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Chapter Text

            Diluc looks up and frowns when the door to Angel’s Share flies open, not two minutes after the tavern has officially opened for the day. His frown deepens when he sees it’s not Nimrod or one of the Four Drunkards of Mondstadt as he might have expected, but his semi-estranged brother instead.

            He hasn’t seen much of Kaeya since that mess during Ludi Harpastum, barring the afternoon Kaeya spent loitering here when he returned Diluc’s Vision in that Archons ugly vase. (Which reminds Diluc, he still needs to throw that damn thing out.) Diluc actually might not be opposed to seeing Kaeya more often for things that aren’t work/emergency/fate of Mondstadt related . . . however that is exactly the sort of thing that Kaeya is here for today. Diluc can tell at a glance.

            Kaeya always seems so well put together. He lies as easily as he breathes and he’s practically become the cool, collected mask that he wears. Unless you know him, you’ll never know when something’s wrong with him. Not unless he wants you to.

            It’s kind of funny that Diluc knows Kaeya better now that they’re estranged than he did growing up . . . but that’s not important right this moment.

            “What’s the matter with you?” he asks, as Kaeya strides to the bar.

            “Nothing’s the matter with me, Diluc,” Kaeya says, looking him dead in the eye. “I don’t need your help. There’s no one in the world I trust less than you. I never liked you anyway.”

            Diluc blinks and tries to figure out what exactly brought this on . . . but nope. He’s got nothing.

            “What?” he finally asks.

            “I don’t need your help,” Kaeya repeats, looking at him intently. “Just like I didn’t need your help with the Black Fire incident. I do not need it now.”

            “Is this your roundabout way of trying to ask for my help?” Diluc asks. “With some sort of reverse psychology gimmick?”

            “Nope. Definitely not,” Kaeya says, through gritted teeth, and yeah, something weird is definitely going on. “Hey, you know how you like to say that you can only trust half of what I say, if that? Have you ever stopped to wonder how it would be if you couldn’t trust anything I said, at all?”

            Diluc stares hard at him. It hasn’t escaped his notice that the last thing Kaeya just asked was, well, a question. Two questions, actually, but connected ones. Inquiries rather than assertions or statements. So, by their very nature, neither true nor false. Everything else he said on the other hand . . .

            “Are you trying to tell me . . . that you are literally incapable of telling the truth right now?” Diluc asks incredulously, because that’s what everything’s adding up to.

            Kaeya’s expression of relief is his answer, and his words (kind of) confirm Diluc’s theory. “Nope. That’s not what I’m saying at all.”

Chapter Text

            “So . . . how exactly did this happen?” Diluc asks.

            He’s locked the doors and put up the Closed signs. Kaeya’s taken a seat at the table closest to the door and served himself a drink. Diluc sinks into the empty chair, not exactly sure what he’s in for, but . . . well.

            “It’s not like this is a mission report I turned in to Jean or anything,” Kaeya says, and shoves some wrinkled pages across the table.

            Diluc smooths them out and starts to read. The date of the incident in question is three days ago, he notices . . . and he’s not sure if that’s right or not, because it’s at the top of the page, and at the point Kaeya wrote it he could technically have just been writing down a date, not reporting on what happened on said date. It seems like this . . . curse? Condition? Whatever it is, it seems like there are conditions to it and Kaeya’s already figuring out ways to get around them.

            Well, if the date is accurate . . . that’s the only thing in this report that’s accurate. Because from sentence one, it quickly devolves into a grandiose work of fiction. The absurdity of it is almost enough to make Diluc laugh.

            “Did you really turn in an official report to Jean claiming . . . that you are a red-haired Adventurer who, three days ago, got shipwrecked on a cursed island inhabited by dinosaurs?”

            “No,” says Kaeya, which Diluc translates to, “Yes.”

            “Right . . . Okay. Did the incident that caused this to happen to you occur three days ago?”

            “No.” Yes again.

            “ . . . And you just now noticed, after three days, that you’re incapable of doing anything but lying? Or did you start off okay but gradually devolved to this point?”

            “I do know the answer.”

            Kaeya doesn’t know the answer.

            “If you had to guess?”

            “The latter.”

            The former then.

            “You think you went three whole days without telling the truth once and didn’t notice?” Diluc asks incredulously.

            Kaeya hesitates for a moment. Then asks a question. “Did you happen to notice two nights ago when I was in Cat’s Tail and Margaret asked what I would like to drink? Did you hear me say ale?”

            Diluc is silent for a moment, processing what Kaeya’s just said. “Did it work? What you just tried to do?”

            “No.” Kaeya looks mildly relieved.

            “So, you were in Cat’s Tail two nights ago?”

            “No.”

            “And Margaret did ask what you wanted to drink.”

            “No.”

            “And you said ale.”

            “No.”

            Kaeya’s not really a fan of ale. He’ll drink most any kind of alcohol, Diluc knows, and according to his network, Kaeya drank a lot of ale the year after Diluc left Mondstadt. Going for quantity rather than quality most likely. He prefers wines or spirits. So, when asked what he would like to drink, Kaeya had been forced to name a beverage he didn’t want to drink. He probably just shrugged it off at the time, but is now using that incident as evidence for how long this has been going on.

            “Do you know what this is? This condition? Or curse? It’s up to you to figure out a way to get me the information I need to help – to put a stop to this nonsense. I’m not going to spend all week playing this lying game just to try to figure out what happened.”

            Kaeya has a knapsack. Diluc notices now for the first time. Maybe he only just summoned it . . . but Diluc recognizes it as the one Kaeya always used when the two of them used to venture out on adventures when they were younger. Long hikes and camping excursions. From it Diluc can surmise Kaeya’s planning on going on a trip now. Most likely he’s hoping to drag Diluc along with him.

            From his knapsack he pulls out a book. An old one. It looks like it’s from the Ordo’s library, possibly even the restricted section. Diluc refrains from asking any questions about it, for the moment. He doesn’t think the answers are worth the delay, nor does he particularly care if Kaeya checked this book out through the proper channels.

            “There’s nothing useful in this,” Kaeya mutters, perhaps because his affliction requires him to. He flips through it to a page he’s marked with a scrap of paper.

            On the page are woodcut prints of seven . . . Abyssal beings, Diluc supposes is the best term for them. At least that’s what he thinks they are. He thinks he recognizes one as an Abyss Herald. The others he’s unsure of, but elemental symbols are stamped above each one, giving the impression that they’re all of the same ilk, like Abyss Mages are. Diluc notices that on the scrap of paper Kaeya used to mark the page, there’s a hastily drawn electro symbol, so he checks the corresponding Abyssal being.

            “Abyss Lector . . . Is that what did this to you?”

            “No,” Kaeya says. Then, he flips several pages and taps a passage on the page, indicating he wants Diluc to read.

            The pages that they skipped seem to be details about the other Abyssal beings, but the Lector is the only important one right now . . . and on the scrap of paper marking this page, Kaeya’s written, “ELECTRO SEQUELA,” giving Diluc an idea of what to skim through the page for.

            “ . . . in rare cases, victims who survive being struck by the Abyss Lector’s most powerful attacks develop a battery of symptoms that grow progressively worse. These electro sequela are caused by aberrant stimulation of the brain by electro pulses and begin with an inability to tell the truth about any matter, no matter how important or trivial. Without proper treatment, the victim’s brain continues to deteriorate, causing debilitating headaches, stutters or slurred speech, shortness of breath, muscle spasms and tremors, blindness, seizures, heart failure, and stroke . . . eventually leading to death.” Diluc looks sharply at Kaeya, then away, before he can meet his eye. Another marker in the book catches his eye, and he flips to it . . . and holds back a sigh of relief. Because on the page Kaeya’s marked is a recipe for, “Elixir to Counter Electro Sequela.”

