Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Mondstadt was lively in the summer morning. Birds sang the moment the sun started to creep over the horizon, citizens went out to start their days with groggy smiles, carts rattled over cobblestones as the day's deliveries began.

The Knights of Favonius would be training, Captain Kaeya or Acting Grand Master Jean leading the way. Their shouts could be heard over at the Cathedral, where the Sisters began their services. Bards would pick out their places around the city for the day, never staying in one spot for long. Towards the entrance of the city, Katheryne would hand out the day's commissions to the Adventurer's Guild adventurers, wishing them luck.

Like any other day, life in Mondstadt rumbled on. Except...

Katheryne noticed that one adventurer in particular had not come by.

Bennett was always one of the first to collect commissions for the day, if not the very first. He was consistently an early riser and had never been late collecting. Katheryne had kept track of it for a long time. He was never late.

Never.

All of the commissions for the day had been handed out, except for his, and that had anxiety settling in her chest.

Upon noticing Katheryne's troubled expression, Huffman approached to see what the issue was.

He assured her he'd get to the bottom of it, and went to Cyrus.

Cyrus, after checking inside the Adventurer's Guild, went to Fischl, who went to Oz.

They checked with Razor. Then Barbara. Venti, Diluc, Kaeya, Lisa.

No one had seen Bennett.

The last time Bennett had gone missing…

He wouldn’t… not again… would he?

The Knights asked around town, hoping someone would know something about the Pyro boy's whereabouts. They continuously came up empty, even over in Springvale. Diona went out to search with the hunters, her ears and tail twitching as she made use of both her natural senses and her elemental vision.

When night fell, Jean held a tearful Klee, unable to console the child. Albedo had heard of the situation and sent out some of his assistants to search, but had yet to get back to Mondstadt himself. He kept an eye out on his sensors around Dragonspine, but did not pick up on any stray pyro energy.

The next morning, the typical buzz of the city waking up was softened. The bards were singing quiet songs of well wishes, of wanderers finding their way home. Venti was up in the statue's hands, the wind twisting around him as he tried to find Bennett, or anything that would indicate where he was.

What he found was a very panicked Diona, puffed up and jittery.

The Knights, Venti, and Cyrus met her at the gates, waiting for her to calm down.

"There was a trail, but-" she paused as her tail puffed again, agitated at the memory. "It just vanished! Like he was plucked into thin air!"

She tugged at her hair, stomping her feet. "The area smelled like rot and fire and-" a sob broke from her throat and she became much more silent. Her fur bristled. "There were Abyss Mages."

The summer air was cold. So incredibly cold.

Chapter Text

The ache stayed in his heart, even after the physical damage was healed.

Fischl, Barbara, and Razor had stayed with Bennett the whole time he'd been healing. While Bennett appreciated their care, something about it felt... off. Not that it was forced, no, the care was genuine as far as he could tell.

As the days rolled on to turn to two months and his strength returned, Bennett took to writing more and more. Not just about Clementine, but about his thoughts. And slowly, he could see a pattern emerging.

His memories were jumbled, and at first, he thought it was the head injury. But after talking with Barbara, it was apparent something was wrong.

The most vivid memory Bennett had after getting back to Mondstadt was Cyrus apologizing. But no one seemed to remember that. In fact, he'd gotten extremely different responses from everyone.

Razor couldn't remember at all, Barbara said Bennett had been asleep when this had happened, while Fischl insisted that Cyrus had never actually apologized, just said he wanted to but was afraid to visit. She claimed that was why she wasn't doing as much work at the guild- she was mad.

Even more confusing, not a single one of them let him leave the city. If he got close to the gates, they'd immediately swoop in and pull him back to the chapel, saying he wasn't healed.

Something was wrong, and he knew he would discover what it was if he left the city.

Bennett devised a plan for days, one he didn't necessarily enjoy, but one he knew would give him enough time to get out of the city. He'd set up a decoy in his bed, he'd make a distraction (he didn't know what, he told himself he'd figure it out on the way), and he would make for the nearby gates.

Simple.

He told Barbara he was going to rest a bit, so he could get some energy back for his next day at the library with Razor and Lisa. She'd seemed perfectly pleased with this and had gone off to work in the basement of the cathedral. Once she was gone, Bennett set up his decoy and started to leave, though anxiety began to brew when he noticed that the cathedral was empty again.

Another odd thing. He'd sworn the cathedral had always had people inside, but now he only ever saw the Sisters or his friends, if he saw anyone. Lily was usually around, and that Fatui guy (Viktor… right?) was always on his post, even if he was sleeping. But now… no one.

Fischl and Oz were working on getting flowers for his journal. He'd sent them specifically to Old Mondstadt for this, insisting it would be the best to honor Clementine, while truly having no idea if it was or not. They both seemed to have no idea what he was talking about when he mentioned Clementine, a detail that bugged him more by the day.

Razor was with Lisa in the library, so if he was lucky (ha!), Bennett knew he could escape.

He took the shortest route possible, which was jumping over the stairs from the cathedral and slinking all the way to where Hertha was usually posted.

The gate to Mondstadt's pier... it hadn't been that dark before, right?

It felt like claws were wrapping around his throat as he stepped closer and closer to the gate. Distantly, he could hear his friends yelling, but...

The sky, why is the sky on fire? What the fuck was wrong with the sky?

There was no lake, he could see this. All the trees were burnt, the smell of ash filled the air.

Behind him, he could feel four sets of eyes staring him down.

But he didn't dare turn around. He knew.

"This isn't Mondstadt, is it?" he said.

As the four abyss mages began to cackle, he closed his eyes, wondering how long he had truly been trapped.

Chapter Text

The papers Diluc had been pouring over were useless , to say the least.

