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Kaeya’s death comes only months after Diluc left Mondstadt. His death actually wound up happening during a mission. It almost feels like one long horrible joke with how it had all played out.
It all started when they received some reports of children disappearing in Liyue. For obvious reasons, this caused concern amongst the Knights. No one could really pinpoint why someone would go around kidnapping children. However, it wasn’t long after that, that distressed parents began to come to the Headquarters to report their children are also going missing.
After the first report, the Knights began to patrol with renewed vigor. Currently, there were only four children missing. Four too many in Kaeya’s eyes. Kaeya considered himself lucky that he seemed too old for the target range, coming up on eighteen. Though, even if he had been in the age range, kidnappers would have been the least of his worries with all the training he was forced to undergo before coming to Teyvat.
Not like anything could be worse than anything Khaenri’ah had already thrown at him.
Kaeya asked to be put on the case, seeing it would be his first mission as Cavalry Captain after busting Eroch barely a month ago. Kaeya was determined to prove to both Varka and Jean that their trust was not misplaced and that he deserved his promotion.
Maybe even regain Diluc’s trust when he came back and saw his loyalty to their home.
Though they had initially been reluctant, but eventually agreed when they saw how desperate the teen was. They didn’t have the heart to turn him down.
Then things became even tenser when Timmie and Flora were also abducted.
Kaeya became more than a little frantic when he heard that little piece of news. It wasn’t like these were two children he didn’t know. These were two children who he saw frequently, practically every day. Sweet Flora was always giving him Calla Lilies ever since she found out they were his favorite and he’s been chewed out by Timmie for scaring off the pigeons.
He had been building a large network over the last couple of years, so he went to his informants to try and find any clues about where the children could have been taken. It took a few tries before he finally got somewhere, meeting up with a female informant who had three children of her own. She tells him of a group of suspicious people carriages who have been going back and forth from a place between Mondstadt and Liyue.
She theorized that the children could be hidden in the back of these carriages, but knew she couldn’t do anything against the men since they looked quite large and buff. She had been so distraught that Kaeya had to stop his own urgent desire to force more information out of her and tried to comfort her instead. Luckily, it didn’t take long before she told him that the meeting place was probably at the Stone Gate, the area right on the borders of the two nations.
Kaeya thanked her and gave her some of his provisions as payment before leaving. The lady lived near Dawn Winery, which was already close to the border, so he didn’t bother stopping for anything else before making his way towards the Gate.
He finds himself faltering, however, when he passes Dawn Winery. It still felt so surreal that he would never be allowed to walk on the grounds of the land that had once raised him. Days of laughter and training together now seeming a long-lost memory, so distant and hazy.
Maybe he’d take Jean up on her offer of a therapist when he got back.
He notices movement that pulls him out of his revelry. Looking towards the front entrance, he spots Adelinde putting the other staff to work, pointing them in the direction of their morning tasks.
Her face was in its usual stoic expression as she gave out her orders, but it seemed to shatter when she caught Kaeya on the border of the property. Her eyes widened – if only by a fraction – but to Kaeya, they might as well have been bugging out of her head.
Giving quick instructions to the last few staff surrounding her, she waited until she was sure nobody was paying attention anymore before she indiscreetly made her way over to the new Cavalry Captain.
“Mas –,” she started before cutting herself off. “Pardon me, Sir Kaeya. But what business do the Knights of Favonius have here?”
Though her tone wasn’t accusatory, Kaeya still finds himself holding back a flinch. Trying to hide his slip up, he quickly pulls himself together.
“I’m just on the trail of the recent string of kidnappings and I was just wondering if you had heard or seen anything suspicious. Anything would be useful.”
The maid's face darkened before seemingly taking a moment to give it some serious thought. Not a minute later, she perks up and turns back to Kaeya.
“I remember a carriage coming through a couple of times. I tried to help them, but both times, they turned me down. Quite aggressively, I might add.”
Kaeya feels something dark flicker at the back of his mind before brushing it away. He had no right to get involved with the Winery anymore, even if Adelinde had played a big part in raising him.
“Thank you, Adelinde,” he says with a careful nod, making sure to keep his voice neutral. “I’ll be on my way now.”
The woman looked like she wanted to say something, but Kaeya is quick to turn around as he took long and controlled strides, hoping to hide how eager he was to put as much distance between himself and the place he used to call home.