            The alchemy process seems easy enough, Diluc sees. Not beginner stuff by any means, but well within both his and Kaeya’s abilities. The ingredients on the other hand . . . some of those could be a problem. Especially for a cryo allogene.

            “A Hoarfrost Core . . . that’s easy enough at least,” Diluc says, mostly to himself. “Eternal water, though?”

            “Hopkins sells it.”

            “No, he doesn’t,” Diluc says absently, on principal. It does sound familiar though. Something about it tugs at his memory. A flash of cryo light catches his eye and he looks up as Kaeya sets down a tiny Oceanid he just sculpted out of ice. “Oh, that’s right. Cleansing Hearts are also known as eternal water.”

            He skims over the rest of the list. The Crystalline Bloom from a Cryo Hypostatis could be trouble. He’s heard of sightings on Dragonspine, but Diluc has never personally ventured that far onto the mountain before. Kaeya probably has better intel, though, and even with this electro sequela, he’s resourceful enough to find a way to let Diluc know what he needs to. Shivada Jade slivers shouldn’t be a problem. They’ll probably collect some at the same time as the Hoarfrost Core and Crystalline Bloom. Mist Flower Corollas, well, Diluc’s got those right here in Angel’s Share, chilling some of the wines and ingredients right now. Loach pearls they’ll have to trek all the way to Dihua Marsh for, but that’s doable, so long as Kaeya doesn’t deteriorate too quickly.

            The only thing on the list that Diluc thinks will really be a problem is the Juvenile Jade.

            “Isn’t Juvenile Jade the crystal that’s inside Geovishaps, that’s supposed to replace their hearts once they’re powerful enough?” Diluc asks.

            “Nope.”

            “If I remember right, it’s only found in the really big ones. The Primo Geovishaps . . . and they haven’t been seen in centuries.” Diluc frowns. The hatchlings aren’t too hard to find, but from what Diluc’s read, they don’t have the Juvenile Jade crystals in their bodies. Even the normal large Geovishaps are supposed to be impossible to find these days, but they wouldn’t work anyway. They need a Primo or his brother’s going to die . . .

            “I have no idea where to find one.”

            Diluc’s eyes snap back to Kaeya. “Some people believe they’re extinct, but you just happen to know exactly where to find one?”

            “Nope.” Kaeya smirks.

            Diluc sighs. “This is infuriating. The only reason I’m helping you is to put a stop to this lying nonsense.”

            Never mind that if he doesn’t, the nonsense will stop on its own since Kaeya will, in fact, die.

            Kaeya’s smirk changes to a knowing smile. “Who’s lying now?”

I’ll be updating this fic every day until it’s done. Special thanks to the one who made it possible for me to write more this month!

Come find me on Twitter for sneak peeks of upcoming chapters: https://twitter.com/StrangeDiamond5

Chapter Text

            Not being able to tell the truth is actually not that strange for Kaeya. He lived under the pall of his own lies for years when Crepus was alive. Come to think of it, not much has changed since then. Diluc’s the only one who knows Kaeya’s original purpose in Mondstadt. He hasn’t confessed that to anyone else. Not even Jean.

            Kaeya lies a lot, and he knows it. Some of it’s because of his job. He can’t exactly go around telling people he’s the Ordo’s Spymaster, or anything related to that fact. Other lies are told out of convenience, to make his life easier, avoid ruffling feathers and such. Then others are just habit. When people ask him how he is, he’s hardly going to tell them how he really is. That’s one of those questions people don’t really want an honest answer to anyway.

            He will admit, however, that having to lie about absolutely everything is odd, even for him . . . but he can only admit that to himself because if he voices that opinion, it will come out as a lie.

            He’s figuring out workarounds to his condition, however. He might not be able to tell Diluc where the monsters they need to fight are, for example, but nothing stops him from putting down a map in front of his brother with big red X’s at each location, and lines connecting them to chart out their optimal route. It seems like this lying curse is sort of like a filter between his brain and his mouth . . . and he supposes his hands as well, since when he tries to write it comes out all wrong too. He can also deliberately lie, knowing that Diluc will take his statement’s opposite meaning, and he can ask questions to get what he wants across. He can even use sarcasm, since the words he speaks are still false, even though his tone reveals his real meaning. Perhaps, most importantly of all, he can stay silent when asked questions. Nothing forces him to answer, though sometimes refusing to answer is an answer in and of itself.

            . . . There’s a lot that Diluc could learn from him if he asks the right questions. Things he otherwise would probably never know, or at least not be sure of. Kaeya’s aware of that . . . but he’s actually okay with it. Maybe there’s a part of him that actually hopes Diluc will try to exploit his situation. At least then he’ll know . . . know that Kaeya’s sorry and that . . . well, know a lot of things that might make things better between them.

            If Diluc has grand plans to take advantage of Kaeya’s situation, however, he gives no sign of them. He has a word with Patton, who comes inside to cover the bar, then he leaves with Kaeya.

            “Do we need to buy provisions?” Diluc asks.

            “Yes,” Kaeya says, though what he means is no. “I didn’t bother packing anything before I came to find you.”

            Diluc takes that to mean that he’s already gathered everything they’ll need. Which he has. So, they’re able to head straight out of Mondstadt

            They go after the Cryo Regisvine for the Hoarfrost Core first. It’s the item that’s most out of their way, the one that doesn’t line up with the others on the path Kaeya’s mapped out for them, so it makes the most sense to get it now, since it’s near their starting point, rather than doubling back for it at the end. Kaeya hopes to alchemize the antidote as soon as they have the final ingredient, and the furthest one away is on the other side of Liyue. Needless to say, it will be a few days. Kaeya’s not sure how long he has before his electro sequela gets worse, but he’s very much hoping to get it cured before it reaches the heart attack, stroke, and death phase.

            So Kaeya and Diluc head toward the cavern just north of the Falcon Coast, where cryo energy wells up from the earth, and Cryo Regisvines are known to spawn.

            They travel in silence, at least for this first stretch of their trip. Any conversation Kaeya tried to carry would be confusing anyway, and Diluc . . . well, he barely tolerates Kaeya on a good day.

            It’s annoying how most of the ingredients can only be obtained from monsters that would give Kaeya a hard time if he was alone. The Cryo Regisvine and Hypostasis he could only beat by . . . well, by beating them to death with his sword. Since they’re cryo based, they’d resist his elemental attacks, making his Vision pretty useless. It would take forever and he’s not positive he could actually win. The Oceanid is the only one he’ll have an advantage against. As far as the Primo Geovishap . . . well, he’s not sure what to expect from it. Its location and how to get to it are all he really knows . . . but he will need his cryo Vision for that.

            “I want you to stay back,” Diluc says, as they approach the Cryo Regisvine cavern, startling Kaeya slightly, for several reasons.

            For one, he hadn’t realized they were almost to their first monster. For another . . .

            “Why? Don’t tell me you’re worried about me?”

            “You’ve already got a brain injury . . . and you’re going to have to tell me where the devil you found an Abyss Lector once this is all over. Right now, though, I don’t need you getting any more injured and ending up dead weight. Let me deal with this overgrown weed and the Cryo Hypostasis. I’ll definitely need your help with the Oceanid, so save your strength for that.”

            “I don’t feel good now.” I feel fine right now. “I’ll hang back like you suggested.” I’m gonna fight!

            Diluc gives him a look, then sighs. “Just stay out of my way.”

            “Have you ever fought a Cryo Hypostasis before?” Kaeya asks.

            “No,” Diluc admits, “but I’ve taken down plenty of Cryo Regisvines.”

            “I’ll take the lead on this one,” Kaeya tells him.

            Diluc gives him the stink eye, even though he has to have translated that into, “I’ll let you take the lead this time.”