He was the closest thing Mondstadt had to an expert on the Abyss, next to Albedo, whose own knowledge was shaky at best. Kaeya had very few memories of his childhood days prior to being adopted, but even then, the Abyss was still Khanrei'ah in those days, and Venti couldn't say anything due to obligations with Celestia. Lisa thankfully had a decent amount of knowledge regarding the Abyss and the Cataclysm to at least connect dots here and there, same with Mona, but it was still near impossible to figure a damn thing out. Therefore, until a childhood friend made it to Mondstadt (if he made it to Mondstadt), Diluc was the main force in finding out why the Abyss had taken Bennett.

Bennett . Archons, the poor kid. His luck was horrible enough, getting him inherently associated with things not even involving him. He'd just returned from Liyue after his suicide attempt, feeling confident enough to at least take his Vision back, too. And now this.

Celestia, give him a break.

Turning his attention back to the papers, Diluc scoured over the information once more.

"The Abyss formed as a result of the Cataclysm... the destruction of Khanrei'ah. A civilization that lived underground, had connections to Dragonspine... fuck." Diluc groaned loudly. Nothing made any sense.

A sigh came from the corner of the room. "No luck there, either?" Albedo called.

"None. At all. Didn't your... master, mom, whatever, come from the Abyss?" Diluc snapped.

Albedo shrugged. "That is correct, however, I do not see what that has to do with the Abyss. Unless you feel that I should have some knowledge regarding her time in Khanrei'ah?" Albedo stood, stretching. "I was created after the Cataclysm, and Rhinedottir did not speak of Khanrei'ah much. What I do know is that Khanrei'ah was created by the survivors of Sal Vindagnyr, so theoretically-"

"Go back."

"Huh?"

Diluc rubbed his forehead. "Go back, just... you said that survivors of Sal Vindagnyr created Khanrei'ah, yeah?"

Albedo stared blankly. "Correct."

"And Sal Vindagnyr is now Dragonspine?"

Albedo nodded again. "If you are asking me to check Dragonspine, it has been done already. I have dispatched a team of adventurers to monitor areas that I have seen Abyss mages in, however. I have also set up more monitoring devices by Wyrmrest Valley and inside the Entombed City as well."

Diluc ran his hands down his face, sighing. "Well, that's an avenue blocked... unless the adventurers find anything. Or your devices pick up something.” He mumbled to himself about the Knights of Favonius as he retied his hair.

The two paused as footsteps came towards the door, listening to the knock.

"Come in," they said simultaneously.

The door swung open to reveal Acting Grand Master Jean, Lisa, and Kaeya, all holding more papers in hand. "We've gathered reports and eyewitness testimonies from the day Bennett disappeared." Jean said, closing the door with her hip. "I have Fischl and Razor using their Elemental Sights to follow Bennett's path from when he left that morning."

"Is there anything left of it?" Albedo asked. He pulled a few chairs over before plopping down to the floor himself.

"Its faint, but they can follow it for the time being," Kaeya sighed, sitting down. "Why don't you sit in a chair?"

"The floor is more comfortable."

Kaeya rolled his eyes, but made no further comment. He turned to Diluc. "Any progress?"

"None, really. The closest thing we have in Mondstadt that is close to the Abyss is Dragonspine, but Albedo says he's already sent adventurers to certain areas." Diluc glanced at Kaeya. "I also... called a friend of ours."

Kaeya groaned. "Oh, no."

"He's our best bet."

"Yeah, but he's..."

"So much like you, yes, I'm already prepping for the headache." Kaeya sat up, glaring. "Elzer has been gathering things from Father's estate for us. I believe he kept everything you had with you."

Lisa hummed, flipping through one of the translation guides. "I thought you sold it?"

"I did, technically. Belongs to Elzer's sister now."

Kaeya threw his hands in the air. "Thanks for telling me."

"You're welcome. I thought now would be a good time to do so.”

Silence fell over the room as everyone began to pour through journals, notes, and reports. Occasionally, Lisa or Albedo would scribble something onto a sheet of paper, or Jean would set a report aside for a second review. Time seemed to have completely frozen, anxiety dancing through the air, concerns and fears left unsaid.

At some point, Noelle brought food in for everyone, as well as pillows and blankets. She'd done so quietly, arranging the papers that Jean had set aside in a neat pile before whispering to her that she'd be back later with any new reports. Jean thanked her quietly, appreciative of the update, and Noelle left with a nod of her head.

Everyone ate their portions silently, focused on the task at hand.

Suddenly, Diluc slammed his head on the table, groaning loudly. The room jumped, papers fluttering from Jean’s hands as she lost her grip.

"What?" Jean snapped in annoyance, hands catching those that had fallen. “What is it?”

"Venti's here."

Before anyone could say anything, the bard spun into the room with his typical call, and Diluc groaned.

Papers rustled around, a few spinning into the air, and Diluc shot him a glare. "Sorry." Venti chuckled, adjusting his hat.

"What do you want?" Diluc stood up, stretching. How long had he been sitting? Hours?

Damn. Need to make sure I don't do that again.

Venti clamored onto Diluc's back without hesitation, and immediately the redhead shifted to accommodate for the archon's actions. Jean laughed, having seen this many times, knowing that it was now just second nature to the two.

Kaeya, Albedo, and Lisa, however, were absolutely bewildered.

Lisa turned to Jean to ask her what the absolute fuck was going on, but paused when she saw Jean's soft look. After a moment, she figured she could ask later.

Jean watched as Venti asked Diluc random questions as Diluc moved about to tidy up and sort the information they'd already gone through. Despite Diluc's comments of disliking Venti, Jean knew that he genuinely cared for the bard, shown by everything he did for him. He had a set of blankets and pillows on the third floor of the tavern for Venti, a guest room that was reserved just in case the bard needed it back at the winery, he always made sure Venti got back to Windrise safely (especially after he'd been drinking). Hell, Diluc even would put aside a few apples for him when prepping for new batches of wine.