He didn’t deserve to call it home, not before and definitely not now.
Kaeya waits until he's out of the winery's – and more importantly, Adelinde's – sight before he breaks into a run. He doesn’t stop for slimes, doesn’t bother with the napping Hilichurl he noticed by a stack of three barrels on a pillar – nothing. He doesn’t stop until he reaches the infamous Stone Gate that marked the border. Only then does he notice how winded he was.
Pathetic.
Shaking his head, he tried to bury all of those troublesome thoughts as he forced his mind to focus on the mission. The lives of children were at stake here and he couldn’t risk getting distracted.
Taking a quick scope of the surrounding area, he tried to find anything that would tell him where the secret hideout was. Everything seemed completely normal for the most part, nothing really out of place except for a few new wagon wheels which could have come from any transport that could have come through here.
Nothing definitive about the kidnappers, though.
Kaeya had to fight to not let frustration get the better of him. Finally, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something. A large out-of-place board that had most definitely not been there the last time he had made his way through the pass.
With Diluc, his traitorous brain chimed in, an image of Diluc popping into his mind. He can still remember his bright smile as they rode on horseback and playfully poked fun of one another. It had been a quick ride, just to grab some Calla Lilies before they raced back to the winery.
His favorite flower since it reminded him so much of his brother.
He felt like banging his head against the nearest stone, but ignored it in favor of burying the thoughts once more. The mission should be at the forefront of his mind, right now.
Don't get distracted, he scolded himself.
Moving over to the board, he tried his best to quietly move it. There was no telling how well this place carried sound and the last thing he needed was to be caught before he even got the chance to sneak in.
Entering the cave, Kaeya made sure to be careful where he placed his feet. As he crept further in, he noticed a dim light from further ahead, pouring light into the dark corridor. He could also make out the sound of a man's voice raised in what was clearly anger. What nearly made him forget the plan and rush in was the sound of a child sobbing.
Reaching the end of the tunnel, the captain looked peeked into what appeared to be a large open cave. It was certainly bigger than the tunnel he was crouching in and had several torches lighting the chamber in the flickering light. There was a door at the far back, but it appeared to be completely rusted shut. Several Treasure Hoarders – the kidnappers, Kaeya observes – were standing guard around the children, cornering them against the wall and placing themselves between them and the only exit.
Kaeya tried to think about why Treasure Hoarders would get into the kidnapping business, but his mind was pulling up blanks. Like their name suggested, their goal was to primarily get their greedy hands-on as much treasure as possible. While they did occasionally say something about test subjects, Kaeya had assumed they only went for adults since there hadn’t been any prior record of them going after children.
So why move on to kidnapping, he mused to himself.
Turning back to the situation in front of him, Kaeya noted that most of the missing children appeared to be there, all of them huddled together in fear. They all looked scared out of their wits, but all of them were silent.
That's when he spotted Timmie and Flora in the very back. The boy was holding the flower girl close, hugging her tightly as she sobbed uncontrollably into his shoulder. While the young boy was trying to appear brave, Kaeya could tell from the subtle quaking of his shoulders that he was just as scared as the others, even as he glared down his captors. It almost made Kaeya proud.
Almost.
If he kept giving the Treasure Hoarders that look, the most likely conclusion they would come to was that the boy was being insubordinate and there was a chance they would lash out at the child.
Diluc sometimes had problems with authority too, he found himself thinking absently. He had to hold back a gasp at the invasive thought before yelling made him turn his attention back to the mission.
“What are you startin' at, you little freak,” the leader screamed. He was a large man, buff enough to look like he bench pressed wild boars for fun when he wasn’t digging looking for treasure. Kaeya would be lying if he said the man wasn’t intimidating.
The target of his ire appeared to be a little girl who was sitting at the back like the other two, but was sitting by herself, leisurely propped up against the wall. She had purple hair and Kaeya could make out a single magenta eye, the other hidden by a tag hanging from her face. The girl wasn’t really reacting, just starting stoically back at the screaming man, barely even blinking at his tirade.
“I said stop starin'!”
This line was followed by the man taking a treating step forward and the children scrambling closer together, some audibly whimpering. Kaeya felt his heart leap into his throat and knew he needed to act fast. The situation just escalated.