            “Just don’t take any stupid risks,” Diluc says, and storms on ahead, missing Kaeya’s indignant expression, because Kaeya doesn’t take stupid risks. All his risks are carefully calculated, thank you very much.

            The Cryo Regisvine sees them coming, though they fall silent and do their best to be stealthy as they approach. Once detected, Diluc gives up any pretense of sneaking and sprints forward, closing the distance as quickly as possible.

            “Pitfall!” Kaeya calls to Diluc, and summons cryo, forming a ramp dead ahead of his brother.

            Diluc doesn’t miss a stride, races right up the ramp, then leaps off, delivering a devastating plunging attack against the Regisvine.

            “Who says cryo is useless against a Cryo Regisvine?” Kaeya murmurs and draws his sword.

            Diluc is going to town with his searing flames, cleaving open the bud at the Regisvine’s base. Kaeya times his approach so that when he leaps off his cryo ramp, the Regisvine’s corolla has just hit the ground as the plant slumps over, vulnerable. His plunging attack takes a nice chunk out of it. He’s not nearly as effective as Diluc, with his flaming claymore, and the Regisvine does resist cryo since it’s cryo based, but when he throws in a few cryo attacks of his own, it combines nicely with Diluc’s pyro to make some melt reactions. Unlike slimes, and a few other monsters, Cryo Regisvines don’t have a permanent elemental status effect imbued upon them, so while Diluc’s pyro attacks are devastating, they don’t cause any elemental reactions. At least not until Kaeya adds his element into the mix. While his cryo attacks really don’t do much, the reactions they allow for are devastating, and the Regisvine never recovers. The Ragnvindr brothers don’t give it the chance to.

            It dies with a whimper and a shudder and leaves behind a pile of loot. Kaeya’s eye catches the glimmer of gemstones, amongst the other, less familiar objects.

            Diluc hurries over to secure their prize. There’s a tenseness in his expression that Kaeya doesn’t understand at first . . . until his face relaxes as he lifts up one of the items that the Regisvine left behind. A Hoarfrost Core.

            He’s worried about me, Kaeya realizes.

            He was worried they wouldn’t get what they needed from this Regisvine. Then they’d have needed to find another, which would have set them back considerably. Possibly too long. The book Kaeya found doesn’t give a timetable for how quickly his symptoms will progress. It doesn’t help that it took him three days to realize anything was wrong.

            Kaeya smiles at his brother. “Well, that sucked.”

            “Yes. It went well,” Diluc agrees, and maybe because he’s relieved about getting what they needed, he looks a little less grumpy than usual. He doesn’t smile, but he doesn’t look like he’s in a bad mood either, as he stoops again to retrieve the rest of the loot. “Shivada Jade slivers. Are these enough?”

            “Nope.”

            “Good. Also, a goblet . . . or drinking horn.”

            A Berserker’s Bone Goblet, Kaeya sees, and upon closer examination, his eye widens in surprise. Because it seems as though this one has cryo boosting properties.

            Diluc hands it to him. “Might come in handy against the Oceanid.”

            “Probably not, and I don’t need it,” Kaeya says. Then he grimaces and gives an apologetic shrug.

            Diluc snorts then pulls out their map. “Let’s keep moving.”

            The route Kaeya mapped out for them takes them south, down the Falcon Coast and across the shoals. Dragonspine is their ultimate goal, so Diluc expects them to have to climb some cliffs to get to its foothills, but instead Kaeya’s route leads them up a rugged path that’s not on the map, and to some ancient ruins from which a strong updraft of wind is rising. Riding that upward saves them quite a bit of time and effort . . . which is good, because by that time it’s getting dark . . . and it’s starting to rain as well.

            “We should make camp soon,” Diluc tells Kaeya as they trek on. It’s a little early, but they can’t venture up Dragonspine in wet, or even damp clothes. Better to waste a little time now than a lot of time tomorrow . . . assuming that the rain stops before tomorrow, but most likely it will. It’s rare that rain lasts too long in Mondstadt.

            “There aren’t any good camping spots this way,” Kaeya says as he takes the lead.

            So, Diluc follows him, closer to the mountain, toward the old broken bridge. Minutes later, they come upon some of the ancient stone ruins that are scattered all across Teyvat. This one seems a little less dilapidated than most of the others. Still not well preserved by any means, but you can actually tell the approximate shape of what the building used to be. Enough of one wall has survived that you can tell it was once at least two stories high, and there’s even a bit of an overhang that forms a roof. All in all, the perfect place for a small group of travelers to camp, sheltered from both the wind and the rain.

            “You seem to have learned your way around Mondstadt quite well,” Diluc says, grudgingly impressed that Kaeya even knew this place was here. He knew about that unmapped trail too, and the wind current . . .

            “It’s a perk of being the Cavalry Captain.”

            Diluc stiffens and looks at his brother sharply. “What?”

            Kaeya sighs. “It’s a perk of being the Cavalry Captain,” he repeats.

            Diluc’s mood darkens. Because . . . as far as he knows, that’s the truth. “Has your electro sequela suddenly gone into remission?”

            “Yes,” Kaeya mutters. Not that his answer proves anything. So, Diluc asks a better test question.

            “What season was it when you first came to Dawn Winery?”

            “Winter.”

            “So, it hasn’t gone into remission . . . do you not consider learning the lay of the land a perk of being the Cavalry Captain?”

            “It’s not like Varka took all the cavalry with him or anything,” Kaeya says.

            “Oh.” Maybe Kaeya doesn’t consider himself the Cavalry Captain because he has no cavalry to captain. That makes more sense. “Well, either way, you seem to have learned the countryside well enough. Better than I ever did.”

            Diluc was Cavalry Captain for about four years. Kaeya hasn’t been at his post nearly as long. As much as Diluc likes to speak disparagingly about the knights, and his brother in particular, for their work ethic, if he had the same sort of condition inflicted upon him as Kaeya has right now, it wouldn’t be too hard for anyone to figure out that he knows better. At least where Kaeya, Jean, and their immediate circle is concerned, things get done.

            Come to think of it . . .

            “Why did you come to me for help, Kaeya?” Diluc asks.

            Kaeya looks up from his self-appointed task of setting up a campfire. “No reason.”

            “Does Jean know what we’re doing?”

            “Yes.”

            “Why didn’t you go to her for help?” Diluc demands. “You could have the full power of the Ordo behind you.”

            Kaeya is silent for a moment. Figuring out how to answer, Diluc realizes. He waits as patiently as he can, then finally Kaeya asks, “Don’t you have any better questions you’d like to ask, Diluc?”

            “What?”

            “If I was in your shoes, I definitely wouldn’t take advantage of my condition to ask those questions I know have been haunting you. Nope, I wouldn’t do it . . . and that’s definitely not the main reason I came to you.”

            Diluc stares at him.

            “If you’re not going to ask me any real questions, would you mind lighting this up please?” Kaeya’s finished arranging the wood for their campfire, inside a ring of stones to contain it.

            Diluc touches it with a hand and summons flames to it. Then he takes a moment more to think things over before asking, “You came to me because you wanted me to take advantage of your inability to tell the truth? Which can essentially be flipped around to an inability to lie if you know how to translate your answers right?”

            “That’s not at all what I’m saying.”

            Diluc would be lying if he said it hadn’t crossed his mind to ask Kaeya a few of the questions that he’s wondered about over the years . . . but he’d intended to take the high road. If Kaeya’s offering, however . . .

            “Did you know about the Fatui’s plan to kill Father?”

            Kaeya’s face twists like he’s in pain. “Yes,” he chokes out, as if that one word is strangling him.

            Diluc feels something in him relax. “So, you didn’t know. You were in the dark, the same as I was.”

            “I hated Crepus.”

            “I know. I never doubted that. He loved you too, but I’m sure you know that.”