And now, he was tolerating Venti’s desire to be taller.

Her friend had started smiling a little more often these days because of the odd archon, and it was endearing to see how, to Diluc, Venti was just... Venti.

"Oh, hey! So I figured out a work around to our little conundrum," Venti said, resting his chin on Diluc's head.

"You're going to stop drinking? I never thought I'd see the day." Diluc gasped, a smug grin playing on his face.

"Ha! You wish. No, I'm talking about the Abyss and Celestia."

Once again, Albedo, Lisa, and Kaeya were visibly confused, and Jean and Diluc glanced at each other, worried for Venti's identity for a minute.

However, Venti did not seem to share the concerns. "I can't say anything specific, but I can tell you if you've got something right or not! Technically..."

"You can nod your head or not, basically." Jean said. “And this took you a long time to figure out?”

Venti grinned and jumped off Diluc's shoulders. "Exactly!" He landed with a twirl, ignoring the roll of Jean’s eyes and her second comment, before plopping himself down on the pile of pillows Diluc had just rearranged. He summoned his lyre, cradling it in his hands.

"So, ask away!"

Albedo wasted no time. "Has the Abyss taken random people before?" A nod. "Were they all Vision holders?" Venti paused, as if thinking, before nodding slowly.

"Mostly Vision holders?" Diluc said, catching on. Venti nodded more vigorously this time.

Lisa sat up straighter, pursing her lips. Her brow was furrowed. "Have... any of them returned?"

Venti spoke this time. "I don't know." He looked... regretful.

Jean shivered. "Then... Bennett..."

"We know of... one person who has returned." Kaeya said, turning to Diluc. Diluc crossed his arms and nodded, crossing the room to the window, flicking Venti's hat as he passed.

"Hey!" Venti yelled, blowing a gust of wind towards the redhead in return. Diluc snorted, staring out the window wistfully. "Wait... Master Diluc, have- have you been to the Abyss?"

"No. But a childhood friend has. Speaking of, he's here."

"Fuck." Kaeya said, flopping dramatically to the ground.

The door swung open.

"Hello, comrades!" Childe grinned wide. "It's been a long time!"

Chapter Text

The false Mondstadt had fallen to ashes once Bennett had seen where he truly was. To some extent, he felt like an idiot for having not seen through the mirage. But he could blame it on his head injury- the one he’d acquired when they captured him.

Bennett was fully able to remember what had happened now, and Archons above he couldn’t actually figure out how he’d survived this time. When the Abyss Herald had appeared before him, he'd been thrown into a cliff face head first. The crunching of his vertebrae rang clear, followed by nothing but sheer, staggering pain, and his eyesight blurring. There was logically no reason he should have survived that kind of impact, but he also knew that if they’d created an image of Mondstadt to keep him in, then they wanted him alive.

First time for everything, I guess, Bennett thought, rolling his eyes as he hid behind a pile of wreckage.

He didn’t know how long he’d been running and hiding from the Abyss Heralds. Time didn’t seem to move here, and nothing measured time beyond a single sundial he’d seen earlier. It was identical to the one near Thousand Winds Temple (though this one seemed to be, somehow, in much better condition), and as interesting as that was, he had no time to care.

Though, if Bennett tucked away the info for Lisa to pick apart if- no, when, when , stay positive, Benny- he got home, then that was a different story.

Another odd thing about the Abyss, is that Bennett wasn’t entirely sure that this was actually the Abyss. Of course he’d heard the stories when he was a kid about what happens to people who are unlucky enough to get taken there. Those who managed to survive and escape were almost animalistic in behavior and would ramble about half charred corpses wandering around, machines speaking to the falling sky, a heavy fog that engulfed everything. They’d live for maybe a month before finally dying, usually thanking Celestia for having mercy on their souls with their last breaths.

So far, Bennett hadn’t seen a single thing like these stories beyond fog, but it was barely even there. Everything he saw reminded him more of the domains he’d been to, especially the ones with more assertive and aggressive ley line disorders. Another piece of information he would tell Lisa later, once he was home.

Hm… maybe Albedo would be interested in knowing, too? It’s been a long time since I got to see him.

Leaning back against the stone he had hid behind, Bennett huffed out a breath. He was tired and peckish. “Okay, Benny, there has to be somewhere safe here from the Heralds. Find it, use it as shelter.” he mumbled to himself, pulling out his pack.

There were still some dried fruit slices left, tucked safely next to his notebook and pen, as well as a sunsettia and... windwheel asters? Oh, yeah, Klee wanted to make me a flower crown…

An idea popped into his head. If Bennett used the flowers to mark where he’d been…

Yes. This would work. He could do this.

Quickly scribbling down some notes, Bennett placed a flower underneath a stone, just barely visible, and sketched a rough diagram of what he’d done. He wrote down whatever else might be useful to him (and yes, he did write down the things he wanted to share with Lisa and Albedo) before checking his surroundings again.

There was a steep hill off to his right, and to his left was a small cavern, something like what Razor would sleep in with their lupical. (Bennett's heart lurched sadly at the thought of Razor. He missed his friend.) He'd come from a small manor-type dwelling with water surrounding it, so he decided he definitely wouldn't go that way. Just off to the right of that was the sundial. He couldn't see anything else of note at that time, nor any other living creatures beyond some small rodents.

Another thing to be concerned about. Bennett's vision didn't seem to be recovering. He couldn't see very well at all, and his head throbbed if he turned too quickly. As he stood from his hiding place, the pain made itself known, spinning the world around him.

I… don't think I can run. Not without help.

A second thought appeared.

What if I pretend to cooperate with the Abyss so I can survive longer?

No. Bennett couldn't do that. At least, not now. It would have to be a last resort. A very, very last resort.