Not wasting another minute, Kaeya dashed forward, summoning his blade and driving it through the closest kidnapper’s torso. This caught the other three off guard, but the two of them were quick to recover and act. The other two jumped into action while the leader grabbed the Liyuean child he had been yelling at before rushing towards the exit. One rushed him and he was quick to impale the man before he heard the sound of a girl scream.
Turning around, he saw the man trying to grab Flora from Timmie, but the children hung on tight to each other and refused to let go. Flora tried to flail and twist, but the kidnapper also refused to back down. Her flailing combined with Timmie holding her caused the man to drop her with a muffled curse.
Kaeya was quick to run him through, feeling a dark sense of satisfaction at the wet gasp it earned him. Taking a deep breath, he turned back to the children and felt his heart drop when he noticed how scared they all were of him. Though it wasn’t hard to figure out why. His face felt far warmer and was wet with something that most likely wasn’t just sweat.
But now wasn’t the time to delay.
“Are you,” he gasped, his throat feeling raw, “Are you guys okay?”
Some of the children nod while most of the others still looked petrified. He knew that he couldn’t just leave the kids here and come back for them. They needed to get out of here now. With a plan newly formed in his mind, he turned to Flora and Timmie who were still clinging to each other, though they both seemed calmer since they recognized him.
“Do you two remember the way back to Mondstadt from here?” he asked. The two children were quick to nod. “I need you two to help lead the kids to Jean.”
He barely hears the two of them agree before he turns and bolts after the leader, not bothering to slow down or be quiet. Diluc may have been the stronger of the two of them, but Kaeya was one of the fastest in the Ordo. It doesn’t take long before he catches up to the fleeing man outside, him and his cargo just starting to cross the border into Liyue.
The second he reaches them, he tackles the man from behind, successfully making him drop the girl. The two find themselves tussling blindly on the ground, the occasional punch and kick being thrown. The older man hits Kaeya in the temple and the captain feels his eyesight go dark for a moment, but it quickly returns and the fighting continues.
Eventually, the Treasure Hoarder is able to kick Kaeya off and pins the teen to the ground under him. Both of them are exhausted by this point, but neither was willing to give up and accept defeat. Kaeya tried to kick and buck the man off, but he was too heavy and strong.
Then a sudden sharp pain invaded his chest, making him gasp in pain.
Not really having a chance to react, Kaeya felt his Vision respond in his place.
A wave of freezing cold washed over them, sending pins and needles through his limbs as three icy spikes drove through the criminal above him. The man sputtered in shock, spitting blood up and covering Kaeya’s face in it.
Well, he thought, if I wasn’t covered in blood before, I certainly am now.
The body flumps over next to him as he finally lets himself sink into the ground. He finally registers his soaked clothes and the wet feeling against his neck before it finally registered that he was laying in mud.
When had it started raining, he found himself thinking dazedly. Was it after he went into the hideout or did it rain on his way here and he just didn’t notice? He choked as blood bubbles into his throat. The knife must have punctured a lung if it was flooding his lungs.
Through the numbing feeling of the freezing rain and mud, he could faintly feel the feeling of two small hands lifting his head before feeling he felt them settle him down again, this time on what felt like small legs. Prying his eyes open, he was met with the sight of those same blank magenta eyes from the little girl from Liyue. He felt a little guilt bubble up from how roughly the Treasure Hoarder must have dropped her when he tackled him.
Now that he was this close, however, he finally noticed the distinct lack of life in her eyes. Her body was even colder than his own. It was unnaturally cold, like a corpse (and boy has he seen and felt enough of them to become familiar with the feeling). It's at that moment that it finally dawns on him.
She’s a zombie.
He had never seen one in person and had heard that they were outlawed since they were basically used as slaves. It had caused an economic crisis at one point that had put all of Liyue into a down spiral that had put people out of work as more and more of them were used. Not to mention the family of the deceased kicking up a fuss about what their loved one’s bodies were being used to.
It made something ugly twist in him at the thought of such a young girl being used for slave labor. These thoughts weren’t able to remain for too long, however, as blood loss began to make the teen feel lightheaded.
His last days spent in the company of a zombie child that could be ten times his age for all he knew. He didn’t know if it was funny or sad; maybe both.