            Kaeya sighs.

            “If Khaenri’ah and Mondstadt were to go to war, who would you side with?”

            “Khaenri’ah,” mutters Kaeya, looking like he’s going to be sick.

            “Why? You’d really abandon your precious mission?”

            “Precious mission?” Kaeya’s voice trembles with anger, in a way Diluc has never heard before. “That mission was a blessing forced on me as a child. I definitely chose it. I always wanted to betray the nation that took me in with open arms, and gave me a home, accepted me as one of their own, and took care of me when I was at my lowest. I have every reason to pick Khaenri’ah over Mond. They’re so much more important to me. I’m gonna eat some worms!”

            Diluc blinks at that last statement, then understanding crosses his face as Kaeya pulls out an alcohol flask and takes a deep swig.

            “I wasn’t sure how you felt,” Diluc says, after several moments of silence stretch between them.

            “How could you?” Kaeya asks with a shrug, his anger waning.

            “So . . . when you confessed to me that night, why you actually came to Mondstadt . . . you were –”

            “Swearing my undying loyalty to Khaenri’ah.”

            “Why that night? Why then of all times?” Diluc demands.

            “I do know the answer to that.”

            “I needed you, you know,” Diluc tells him, staring at him hard. “I needed my brother. Then you went and . . . Then you . . .”

            “I’m . . . not . . . sorry, Diluc.”

            Diluc exhales.

            “I’m not sorry. I don’t want to make it up to you,” Kaeya says miserably.

            “It was messed up, you know. What you did.”

            Kaeya stays silent. Yeah, he definitely knows. He just doesn’t know what to say.

            Diluc doesn’t know what else to say either. He’ll probably think of plenty later, but for now . . . he just doesn’t want to have to think about this anymore.

            Without another word, he lays down and rolls onto his side, turning his back to Kaeya, and the fire.

            “I’m not sorry . . .” Kaeya says again.

            “Good night, Kaeya,” Diluc says curtly, signaling that their conversation’s at an end.

Chapter Text

            The next day dawns grey, but dry. There will probably be snowfall on the mountain, once they venture onto it, but at least here in the foothills, there’s no precipitation.

            Kaeya tries not to compare the cloudy, dreary sky to his mood, as he and Diluc break camp and get underway again. He really has no one to blame for his disappointment but himself. He did know that it wasn’t likely that things would become magically better between him and his brother once Diluc got answers (in a manner of speaking) to the questions that had probably been haunting him since Crepus’s death. Still, he’d hoped that might be the first step toward . . . healing or reconciliation. From Diluc’s reaction, however, Kaeya is forced to face the fact that things might never be good between them again. He already knew they’d never again be the same as they were before. They’re both too different for that now, but he thought that maybe they could start over, find a new normal, and . . . maybe be friends again.

            He holds back a sigh as they follow the river around the mountain, staying just out of the range of the sheer cold’s effect for as long as they can. It will have to be enough that Diluc dropped everything to come and help Kaeya save his life. He really can’t ask for more than that.

            Kaeya worries, a bit, that after last night, he and Diluc will be out of sync during their next fight. They’d done so well against the Cryo Regisvine together, even after years apart. It was almost like no time had passed at all. Their movements still complimented each other’s perfectly. Even though Kaeya didn’t have his Vision last time they fought side by side. He’s teamed up with other allogenes since getting his Vision, however, and while he prides himself on being very good at adjusting his fighting style to compliment his comrades’, his style and Diluc’s had synced up so effortlessly. Hopefully their conversation last night didn’t ruin that.

            “How exactly do you know there’s a Cryo Hypostasis here?” Diluc asks, speaking for the first time since last night when they finally reach the spot where they need to cross the river and head toward the mountain.

            “Do you really want to have to try and translate that story out of my lies?” Kaeya returns, tonelessly.

            “Huh. Fair enough,” Diluc concedes.

            They walk up a slope that was once a staircase, in ancient times, now worn away by the elements and dusted with snow. Proof that in time, everything rots, no matter how great it may have once been. Funnily enough, that doesn’t make Kaeya feel any better about either his relationship with Diluc or the current state of his brain.

            He’s pretty sure that it’s just in his head that he’s feeling a bit winded. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t worried about his electro sequela progressing . . . which means he could say that if he wanted to.

            “We’re lost,” Kaeya says, as they approach the site of the ancient ruins where a Cryo Hypostasis has been known to spawn.

            “Are you sure? There’s nothing here,” Diluc says . . . and he’s right, but Kaeya’s not worried.

            “Maybe a Cryo Regisvine ate it,” Kaeya suggests, and lengthens his stride, toward the circle. There are runic braziers there. Three of them. He actives them, one after another, walking the perimeter of the circle. “It’s not like this is another site where cryo energy is known to well up out of the ground . . . or the ruins below.”

            “There are ruins below us?”

            “Do you see that crack in the center of the circle?” Kaeya sighs as he activates the final runic brazier. “I definitely wasn’t hoping that the warmth of these ancient toasters would draw it out.”

            He’s learned that it’s best to lie deliberately. Otherwise, what comes out of his mouth tends to be ridiculous. At least when he lies intentionally, he has some control over it. It’s easiest for Diluc to understand what he means when he says the exact opposite of what he wants to.

            “Looks like that didn’t work.” Diluc studies the crack in the stones pensively. “I guess we’ve got no choice.”

            “We’re going to have to amputate.”

            “What?”

            Kaeya sighs and mentally reminds himself to lie. “I definitely didn’t mean to say we’re going to have to go down and look for it.”

            Diluc shakes his head. If Kaeya didn’t know better, he’d think that was a gleam of amusement in his brother’s eyes . . . of course after last night, he very much doubts that’s the case. It must just be the light.

            “You go first,” Kaeya says, but strides ahead, deliberately.

            “No, I’ll go first. You’re going to be useless against it.” Diluc edges in front of him.

            Kaeya shrugs, but follows right behind him. They drop off the ledge, into the pit. Unsure of how far of a drop they’ve got, Diluc activates his wind glider. Kaeya, on the other hand, does not. He lands first, in a crouch, then stands, sword drawn and ready to battle.

            There’s no sign of the hypostasis, however . . . but that doesn’t mean it’s not close by.

            Diluc lands lightly beside him and looks around the ancient room. Like the rest of these ruins, the elements and nature have staked their claims. Giant icicles hang from the ceiling and the stone walls are cracked and iced over, with frozen lumps of ice mixed with split stone at their bases. The floor is covered with grass and Starglow, so much that it has to have been growing here for decades, if not centuries. Warm light shines from various points around the room. Two from Warming Seelies, Kaeya sees, and a handful of others that might prove to be infinitely more useful. Scarlet Quartz. Excellent.

            “What’s that?” Diluc asks softly, once assessing that they’re in no immediate danger. Kaeya follows his gaze to the other side of the room, where one of two things must have caught Diluc’s eye. An ancient stone tablet with a glowing gold inscription stands near an unlit warming brazier.

            He doesn’t try and answer Diluc’s question. It was probably rhetorical anyway. Instead, he decides to try and talk tactics, as he trails behind Diluc, as his brother heads toward whatever caught his eye. Probably the monument.

            “This is actually not a good place to fight the hypostasis, if we can draw it here. Make sure you don’t break those red rocks because – Diluc!”

            The groan of ice cracking above them is the only warning they get. Kaeya uses his speed to close the distance between Diluc and himself, and crash into Diluc, knocking him out of harm’s way. That effectively kills his own momentum, but Kaeya makes it work for him, pitching himself backwards. Just far enough to avoid getting directly hit by the giant icicle as it crashes to the floor.