However, he shakily sat back down to reevaluate what to do and where to go. Obviously, he’d be cornered in the cavern. Going uphill was not ideal, not when vertigo and a fresh concussion kept him from functioning at his best. 

The sundial… it was in the open. But it was one of his only options, beside staying put or going back to where he’d run from.

Might as well risk it.

Bennett uneasily got to his feet before heading in the direction of the sundial. There were still no signs of life, though as he approached, he could see more ruin guard remains scattered about. At this point, he wasn’t sure if he’d feel grateful or not if one was still active. A sigh left his throat. While he was used to it in his daily life back in Teyvat, especially in the month he’d spent on his own, wandering the land, the loneliness was weighing on him even more.

“Bennett…”

Bennett jumped, eyes darting around frantically. “Who- who’s there?”

He waited, holding his breath. The voice… it couldn’t be... could it…?

Taking a deep breath, Bennett called out again. “Diona?”

“Bennett…!”

Stomach churning, Bennett rubbed his eyes, trying to see better. There was no way Diona was here, in the Abyss. There couldn’t be any way that she-

“Diona!” he shouted, fear gripping his heart.

A soft meow drifted by his ears. “I can hear you and smell you… why aren’t you here?”

Bennett blinked, kneeling by the sundial. “Diona, are you by the sundial?”

“Yes! I- wait! Let me get Jean! She can help, please, stay safe, I’ll be back!”

“Uh- ok! Hurry!”

“I will! I promise!”

For a moment, Bennett thought he’d made a horrible mistake and just told a hidden mage where he was. But then, he watched in the mud, small Cryo flecked footprints appear and vanish towards the castle he’d come from.

Well, another thing to write down for Albedo and Lisa.

Chapter Text

"How long has he been missing?" Childe asked, his voice having lost the energy it had had during the initial uproar of "Fatui Harbinger rolling into Mondstadt's Knights of Favonius Headquarters without anyone noticing." The chaos was something he thrived on, and Diluc had to resist strangling him to get him to settle down.

Albedo clears his throat as he shows Childe a quick timeline he'd drawn up. "About three days now. He went missing sometime prior to 8am on Monday, which is around when he usually would leave the Adventurer’s Guild."

The look on Childe's face appeared and vanished in the blink of an eye, but it goes unmissed by the room. "Three days...?" he repeated quietly, as if in... distress? Shock?

Albedo hummed in response. "More or less."

"Does that mean anything specific to you?" Lisa asked, curiously watching the ginger.

"It's just that," Childe pressed his lips together and let a heavy exhale out of his nose. "That's how long I had been there." He fidgeted for a moment before standing up to pace.

Diluc and Kaeya shared a glance. They knew very little of their childhood friend's experience in the Abyss, other than he had gone and come back, the light in his eyes gone and his shyness replaced with a defensive confidence and addiction to adrenaline. He never talked about what he'd seen or how he'd survived, and Diluc's connections hadn't been able to wrestle up any information on the Abyss or Childe's experience.

"Time flows differently in the Abyss." Childe said after a bit. "For us, it's been three days. For him... it's been three months."

The sound of a book falling to the ground echoed throughout the room as Jean stood abrupty. "It- what?"

"To put it simply, the Abyss is a massive leyline disorder. A day here is a month there. I'm not entirely sure why that specifically is, but the other part is that the Abyss is stuck in the Cataclysm. It plays in an endless loop, which is probably why the Abyss Order doesn't recognize anything it was before. It's been trapped in its moment of destruction for the last 500 years."

Childe caught Venti's eye, the bard's discomfort and distress oozing off in heavy waves. The look he gave Venti was something that could only be described as empathetic. Diluc signaled to Childe, a quick motion across his own neck, and Childe nodded slightly.

The others don't know. Got it.

"I... don't think this will help, but from what I understand, each Abyss creature's elements corresponds to how they died or were transformed." He looked away again, staring out the window. "So any Pyro beings should avoid him. In fact, he should be safe in any Pyro infused areas."

"Safe?" Diluc asked flatly.

"Using it in the loosest meaning here, Diluc." Childe shot back. "It's the fucking Abyss."

Lisa glanced at Diluc, almost amused, before standing up. "Do you think he'll be okay, Tartaglia?"

Childe hummed. "He won't come back the same. But I think he'll come back alive, maybe better off than I did. From what I hear, he was on his own a lot?"

An awkward silence descended upon the room and he scratched his head. "Fair enough..."

Venti suddenly stood and bolted out of the room, his lyre sitting abandoned on the table. The door swung against the wall with a hefty bang, and there was the distant sound of footsteps.

Diluc turned to Kaeya.

 "Kaeya, could you, Albedo, and Lisa go check on him? Maybe bring some water back after?" Kaeya raised an eyebrow, but nodded, motioning for Albedo and Lisa to follow.

As they leave, Lisa glanced back, sharing a look with Diluc as she closed the door. He kept his face level, refusing to give anything away. She shut the door softly with a click.

Jean looked between Diluc and Childe, opening her mouth to ask what was going on, but Childe spoke first. "I don't blame him for leaving. Knowing the full consequences of your actions, even if your hand was forced... it's not easy." He shuddered, memories floating back.

Jean relaxed. "So you know?"

"Signora bragged about stealing his gnosis for weeks." Childe sighed, rolling his eyes. "Zh- the Geo Archon told me all about Venti. I'm sure Venti was willing to part with his gnosis, which is why he didn't fight back."

"The Geo Archon?" Diluc said.

"Oh, he's alive. Just don't tell anyone. Would never hear the end of it from him." Jean laughed, amused at the thought of a Fatui Harbinger being lectured. Even Diluc was grinning.”He talks enough as is.”

Jean sat down, sighing. "So, Tartaglia..."

"You can just call me Childe."

Jean blinked, but nodded. "Childe. Do you have any ideas on how to help Bennett?"