Kaeya was brought back from his thoughts by the sound of footsteps approaching, soft enough to almost not even be heard. He tried to sit up, expecting it to be back up for the Treasure Hoarders, but he’s surprised the child tightened her grip on him, keeping him in place. He spared her a glance, but her gaze seemed focused on the person walking towards them.
She didn’t seem worried, so it probably wasn’t anything bad, right?
Kaeya was snapped back to the current situation at hand when he felt the person come to a stop beside them. It was a man who looked like he was either late twenties or early thirties wearing a suit of golds and browns with hints of silver. His eyes were a mesmerizing amber that seemed to look right through him, the pupils shaped like diamonds.
At least he could say that he wasn’t the only one with oddly shaped pupils anymore.
Something about the man had every instinct in Kaeya’s body telling him to run, even though the man looked anything but hostile. He stood form and tall, but there also seemed to be a sort of lax air about him that spoke of a calm that took centuries to obtain.
“Are you alright, Qiqi?” he asks.
Kaeya almost feels his brain short circuit and barely registers the child’s response. The man’s voice was much deeper than his youthful appearance would have people think. And the girl’s name was Qiqi? It was a very cute name. Maybe he lost far too much blood if that was what he was thinking now when he had much more pressing matters at hand.
When he looked back up at the man, he found him looking at him with a curious look in his eye, seemingly unbothered by his bloodied condition.
“Why would you give up your life for a zombie?” he asked the young man. There was no malice or even incredulousness in his voice; merely curiosity. “She is a being that is already long dead. Why bother saving her?”
Kaeya felt like that was a trick question. The man had had already shown that he cared for the undead child, so why would he ask such a question? This had to be a test of some sort.
And Kaeya wasn’t in the mood for a test.
“She’s just a child,” he found himself snapping back. “She has just as much of a right to life as anyone else.”
The man simply gives him a smile – though small – and gives a nod, clearly pleased by the answer.
“I would like to offer you a contract,” the man offered. “A second chance at life and promise that I will help finish what you started.”
Kaeya knew his hesitance must have shown on his face, because the man knelt down next to him.
“I will not force you to accept this contract. It is merely a chance to do what you couldn’t do before and to reclaim the life you are being cut short of.”
While Kaeya felt a little on the fence, he couldn’t help but wonder why not. He couldn’t think of a reason to turn this opportunity down. He had nothing left to go back to. Crepus was dead and Diluc was long gone. The only person who would miss him was Jean, if only because she didn’t who he really was.
With those thoughts running through his mind, he let his eyes close in resignation as the last of his life finally drained from him.
Zhongli didn’t waste any time before kneeling next to him before placing the paper talisman on his forehead, covering the right side of his face. It hardly took a moment before the young man breathed anew, much to the secret Archon’s satisfaction. When the youth finally opened his eye, it was dull, all signs of life having faded.
He was a zombie.
To say that Baizhu was surprised to see the consultant of the funeral parlor standing in his pharmacy would be an understatement. He knew that having Qiqi working for him had him on Director Hu Tao’s bad side, but the last thing he was expecting was for the woman’s right-hand man to show up with another zombie in tow.
By the blood on his clothing and face, it was obvious that he was freshly dead, but it still didn’t explain why the man brought him here.
“May…I ask what this is about,” he asks cautiously.
“This young man, Kaeya Alberich, has entered a contract with Rex Lapis for a second chance at life. Right now, he requires a place of residence,” the stoic man said. “You are the only one in Liyue who currently has the most experience housing and handling Jiangshi.”
Baizhu is careful to keep his appearance nonchalant, though the situation had stunned him. Rex Lapis had formed a contract with this foreigner? The man was obviously not from Liyue if his clothes were anything to go by – as blood-stained as they were.
Qiqi herself was a once-in-a-lifetime exception since it was known she had been the last zombie to ever be resurrected by the Adepti, though that had been out of guilt for having been the ones to kill her in the first place – regardless of it being an accident.
What reason would the Geo Archon himself have for creating a new one after five hundred years?
Looking into the consultant’s eyes, he could tell that the man was being one hundred percent serious. He could tell that he seemed sincere in his care and worry for the young man.
“Well,” he said with a wry smirk, “who am I to deny the will of Rex Lapis and turn down a new employee?”