            “Kaeya? Kaeya!” Diluc’s scream is raw and wretched, and has Kaeya scrambling to his feet, ignoring how it stings wherever pieces of the frozen stalactite fractured off and pelted him. His brother is blocked from his view by the huge chunk of cryo, so Kaeya can’t see what’s wrong.

            “Are you hurt?”

            “I’m fine.” Diluc quickly appears around the side of the fallen icicle. “Are you okay?”

            “Meh,” Kaeya mutters, unsure of what will come out of his mouth if he actually tries to give a definite answer. Then something catches his eye and he draws his sword. “We don’t have anything better to worry about.”

            The Cryo Hypostasis descends, small and unassuming . . . but horribly cold. Kaeya doesn’t know if it was responsible for that frozen stalactite dropping or not, but either way, they’ve got a fight on their hands now.

            It looks harmless when it’s not in battle mode . . . just a pale blue octahedron hanging in the air for no reason, sucking all the warmth out of whatever twenty meter radius it happens to be within . . . but Kaeya knows that it’s going to turn real dangerous, real fast.

            “Want to light that brazier, Diluc?” Kaeya asks, because if he doesn’t, this is going to be a really short fight.

            Diluc complies, touching a searing hand to the warming brazier and sparking it to life before drawing his claymore.

            “Like I was saying earlier, don’t break those red rocks.”

            “Right.” Diluc moves to do just that.

            Kaeya circles in the opposite direction to break one for himself, and the warmth that floods him when his sword batters the stone open is divine. Of even greater importance, burning energy buzzes through his veins, coursing through his muscles, swirling around his body and his weapon.

            “What are these things?” Diluc asks aloud, as he too experiences the rush of warmth.

            “I’m not telling you later,” Kaeya says, then dives into the fight.

            It’s not as easy a battle as the Cryo Regisvine. Even with the warming energy coursing through them and strengthening their attacks, making even Kaeya’s sword slashes devastating to a cryo-based creature.

            The sheer cold is stronger around the hypostasis, for one thing. Without the warming buff that the Scarlet Quartzes give them, they probably wouldn’t last long. Especially not with only one warming brazier to fall back to. The low temperature saps their stamina, and Kaeya finds that without that, his speed drops sharply.

            For another, the hypostasis is solid has hell. It can take their hits, even Diluc’s searing flames, and it can deal out damage too. When it summons dozens of sharp icicles around itself like spokes of a wheel, and tries to roll them down, all they can really do is get out of the way if they don’t want to be cut to shreds. They don’t always manage to dodge in time, with the cold draining their stamina. The only consolation is that they give better than they get, and deal out a lot more damage than they receive.

            Kaeya’s hands are sore from using his sword to break quartzes, and his arms are ringing from the effort by the time they finally manage to grind down the Cryo Hypostasis’s defenses enough to get it on the ropes, but finally, finally, it activates it Glacial Shield and starts spitting out Frostfruits . . . and icicles that pretty much home in on them.

            “Don’t use your stamina to send these damn Frostfruits back at this thing!” Kaeya shouts to Diluc, then demonstrates to show him how it’s done. “Do as I say, not as I do!”

            “Got it!” Diluc calls, and sprints to another of the spiky ice clusters.

            “Hurry! Burn all your stamina to get to them because they don’t hang around long enough otherwise!” Kaeya snaps. What he really means is, “Don’t hurry. Don’t use up the stamina you’ll need to send the Frostfruit back at the hypostasis, because you do have time.” Not much time, but enough. If they have to sprint to reach a Frostfruit, then they’re not going to have enough time to return it to its sender anyway.

            Thankfully, it only takes three Frostfruits to break its shield.

            “Retreat!” Kaeya shouts to Diluc, signaling him to charge it. He, himself, is forced to delay his assault, and crack open another Scarlet Quartz. It’s a delay he feels is necessary. Otherwise, he’ll just be battering it with his sword, but with the quartz’s buff, even a glancing blow becomes devastating to a cryo-based creature.

            Diluc’s already laid into it pretty damn good by the time Kaeya arrives. He led with Dawn, then just kept hacking and slashing with his flaming greatsword. Kaeya joins in, his sword blazing with crimson warmth . . . then the Cryo Hypostasis turns from a shivering octahedron into a million tiny fragments that sublimate into the frigid air.

            A Crystalline Bloom is among the loot it leaves behind. Kaeya breathes a sigh of relief as he picks it up, securing it and the other articles the hypostasis dropped. Then he looks to Diluc, whose lips are turning purple from the cold. “Let’s stay awhile.”

            Diluc nods but heads toward the warming brazier first, which, Kaeya thinks, is both a good idea, and a cover so that he can get a look at the monument that caught his eye earlier.

            “ . . .without result or reply, Varuch proceeded on to the summit . . .” Diluc reads. The rest is worn away, another victim to time.

            “There aren’t any others,” Kaeya says.

            Diluc looks at him quizzically.

            “That monument is the only one. There aren’t any others scattered around the mountain, telling wisps of the story of how this mountain became a frozen wasteland.”

            “You know where they are?” Diluc asks, raising an eyebrow. “You’ve explored not just Mondstadt’s countryside but Dragonspine to this extent too? Why?”

            Kaeya is about to sigh and figure out how to deflect what would be a very annoying and confusing conversations, when a noise catches his attention. A noise that he’s very familiar with. The grinding of Ruin Guard gears.

            “Oh, joy,” he mutters, as he realizes . . . those frozen lumps of waste ice mixed with rocks at the bases of the walls? They were actually frozen over Ruin Guards, just glazed with ice and broken stones . . . and now they’re waking up, because Diluc’s pyro attacks seem to have thawed them out. He grabs Diluc’s wrist and begins to drag him back to the center of the room, directly beneath the hole in the ceiling. “I definitely want to stick around here longer.”

            “What – oh. Crap.” Diluc motions to summon back his sword.

            “We’re staying,” Kaeya growls, and drops to one knee, summoning cyro beneath their feet. He creates a pillar of ice that raises them all the way out of the cavern, and conveniently plugs up the cracks in the ground, sealing their enemies away.

            “Well done,” Diluc says, and he doesn’t sound as reluctant as Kaeya would have expected . . . but Kaeya knows better than to read too deeply into that.

            He nods curtly, then motions with his head toward the path back down the mountain. It’s time to leave this cursed place.

Chapter Text

            They turn onto a different path before they reach the river, so their course takes them into Liyue rather than back to Mondstadt. Like this morning’s stretch of their journey, they walk mostly in silence. Kaeya doesn’t seem to have much to say. After their spat last night, Diluc can’t say he blames him, but neither is he prepared to apologize. He meant what he said and he’s still mad that the night he needed his brother the most, Kaeya decided absolutely had to be the night he came clean. He didn’t just fail to be there for Diluc when he needed him. He made Diluc rethink and question everything he knew about him.

            After last night, Diluc understands a bit better what Kaeya intended . . . but it doesn’t change the fact that Kaeya let him down. If he’d confessed to Diluc any other time . . . Diluc thinks he could have forgiven him. Honestly . . . Diluc thinks it’s possible that he could still forgive him. He’s never actually stopped loving his brother, but he’s never stopped being angry at him either. After last night, though . . . now that he’s heard Kaeya’s side of things without the fog of grief and rage in his brain . . . well, only time will tell.

            Once they get off the mountain, away from the sheer cold, they break for a meal and to patch themselves up. They both got a bit cut up fighting the Cryo Hypostasis. Only flesh wounds, thankfully, and since they’re allogenes all they need is food and a bit of rest to recover, but their clothes are another story. Thankfully, they’re both handy with a needle and thread. Kaeya more so than Diluc. He doesn’t say anything when Kaeya, finished patching up his own shirt, picks up and begins darning the cuts in Diluc’s jacket, as Diluc is still stitching up his own ripped shirt.