"Beyond fighting." Diluc added quickly. Childe shot him a glare, seemingly more annoyed than offended.

"There's going to be a fight, even if you don't want there to be one. The Abyss Order doesn't like letting go of those they capture and won't go down without a fight. But," he ran a hand through his hair, "yes. I have ideas, the execution will have to be up to..." Childe paused, seeming to struggle.

"Chance?" Jean said.

"No, uh… Lisa and Albedo?" He glanced between the two for confirmation. "I'm not very good with names..." he mumbled, a blush appearing on his face.

Diluc smiled, playfully punching Childe on the shoulder. Childe grunted, shoving him back. "I understand. They'll have to handle the more technical parts?" Jean asked, watching the two push each other back and forth.

"Exactly. They can probably make up a plan more qui- Would you stop ?" Childe whined.

After one more solid shove, Diluc stepped back and out of Childe's reach, leaving the younger man grumbling at the table. "You barely changed from when we were kids," Diluc said.

"Yeah, well, they don't call me 'Childe' for nothing."

"Would it be helpful to see where Bennett last was?" Jean asked, rolling her eyes at Diluc.

Childe looked at her, thinking. "Yes, but, I think we should wait for, uh-" He grinned awkwardly before clapping his hands together. “Venti.”

Jean nodded her understanding. "Some of Bennett's friends are out looking for him. Hopefully they have better luck than he does…" Jean sighed, staring out the window.

Chapter Text

The smell of sulfur and ashy seawater was near suffocating. The usual squirrels and sparrows that enjoyed frolicking in the area scurried off to a lighter environment with more room to breathe, and neither Razor nor Fischl blamed them. Whenever Razor took a deep breath, the hair on their arms would bristle and their nose would scrunch up.
Their elemental sight, combined with Oz’s elemental energy allowing him to tap into Ley Lines to a degree, had allowed them to track down where Bennett had last been: the Thousand Winds Temple. Razor distantly noted that this was where they had first met Bennett, back during the Windblume festival, while they searched for any sort of puzzle, hint, whatever, that would lead them to Bennett.

It was a somewhat fruitless search, the adventurers up on the hill having no information for Razor and Fischl. Fischl seemed agitated by the two to begin with, and Oz quickly led them away.

“We will find him… right, Oz?”

“Mein Frauline…”
An alarmed shout from Diona alerted the search team, and they sprinted towards her, up on the hill.

Moments later, they began to run back down.

