long, long time.” One last squeeze of their hands, Crepus allowed his arms to drop to his sides and closed his eyes.
He inhaled deeply with a smile.
And as he exhaled, he faded, leaving the brothers alone on the platform.
-
It was hard to say if it was the Domain that did it, or simply the insanity of the situation itself, but neither brother could remember much after that. They had clung to one another and allowed themselves another moment to grieve, finding, somehow, more tears to shed as they finally came to terms with their loss; finding comfort in each other.
Eventually they woke up, sitting hip to hip in a small cave before a sad excuse of a campfire that had burned out hours ago. The domain was gone, replaced by a small cave with an ancient shrine in it. The exit was only a couple dozen paces from where they had made camp.
For a tragic moment they had both thought that what they experienced had been a dream, but painful bruises on Kaeya’s knees and a few minutes of talking proved their experiences to be too identical, too real.
“What a strange domain...” Kaeya mused faintly. “Serendipitous that we stumbled across it while it was open...”
“I’d never been one to believe in ghosts.” Diluc said softly, tracing the edge of his vision with his fingers as he looked at the morning light stream into the cave. “But I can’t think of any other explanation… I don’t want to.”
“Me neither… We should probably keep this to ourselves, though.” Kaeya sighed.
“Agreed.”
“We should head back; our absence has surely been noticed by now.”
“I will return to the Winery directly.”
“I’ll go back to the city… ‘Luc?”
“Yes, Kaeya?”
Wordlessly Kaeya approached and pulled his brother into a tight hug, squeezing him tightly enough that Diluc felt the air be pushed out of him.
And then the hug ended, Kaeya offered him a smile, a wave, and began to go.
They said nothing else, but the soft and genuine smile Diluc gave in return was more than enough.
Permission given to Embed: Please give Rudy your love and attention!