            “Thanks,” Diluc says, when Kaeya gives his coat back to him.

            Kaeya nods in reply, then holds something out to Diluc. Diluc looks at it curiously. “A flower?”

            “The hypostasis didn’t drop it. It’ll probably be useless to you.”

            Diluc reaches out to take it, examines it closer, and decides that it could come in handy, so he pins it to his lapel. “Thank you . . . and also, thank you for pushing me out of the way of that icicle.”

            “You’re not welcome,” Kaeya says, then grimaces.

            Diluc shakes his head. “I guess the Oceanid is next on our list.”

            “Think we can reach it today?”

            “We should be able to,” Diluc says, after consulting their map. “We’ll probably want to make camp there too. Otherwise, we’ll be camping in Dihua Marsh and that . . . is probably unideal. Even if we have to turn in earlier than normal. Hey . . . Kaeya?”

            “Hm?”

            “Your electro sequela . . . is it still at the stage where it was, or have you noticed it getting worse?”

            “I’m pretty sure I had a heart attack when those Ruin Guards started waking. I definitely don’t pity the next person who wanders into that cavern.”

            Diluc snorts.

            “If we’re fighting Rhodeia, then making camp no matter how early it is, do you mind if we take the time to cook a hot lunch now?” Kaeya asks.

            Diluc pauses only a moment to consider, then nods. After battling that Cryo Hypostasis, he could really go for a hot meal now, rather than rations that are still cold from their jaunt through Dragonspine. “That sounds good.”

            Kaeya whips up a batch of his Fruity Skewers in record time . . . and Diluc doesn’t realize how much he’s missed the damn things until he gets his first taste of them in years. The thought is soured slightly by the knowledge that cooking was a skill that Kaeya was probably taught while being trained as a spy to plant in the Ragnvindr Household. He really had come to them with the perfect skillset to be a servant . . . but his passion for wine is something Crepus instilled in him. Diluc genuinely believes that. He remembers when Kaeya first created his Fruity Skewers recipe, and the various versions it underwent as he perfected it, Crepus testing each one.

            He misses those days.

            Feeling better after a break and a meal, they get underway again as soon as they’ve finished eating. Again, they travel mostly in silence, but it feels lighter this time.

            Their path takes them off any beaten roads as they head from the base of Dragonspine near Ridge Watch to Stone Gate, as the crow flies. Much of it is uphill, but they’re both young and fit, though Diluc does keep a close eye on Kaeya, watching for signs that he’s having trouble breathing, or experiencing any other problems that could be caused by his condition.

            It doesn’t seem like too long before they’re approaching Stone Gate, but from the cliffs above rather than by the road, which Diluc has always taken before.

            “Those waterfalls over there,” Kaeya points out, as they reach a cliff where, if they so choose, they could glide down onto the well-traveled road, though that would increase their travel time by quite a bit, “they don’t feed into the Oceanid’s pool. We’re avoiding them.”

            “I see. It looks like the best way there . . . is to glide across to that other cliff, hike across, then glide down the other side. Unless there’s something I can’t see from up here that would prevent that?”

            Kaeya shrugs. “I’ve actually been here before, so . . .”

            It’s been annoying for a while. Kaeya not being able to tell the truth about a single damn thing . . . but it’s not exactly his fault and it must be a lot more annoying for him. Hopefully it won’t be for much longer. They’ll get the eternal water from the Oceanid today, the Loach Pearl tomorrow, and the Juvenile Jade hopefully a day or two later, if all goes well. Then Kaeya can go back to lying deliberately instead of against his will.

            “Any objection to trying the route I just suggested?”

            “Some objections in particular.”

            Diluc leaps off the cliff and activates his wind glider without another word. He hears the whoosh of air behind him as Kaeya follows suite. They cross the last stretch of land separating them from the Oceanid’s pool, then peer down before leaping, so they know what they’re getting themselves into.

            From above they have a good view. The Oceanid’s lair seems more like a small lake than a pool. In the center is a large stone platform, shaped like a square, but from the looks of it, there are at least several inches of water standing on top of it. The water seems calm, all around, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t dangerous currents below the surface . . . or that dangerous currents won’t suddenly manifest, even if there aren’t any now. They’re dealing with a powerful elemental entity, after all, and despite having read about them, they’ve never experienced firsthand what they’re capable of . . . at least Diluc hasn’t. Perhaps Kaeya has, but asking him about it would be too annoying.

            There’s some kind of . . . haze in the air between them and the water . . . as well as acid green lights that flicker eerily. Diluc’s seen something like them before on his travels, however. He doesn’t think they’re actually harmful.

            “No sign of the Oceanid,” he comments, “but I guess that’s not surprising. I’ve read that they’re one with the water, so it’s probably down there just . . .being one with the water.”

            “Probably not,” Kaeya agrees.

            “I will be happy when you can finally speak normally again.”

            Kaeya just gives him a wry look.

            “Are you ready?”

            “Are you?” Kaeya returns, summoning his sword.

            Diluc calls his own blade into his hands. Kaeya’s right. There’s no reason not to descend while armed.

            He takes the lead again, and once again, hears Kaeya follow. It’s almost like old times, when they were both knights . . . and Diluc has to admit, it’s not a bad feeling. Not that he plans to admit that to Kaeya.

            Rain begins pelting them as they descend . . . which is odd because the sky was bright blue when they were on the cliff. Now it’s dark grey and it won’t be long before they’re both soaked. This is probably from the Oceanid’s power. Something that wasn’t mentioned in the books. Not that it’s anything to worry about. Fighting wet will be a nuisance, but not enough of a hindrance to matter. They never thought they’d make it through the fight staying dry anyway.

            “Diluc! At ease!” Kaeya screams suddenly, startling Diluc out of his musings. His tone is shrill and worried, and has Diluc looking around for the danger that he can’t seem to see. “Above you!”

            Below him. Directly below him, where he wasn’t looking. The water is rising up to meet him, an aberrant wave stretching higher and higher until it plucks him right out of the air.

            He hears Kaeya give a wordless, frustrated, worried scream, as the water wraps around him then drags him under, down, down impossibly deep . . .

            Diluc twists and kicks, tries to get away from an enemy that he can’t see, that’s all around him, but his enemy’s the water itself. He even tries summoning his flames, but they’re extinguished before they can spark to life. He needs air, he can’t think – but when he gasps for breath the water rushes into his mouth and lungs, making him choke, making everything worse.

            He tries to scream for his brother, even though he knows Kaeya can’t possibly hear him. He’s too far below the surface, doesn’t even know which way the surface is anymore, and it’s so dark . . . and cold . . . and Diluc can’t think, can’t move, can’t struggle anymore. With a final shudder, he goes limp and lets the water take him.

I realized last night that I had numbered some of the chapters wrong. >< It's not your imagination that the total number of chapters has changed from 9 to 10.

Chapter Text

            Kaeya’s vision goes red as Diluc is dragged under the water. He deactivates his wind glider and drops, twisting so he lands in a plunging attack on the platform. His Vision reacts to his rage and frost flakes coalesce around him. The standing water on top of the platform freezes into a solid sheet of ice.

            Rhodeia the Oceanid rises from the depths and takes form, swirling in the air as graceful as a bird in flight. She regards Kaeya disdainfully. “An assassin from our homeland? Or a fool who dares trespass upon the waters of Qingce?”

            “If you don’t give my brother back, I will carve you limb from limb,” Kaeya promises . . . and that’s a lie only because he intends to freeze her solid and cut her heart out if she doesn’t give back Diluc.

            The Oceanid makes a disdainful sound and swirls in a figure eight. “Coveting the shapes of the living, pure water can take on many forms. In this way shall water deliver your punish –”

            Kaeya doesn’t let her finish. He summons a trio of icicles, just like for Glacial Waltz, but larger, and sharper, and launches them at the bitch who stole his brother.