///

“I… uh, don’t suppose you’d consider letting me go?” Bennett laughed awkwardly, his back pressed harshly against a stone.
The Pyro Abyss Lector stared at him blankly, towering above him, before shrugging. “It makes no real difference to me. I have no quarrels about letting you go.” Bennett blinked in surprise, and the Lector continued to speak. “Well, I mean, the Abyss tends to take those it wants to extend its blessing to. You’ve already gotten it, but I don’t know why you’re not out. I never really paid attention to the details, you know?”
“Uh… blessing?”
“Oh, don’t worry about it too much. Celestia gives Visions, the Abyss gives… whatever. Depends on the person. You’ll be safe, I guess. I don’t know. Apple?” The Lector held an apple out to Bennett, who cautiously took it, unsure of how to react.
“Do you have a name?” Bennett asked slowly, his brain feeling scrambled.
“Oh, you can just call me Enjou. And you are?”
“Bennett.”
“Ah, nice to meet you, Bennett. Us Pyro fiends must stick together, right?”
“Uh-”
“Well, you’re not a fiend. Just affiliated with Pyro. Still! My point stands.” Bennett could hear the smile in Enjou’s voice, and he forced a smile in return.
“Thank you for the apple.”
“My pleasure! It’s been a while since I’ve had someone to talk to.” Enjou paused, making a soft noise. “Well, had someone who didn’t attack me immediately. I don’t enjoy fighting.”
Bennett laughed a bit. “I don’t think I could take you in a fight.” Enjou hummed in response before sitting (floating?) near Bennett, looking off in the distance. “Enjou… this isn’t the Abyss, is it?”
“An astute observation, my friend. No, this is not the Abyss. This is what you could call the Ancient Corridor. It’s the gateway between your realm and mine, where the Ley Lines draw their memories from.” Bennett scribbled this down in his journal, having never heard of it before. “If you’ve ever heard of the World Tree, this is one of the many little paths that happens between the shifts of each realm. It’s much calmer here, quieter, than some other places. I like to come here to think. Lots of spirits do as well.”
Before Bennett could think, he blurted out his next question. “Is there one named Clementine here?” Enjou tilted his head towards Bennett, who shrugged back bashfully. “Ah, sorry-”
“No, no need to apologize. I’m surprised you want to know more about this place, but also that you know of Clementine.” Bennett sat up eagerly, waiting for more information. “She’s lived here quite a long time and guides those who stumble in and out wherever they may need to be. She helped me find a book once. However,” Enjou paused, glancing towards the shimmering false Mondstadt, “I do believe she is resting. She banishes unwanted interlopers from this realm, and I imagine shooing my fellow Order members away has tired her out.”
Bennett hummed in response, leaning back against the rock. He tapped his pen against his journal a few times, absentmindedly doodling Enjou and the landscape next to the notes he’d taken.
The Ancient Corridor… hmm, I haven’t really ever heard Lisa talk much about the Ley Lines and World Tree. I know she’s mentioned it before… she probably knows a lot about it, though. Wait, isn’t there another witch in Mondstadt who I’ve heard talk about this? Ugh… what’s her name… Mina… Margot… Mona! That’s it! Mona! I’ll have to ask her about this, too!
Lost in his thoughts, Bennett didn’t notice Enjou drawing in the dirt. He glanced over to see some odd designs, ones that looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t place them. “What’s that from?” he asked quietly, leaning closer.
“Ah, the old home of a... friend . She painted these exquisite frescos, you should really see them. If they’re still intact, that is.”
“Where is it?”
“I don’t know what it’s called now, but it’s a mountain between Mondstadt and Liyue. It used to be called Vindagnyr. “ Enjou sighed sadly as he drew a four pointed star overlooking a cavern. “Before we had to move to Khanrei’ah, we lived there. It was wonderful, watching the sunrise from the top. Even though Kahnrei’ah was more central in Teyvat, seeing the whole world… there was something special about it.”
A memory stirred deep within Bennett’s mind. “Vindagnyr… I think that’s called Dragonspine now. It was destroyed by the Skyfrost Nail.” Enjou nodded, and Bennett continued. “Khanrei’ah… is that where the Chasm is now?”
“Mmm… I believe it would be, if there’s another Nail there, or lots of Field Tillers. We kept trying to defend ourselves from Celestia, but it never worked.”
Quietly, Bennett heard Enjou whisper, “I don’t know what we did wrong.”
Knowing the difficulty of hard memories, Bennett awkwardly patted Enjou’s shoulder before thinking more about the paintings he had mentioned. “I think the paintings are still there. Last time I went up, I saw some.”
Enjou jolted. “Really? Oh, that’s wonderful news! She worked so hard on them, I’d hate for them to be destroyed. I’ll have to try and get up there someday, see them for myself.” Enjou glowed brighter, the odd halo behind him seeming to flare in time with what Bennett assumed would be a heartbeat. Bennett’s own heart felt lighter at the sight of his new friend’s happiness.
Is Enjou a friend? He definitely doesn’t seem to be very… threatening. He could still probably kill me without much effort, but he hasn’t tried… yet.
“I hope you can get there sometime soon. The mountain really is pretty.” Bennett said, looking up towards the sky. “It’s calming. But it’s cold.”
Enjou began to hum a song, his mood having definitely lifted at the news of the paintings still intact. Bennett was sure he had heard the song before, but he couldn’t tell. Instead, he bobbed his head in time, taking a moment to sit quietly and think.
His injuries hadn’t worsened, thankfully. They still hurt, and would absolutely need serious tending once he was home. But his head wasn’t throbbing as intensely, and he felt better than he had earlier.
However, Bennett was tired. His body ached with sheer exhaustion, but he didn’t know if he could sleep. Not just out of a cautious distrust of Enjou, but he didn’t know what could happen if he did sleep. Would he even wake up, if he did?
“I have to go, but it has been wonderful spending time with you, young friend.” Enjou said suddenly, making Bennett jump. “Ah- sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Yeah, uh- is something happening?” Anxiety curled in Bennett’s stomach, but eased as Enjou shook his head.
“No, nothing bad at least. You have some friends coming to see you, and it would not end well if I were here when they arrived. Do take care, and… don’t forget what we’ve talked about. Or me, if you don’t mind.” Enjou said. “It’s not often I make friends! Or at least, ones who don’t attack me.”
Bennett smiled, nodding. “I’ll make sure I don’t.”
“Ah, well, thank you. That means a lot to me. Also, follow the crystalfly, if you will.”
“The what?” Bennett looked around, trying to see what he meant. When he turned back, Enjou was gone, and he was alone again. He glanced over at Enjou’s drawing, and flipped his journal to a new page to copy it into his memory, scribbling a doodle of Enjou and underlining Abyss Lector Enjou.
Sighing, Bennett leaned back and closed his eyes. He was so tired, he started to wonder if he was just hearing things. But then… he listened closer. He could definitely hear the sound of bells twinkling… a crystalfly. Shakily, Bennett got to his feet, his knees popping angrily as he did so. He hissed, internally telling his joints to be quiet in case it wasn’t a crystalfly.
Sitting on a stone nearby was a brilliant blue crystalfly, one of the wings shredded. Moving closer, Bennett could hear it singing, a gentle breeze brushing across his face.

He knew her.
Tears ran down his face, and he smiled.
Another wind blew under the crystalfly’s wings, and it floated slowly towards another rock before turning back towards Bennett, waiting for him to follow.
So follow is what he did.

Chapter Text

He knew he couldn’t bring Clementine back with him, yet the desire to do so still burned within Bennett’s chest as he stared at the doorway that stood between him and Teyvat.

Bennett spent as much time with her as possible, sketching her out from various angles, taking notes of how she responded to him (glowing brighter, jingling, or whistling), and even took a moment to figure out what she missed about Mondstadt. He wrote messages from her to carry to Andrius and Dvalin, and one to leave at Windrise. She told him (which was more him asking questions about plants and she responded with her whistles or glows) about what she liked in terms of plants. Surprisingly enough, she preferred wolfhooks over dandelions, something Bennett knew he had to tell Razor immediately , and wherever crystalflies were was where she would nap. She loved to hang around Seelies. Years ago, when she had still been alive, he presumed, she had gotten to taste lavender melons from Inazuma and preferred those to apples or sunsettias. Clementine was apparently also on good terms with Enjou, as he was mostly a pacifist who didn’t seem quite loyal to the Abyss Order. He managed to write down the notes to a song she hummed, rough as it was, one that he would ask a bard to sing once he was back.

But now, it was time for him to leave.

And despite everything, Bennett was hesitant. Did he really want to leave?

I’ve really only met two others here… but they’ve never been angry at me. They’ve been so nice and encouraging…

A gust of air blew against his back, and Clementine thunked against him gently, urging him forward. He turned to her, his heart in knots, before nodding.

“Thank you… for everything.” he paused, his Vision flaring as he took a deep breath. “I’ll take these notes to Andrius and Dvalin, and I’ll make sure our librarian- her name’s Lisa, you would love her- I’ll make sure she writes everything down for you! I’ll bring the crystalflies some wolfhook and if I get to Inazuma, I can get some lavender melon! And- and there’s a bard named Venti. He has an Anemo Vision. I’ll make sure he sings this song!” Clementine seemed to glow brighter than he’d seen, whistling a laugh at the mention of the odd bard that always hung around Windrise.