            Rhodeia manages to dodge two, but the third one strikes true. She screams. Kaeya presses his attack, sprinting forward and lashing out with Frostgnaw. Then, he’s forced to defend, as a duo of Hydro Mimic Crabs converge on him, spitting out bubbles with the force of a ballista.

            Cryo is Kaeya’s saving grace. Electro might deal more damage to Rhodeia and her minions, but cryo immobilizes them and leaves them helpless. Gives Kaeya the time he needs to maneuver around them and wear them down. He doesn’t forget for even a second that Diluc is running out of time, that his brother is dying even as he fights for his life, but Kaeya’s doing all he can to end this quickly . . . but Rhodeia hangs back out of range like a coward and keeps sending Hydro Mimics to fight him in her stead.

            Kaeya knows, as he freezes them and carves them up, that he is making progress. He’s read, and prays to any god who cares to listen that it’s true, that killing the Hydro Mimics hurts the Oceanid who made them. So Kaeya lays into them with reckless abandon, only bothering to freeze them because he can kill them faster when they can’t move. He ignores the hits he takes, doesn’t even feel the pain, because it is nothing, nothing compared to the agony of having his loved ones ripped away, and if he doesn’t hurry, he’ll lose Diluc for good.

            . . . and yes, he knows that his electro sequela will kill him, without both the Oceanid’s eternal water and Diluc’s help getting the Juvenile Jade, but if Diluc is dead . . . well, Kaeya’s not going to care if he follows him into the afterlife. He doesn’t want to live in a world without his brother.

            But it’s taking too damn long. Rhodeia keeps dancing out of range, taunting him as she sinks segments of her platform, and summoning more and more mimics . . . so Kaeya finally takes matters into his own hands.

            He waits until she floats over the platform, to summon a fresh trio of minions . . . then he dives deep into his own reserves of strength . . . and he throws everything at her. Every last bit of elemental energy he can summon . . . he throws it all at her with deadly intent.

            It’s dangerous, drawing so deep. Using that much elemental energy. It’s one of the first things new allogenes are warned about. Because damaging themselves is very, very possible, and Kaeya can feel the effects of using so much power now . . . ice crystals forming in his muscles, in his veins. Breathing is suddenly agony, but he doesn’t care, can’t care, because this bitch is drowning his brother and he wants Diluc back NOW.

            He unleashes the cryo storm inside of him, and it manifests as . . . as fireworks of cryo, glowing slivers, crystals, and icicles of cryo bursting forth in fractal patterns in the air, slicing through Rhodeia, leaving frozen welts everywhere they touch, tearing chunks straight out of her. The Oceanid screams . . . then falls, and when she hits the water, cryo blooms like flowers on the water’s surface. The platforms she sunk begin to rise.

            Red.

            Red. Red. Red.

            Diluc’s on one of the platforms. Sprawled out lifeless, face down in the standing water, not moving at all that Kaeya can see, not even his chest, which means he’s not breathing, not breathing, no, no, no . . .

            Kaeya staggers toward him. Strands of ice break as he pries first one foot up, then the other. He froze himself to the platform with that last attack, it seems . . . and he’s probably risking a heart attack or other muscle damage, moving so soon afterwards, not giving his body a chance to warm up, but Diluc needs him, Diluc might be dead, and Kaeya can’t afford to waste even a moment.

            He hurries. As fast as he can, which is laughably slow, given the state he’s in, to his brother’s side, then drops down beside him, rolling him over.

            “Diluc . . . ?”

            His brother is so pale, and doesn’t even twitch when Kaeya gets him onto his back. Kaeya tries to check for a pulse, but he . . . can’t feel. Not the pulse, or even Diluc’s flesh underneath his fingers, or his fingers at all. Unwilling to waste any more time struggling to determine if it’s necessary or not, Kaeya goes straight to administering the kiss of life. He breathes for his brother, forcing the frigid air from his own lungs into Diluc’s, and he presses down over his chest in rapid succession to get his blood moving through his heart and veins.

            It’s hard. Kaeya wants to do nothing more than just lie down and shiver, but he won’t give up. He doesn’t want to be alone. His vision begins blurring, which is why, on the third cycle of breaths and compressions, he misses it when Diluc’s eyes open. Thankfully, he doesn’t miss Diluc’s gagging, and backs off as Diluc rolls onto his side choking, coughing up all the water that filled his lungs.

            Thank Barbatos. Thank Morax. Thank Sothis, and Sparda, and any other demon or deity that might have possibly lent him a hand reviving his brother. Kaeya slumps . . . into the water. Not . . . not eternal water. Only now does he think to look for it . . . but he didn’t see Rhodeia leave anything behind. Maybe there is none. Maybe this was all for nothing, but at least Diluc got out of it alive.

            “Kaeya? Kaeya what the – What did you do?” Diluc demands, gripping his shoulder. “You’re freezing. What . . . ?”

            Kaeya can’t be bothered to answer. Just makes an unintelligible noise in his throat. What does it matter? He’ll be dead soon enough anyway.

            “Crap. Ugh,” Diluc grunts in pain as he gets to his feet. “We need to move. Get out of the water and warm up. Kaeya, can you hear me?”

            Kaeya just groans. So Diluc hauls him up. Unsteadily, but he gets Kaeya off the stone floor and gets them moving. South. Toward Dihua Marsh. They have to swim a bit to get off the platform. Kaeya feels bad making Diluc do all the work, but . . . he can barely move.

            They get to the bank of the pool, after hauling themselves up over some tumbled ruins. That’s when Diluc remembers.

            “Kaeya, the eternal water? Did you get it?”

            Kaeya stays silent.

            “Kaeya? Did you get the eternal water?”

            “I got it . . .” Kaeya whispers.

            “What? Why not?”

            Kaeya hangs his head.

            “You beat the Oceanid, didn’t you? It should have – wait here, I’ll go check –”

            “There’s a point –” Kaeya tries to stop him, though it sounds like he’s encouraging him, and Diluc doesn’t care anyway. He’s already back in the water. The water that he almost drowned in. Swimming back toward the platform where the monster who almost killed him apparently likes to chill . . . quite literally now, but that’s beside the point. Kaeya can’t stop him. He can barely even sit up . . . no, scratch that. He can’t sit up. He feels his back muscles seizing, and slumps down onto his side rather than try to fight it and eventually end up falling over with no control.

            He’s still so cold. So damn cold . . . which is probably good for suppressing his electro sequela, now that he thinks about it. He didn’t miss the fact that most of the ingredients for the cure are cryo-based. Probably since cryo is best at suppressing electro in the sort of cycle of the elements. The Juvenile Jade and Loach Pearls seemed more like stabilizing agents, while the eternal water is probably needed as the base. Maybe the elixir will work with normal water?

            No. Kaeya doesn’t really believe that. The recipe wouldn’t have called for the rare pain in the ass ingredient if it wasn’t necessary. Probably. That doesn’t mean Kaeya won’t try making it with regular water anyway, as a last-ditch effort, but maybe they can challenge Rhodeia again, after they get the other ingredients? Maybe –

            “I’ve got it!”

            Oh, Diluc is back. Wait, what?

            “You have it? What – how?”

            “There was a pile of loot in the center of the platform,” Diluc says, and grabs him by his shoulder to help him sit up again. “What were you thinking, leaving it there, not even checking?”

            “I definitely wasn’t worried you were dead.”

            Diluc sighs and hauls him to his feet. “Come on . . . it looks like it’s about to start raining again. I think I see a cave, just a bit further back. Let’s . . . get a fire going and call it a night. I think we’ve earned some rest.”