“He- uh… ok, this is silly, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s Barbatos, you know? He looks like all the statues and he plays a lyre and everything! Plus, Barbara, she told Fischl that he broke into the cathedral and said he’s Barbatos and I don’t know, like, that sounds like something Barbatos would do. I mean, obviously I don’t know him, but-”

Clementine hummed at him, and he blushed.

“Oh- I won’t say anything! I’m sure it’s… a whole thing.” Bennett laughed awkwardly, feeling embarrassed. “It makes sense though, he looks exactly like the statues…”

Razor said that Venti had summoned Dvalin once. Who else could he be? Duh. Think, Benny! Think!

Clementine whistled her song at him again, and he lowered his head. “Thank you, for everything.” he said. She gently landed against his forehead for a moment, before fluttering backwards, waiting. “And… if you see Enjou, tell him thank you for me, if it’s not too much trouble.” Clementine whistled, and he smiled, turning towards the door.

A heavy breath filled his lungs, and he stepped through.

The first thing Bennett noticed was the distinct smell of fresh air and ocean breeze, old stone and moss. The second thing Bennett noticed was how fast the sunlight on his face vanished and a heavy weight sent him to the ground.

A weight that was very, very obviously Razor, huffing and grumbling as they hugged Bennett, rolling the two around in the grass. Their hair tickled Bennett’s face, a wolfhook scratching his cheek, and he laughed, hugging his friend. “Hey, Razor.” he wheezed, Razor’s arms squeezing tighter around Bennett’s ribs.

“Bennett. Returned.” Razor grunted, pressing their face against Bennett’s. “Smell not like Bennett. Razor fix.”

“I’ll just smell like you now.”

“Good.”

Bennett smiled, gently pushing at Razor’s shoulder so he could sit up. Instead, Razor dragged him up with them, humming happily as Bennett fully entangled himself in the embrace. Moments later, another pair of arms threw themselves around him.

“Where have you been, Bennett?” Diona hissed. The tears Bennett felt on his collarbone betrayed Diona’s anger, though her tail still angrily thwap’d against his leg. “I've been so worried! I could hear you, but I couldn’t see you, and I didn’t know what to do so I thought…” Diona trailed off, a pitiful mew leaving her throat as she weakly punched his shoulder.

A lump formed in Bennett’s throat, and he hugged Diona tightly. “It’s hard to explain… like, it’s a really really long story.”

“Bennett!” Fischl’s voice pierced through the air, and Diona and Razor pulled away just as Fischl barreled into him. “I thought we had lost you, don’t ever vanish like that again!” she wailed, ruffling his hair in frustration. 

The tears finally began to fall from Bennett’s face, and he hugged Fischl, too. “I’m sorry, I’m back now, I’m back.” he mumbled. His head was hurting again, and for a moment he felt like he would pass out. “I’m… I’ll tell you the whole story later, I don’t feel so good, honestly.”

Immediately, the three began to fuss over Bennett, inspecting him for injuries. None of them noticed the adults approaching them, a tall ginger leading the way.

“Well, now this is certainly a surprise!” a cheerful voice called. Bennett looked up, staring blankly before turning to Fischl.

“Uh, who-?”

Diluc knelt down in front of Bennett, inspecting a bruise on the boy’s head as he spoke. “This is Childe, a childhood friend of mine and Kaeya’s. We called him here to help find you since he had some… experience with situations like these. How’s your head? Any other injuries?”

Bennett swallowed, quickly taking in the information (and the Fatui mask on the side of the man’s head) before shrugging. If Diluc and Kaeya trusted him, then he must be alright. “Nice to meet you, Childe. Uh, none that I can think of? Mostly my head, and my back, I guess.”

Childe knelt down next to Diluc, shoving him playfully as he stared at Bennett. “I’m impressed, you came back mostly unscathed.” There was obvious, genuine respect in his voice, and Bennett smiled.

“I actually got these before I got there, for the most part. I didn’t really get any when I was there.” Childe’s eyes widened, and he grinned. Before he could speak, Diluc shoved him back.

“Do not get any ideas.”

“I didn’t even say anything!” Childe whined, pushing Diluc. “You’re so mean -”

“You don’t need to. I know what you’re thinking.”

Jean sighed, stepping between the two to keep them away from each other. “I’m glad to see you’re back, Bennett. Barbara’s been preparing a healing salve for you, and your,” Jean paused, playing with her sleeve as she thought, “room. Not at the Cathedral, though. Diluc has a spare room at the Winery for you to relax in. We thought it’d be a little nicer than being stuck in the middle of the city.”

Kaeya and Albedo helped Bennett to his feet, Razor nearby as he stood. Lisa hummed, giving Bennett a quick hug. “It’s good to see you back, sweetie. We’ve all been so worried.” Bennett nodded weakly. He could feel a slight head rush coming as he steadied himself. Taking deep breaths, he glanced around, trying to fully take in his surroundings.

“Ah, Lisa, Albedo, I took some notes on what I saw for you. I thought you’d find it interesting.” Bennett said, leaning into Kaeya’s side. He blinked slowly, hoping to ease the dizziness. Vaguely, he heard Albedo say something, but he couldn’t quite catch what it was. “Wait, where’s- where’s Venti? And- well, actually it might be better that Klee isn’t here…”

Bennett could easily see Klee knocking him to the ground in excitement and braining him on the nearest rock on accident. As much as he wanted to see the Spark Knight, he didn’t want to get more injuries. Or for her to accidentally hurt herself.

Diluc, having finished another shoving match with Childe, took Bennett’s bag as he helped him sit down again. “Venti needed a bit of time. He got a little panicked about the Abyss and needed to calm down. Klee, on the other hand, is currently at the Winery. I asked her to help Barbara. Once I see Venti, I’ll send him your way.”

Weakly, Bennett nodded. He hadn’t realized how badly his head was hurting. After a few moments of recuperation and Jean patching him up, the group started off towards the Dawn Winery.

Childe occasionally would pick fights with hilichurls he saw, to which Diona almost immediately began reprimanding him for his bow abilities. She even demonstrated on the next group of hilichurls, making a point to explain to him that his posture was, as she put it, “absolutely horrible and disgusting,” saying that he obviously needed lessons from her and Amber, and that he should be ashamed to have “such a high position and be unable to wield a bow in its most basic form.” The Harbinger seemed to take Diona’s advice to heart, as he asked her for tips as they continued walking.

It was amusing to see how well he and Diona got along, actually. They chatted away about fishing, archery, and hunting, and when the topic of alcohol came up, Childe encouraged her on her quest before quickly steering the conversation back to something else. Quietly, Bennett was grateful that the two were so talkative so that he didn’t have to talk at all. It was also nice to just… listen. He was tired, and just being there, listening, feeling the wind on his face, Razor’s hand in his, Fischl’s hand on his shoulder, and the ground under his feet…

He had never felt more blessed.

A tear fell down his cheek.

Home. It was so good to be home.

Chapter Text

Two months passed before Bennett was able to adventure like he had before- before the Ancient Corridor, before his attempt.

He was wary of the Thousand Winds Temple, and of the Sundial. He wondered about the God of Time who he had never heard of properly until his first solo adventure out again, when he made his way to an island off the coast.

Bennett found himself spending time on his own, learning to play an ocarina he had bought from Marjorie. He would sit under Windrise and practice, noticing the crystalflies hovering and listening to his song. At one point, Venti had come to help him learn, stating he knew all the instruments in the world. “Well, I would expect that of you, you know?” Bennett said jokingly.

A long pause had ensued, before Venti whispered, “Who told you?”

The bard grinned wide when Bennett told him a little wind spirit named Clementine did, and the two deciphered the song she would sing together.

Kaeya had taken it upon himself to help Bennett with the sword again, not hesitating to compliment him on his improvements, and Diluc would occasionally join them with teaching Razor more claymore skills.

Lisa and Albedo had excitedly poured over the information Bennett gave them, adding it to the known knowledge of the Abyss, and to what they had learned from Childe. “This opens so many new possibilities for research. I’ll have to contact the Akademiya.” Lisa said, smiling. “Oh, Razor, you can’t eat that-”

Bennett found himself meeting with Rosaria still to sit together. Occasionally, he would light her cigarette, and she would snort out a quiet, “Show off,” before thanking him. Dragonspine became a favorite spot for Bennett- though he wondered about the murals Enjou’s friend had painted.

Maybe Albedo could help conserve them?

Childe wrote letters to Bennett, at one point saying he had a brother who was about Bennett’s age, and that he thought the two would get along. He also wrote to Diona- who apparently regularly scolded him and asked him to tell his superiors to make sure his posture was correct. Bennett laughed when Diona told him this, and she huffed. “There is nothing funny about proper posture in archery,” she yelled, stomping her foot.

Still, the dark would creep in, and Bennett would sit alone some nights, trying to force them away, or just let them pass. He found himself prone to wandering eventually, and he started thinking he should go on another adventure outside of Mondstadt. Maybe Inazuma? Apparently the Sakoku Degree had been lifted, and adventurers were returning to the nation. He could try lavender melons, and maybe visit his friends in Liyue again.

Hm… wasn’t Barbara talking about visiting Xinyan again?

…couldn’t hurt to ask.

Chapter Text

Two months later, Bennett was adventuring again like he used to. Things had changed, in ways he didn’t really expect them to.
Diona and Childe exchanged letters, and Bennett got some from the Harbinger every so often as well. He wrote to the friends he made in Liyue much more as well. Venti and Bennett, while not close, became friends over Clementine’s song. Every Tuesday, the two sing her song together.
Razor went into the city more often, specifically to see Bennett, whose sword skills had massively improved thanks to Diluc and Kaeya. Albedo and Lisa turned Bennett’s knowledge, from his memory and journal, into a sort of booklet to reference.
The sky seemed brighter, the winds more gentle, the birds singing louder.
When Bennett slept, he could feel a crystalfly with a damaged wing resting on his hand.
Things stayed the same, too. His luck was still bad. The adventurers in the guild still got frustrated with him. Katheryne still greeted him the same, though she seemed to have more of a twinkle in her eye.
Bennett was able to go to Inazuma, eventually. With him, he brought back lavender melons, a few that Sucrose planted in order to have an easily accessible supply. The ones that weren’t planted were cut up and placed wherever he could find crystalflies.
This… this was home.

Chapter Text

Legs dangling off the edge of a cliff as she watches the stars, a hand outstretched towards one flying across the sky.

"Are you scared? To die?" a solemn boy asks.

She laughs, a musical sound, as she tosses her hair out of her eyes again. "No one truly dies, as long as they're remembered by a single soul."

The boy sits next to her, nodding. "I won't forget you, I promise." He waits for while. "So, you're not scared?"

"I am. But... it's okay. The world is beautiful, and I've seen all I can. The next one will be even more so."

She smiles again. "Don't worry! Next time, we can explore the woods more. It'll be even bigger than it is now, I bet!"

He laughs, "Promise?"

"I promise."

Centuries later, two adventurers stumble through the woods, laughing. One has long hair, tangling in the wolfhooks, and the other has a bandage across his nose as he falls over his own feet, again.

They think that something about this is familiar. A solemn moment of yearning. A memory of a Wolven guardian and spirit of hope from an era buried under heartache.

The feeling is fleeting, much like a crystalfly, and the world continues on.