Chapter Text

            Diluc is sore all over. A symptom of drowning, he supposes . . . and he’s well aware that yes, he did drown, and Kaeya managed to revive him. He’s also got a pretty good idea what happened after he was pulled under. Kaeya got desperate and reached further into his power than he should have. He’s lucky he didn’t kill himself, but Diluc can’t exactly call him a fool. He’s pretty sure Kaeya didn’t have a choice.

            He gets Kaeya out of his wet things and gets a fire going. Thankfully, their packs were vanished, and thus stayed dry, so Kaeya changes into his spare clothes and curls up on his bedroll next to the campfire. Actually, he curls up on the ground at first, too tired to spread out his bedding, so Diluc has to do that for him and rolls him into it. He refrains from muttering any insults or referring to him as a nuisance. Kaeya did just save his life, after all. It doesn’t matter that Diluc was only there to help Kaeya in the first place because . . . well, it just doesn’t . . . and Diluc didn’t miss the fact that when given a choice between saving him or looking for the item that would save his own life, Kaeya chose him. He’d only had the strength to do one of those things.

            Seeing Kaeya blue-lipped and shivering is disturbing, so Diluc does his best not to look. Instead, he makes himself useful, building up the fire higher and trying to put together a hot meal for them. They don’t have much in the way of ingredients. Mostly ready to eat food like preserved meats, cheese, and bread. Kaeya’s pre-marinated Fruity Skewers were the exception. So, Diluc puts together some ham and cheese sandwiches for them and toasts them until the bread is crispy and golden and the cheese is perfectly melted . . . and honestly, he’s feeling pretty beat himself, and probably couldn’t have managed anything too complicated even if they did have the ingredients.

            They eat in silence. Kaeya never stops shivering, but his lips do mostly return to their normal color. He lays back down as soon as he’s done with his sandwich and buries himself under his blanket. Diluc sighs and adds more wood to the fire. They will probably not have enough to get through the night, but it’s not particularly cold near Qingce this time of year, so he thinks they’ll be fine once it’s reduced to embers. It’s more important to get Kaeya warmed up now.

            “Are you alright?” Kaeya asks, somewhat out of the blue.

            “Yeah. Worry about yourself.”

            “It’s not like you drowned or anything,” Kaeya says tonelessly.

            “I know.”

            “For whatever it’s worth, I’m not sorry.”

            Diluc shrugs even though Kaeya’s head is under the blanket and he can’t see. “It wasn’t your fault.”

            Kaeya snorts.

            “How are you feeling?” Diluc asks, to change the subject.

            “Too hot. Energized. Ready to stay up all night.”

            “It’s fine if you want to sleep. We really have nothing better to do.”

            Kaeya mutters something that Diluc can’t hear then falls silent. It only takes a few minutes for him to fall asleep . . . but even in his sleep, he doesn’t stop shivering.

            Diluc sighs, then goes to check their clothes. They’re drying decently well, despite having been only wrung out then spread out flat on the cave floor by the fire. Which is good, because Diluc is too tired to try to rig something to hang them up. He does turn them over, and move them to a dry patch of floor space, but that’s all he has energy for. He spreads out his bedroll then . . . right beside Kaeya’s, so that his brother is between him and the fire. Then he tosses his own blanket over Kaeya, and lays down so they’re back-to-back, and short of either lighting him on fire or hugging him, that’s the most Diluc can do to keep him warm.

            He closes his eyes and tries not to remember the days when this was normal. When he and Kaeya were both knights in the Cavalry, and they always slept back-to-back for warmth in the field. When neither of them ever had to doubt that the other would be there if they were needed . . . though . . . now that Diluc thinks about it . . . that, at least, hasn’t changed.

            Diluc wakes the next morning to the smell of bacon. It’s not a bad way to wake up, even if he is a little sore from yesterday’s near-death experience. The blanket he tossed over Kaeya is on top of him now, he sees . . . and his once wet clothes must be dry, because Kaeya folded them for him and set them by his pack.

            “How long have you been up?” Diluc asks, because it looks like Kaeya’s been busy. There’s more firewood here now than they had last night, and those eggs Kaeya’s cooking with the bacon weren’t among their supplies last night either.

            “Not long,” Kaeya says.

            So, awhile.

            “Turns out this is a cave, not a tunnel,” Kaeya says, “and I definitely didn’t check out the other end of it. It doesn’t open to Dihua Marsh.”

            “It does? Well, that’s convenient.”

            “Are you feeling okay?” Kaeya asks, as he transfers the eggs and bacon onto their plates.

            “Yes. You?”

            “I feel fine,” Kaeya says, then scowls.

            “So, not fine.”

            “It’s not like you’re telling the truth either, is it?”

            “I am.”

            “I believe you.”

            Again, they eat in silence, but at least it’s not the bone-weary silence of their last meal. Kaeya does seem better. Back to his old self, at least if you set the electro sequela aside. He probably meant to say that he doesn’t feel the greatest, or something similar, to get across that he felt fine, but would have actually been the truth, which was why he ended up saying he was fine. Either way, Diluc doesn’t think he’s in too bad of shape. Probably just sore and a little tired like Diluc himself is, so Diluc doesn’t press the issue.

            They’re back on the road before too long, heading south, and Kaeya was right. What Diluc thought was a cave is a tunnel, and it opens onto Dihua Marsh, close to Stone Gate. Despite the fact that they’re heading into marshlands, the day is sunny, bright, and clear. It somehow makes Diluc feel lighter.

            As they get on the path and approach the water, Kaeya quickly throws an arm out in front of Diluc to stop him, and freezes, his mannerisms suddenly predatory. Diluc is about to draw his weapon, but then he sees it. On a rock, near the water’s edge is a small creature. A cream-colored salamander with pinkish gills.

            “An axolotl,” Kaeya breathes.

            Diluc has no idea what an axolotl is, but he understands Kaeya’s meaning. A Golden Loach. One of the creatures they need, or at least need to get a pearl from. He’s read they spit them out to confuse predators, so maybe they don’t actually need to kill it. Then again, it might be safer to kill it and cut it open for its pearls. That way it won’t get away, and if it has more than one, they’ll have some spares.

            Kaeya begins to circle one way. Diluc moves the other on instinct. They move as stealthily as they can, but before they can get too close, the loach spots one of them and bolts. For having such stubby legs, it’s surprisingly fast, darting into the reeds, toward open water.

            Diluc and Kaeya both rush after it, but in the water they can’t move as fast. It’s getting away!

            With a growl, Diluc summons flames and lashes out at the creature . . . right as Kaeya does the same with his cryo. The elements strike the loach at the same time, triggering a melt reaction, and once the flash of light fades . . . there’s not enough left of the loach for . . . well . . . anything.

            Kaeya and Diluc look at each other, and each sees his own guilt mirrored on his brother’s face.

            “I meant to do that,” Kaeya says softly.

            “We’ll find another,” Diluc says, steeling himself and brushing it off. He didn’t mean to literally melt the loach, but he’s on a quest to save his brother’s life. He’s willing to do a lot worse than kill a few small creatures.

            “Let’s kill that one too,” Kaeya says, and his mouth twists, disgusted by his own false suggestion. “You don’t know what I mean.”

            “Yes, I know what you mean,” Diluc says. “It’s okay. We won’t kill anymore loaches.”

            Kaeya nods, still looking slightly upset. They take a few minutes to search for another loach, since where there’s one, there might be more, but neither brother spots another. Diluc takes note of the terrain before they go. They found this first one near the water’s edge, in an area filled with lots of reeds. So, he’ll pay particularly close attention in similar areas. Finding this one in such an area could have been a one off, but more often than not, animals seek out a specific type of habitat.

            They get off the road as they continue south, because they want to keep looking around the water’s edge, and the road is more or less in the center of the landmass. Though they keep their eyes peeled, it’s still awhile before the next loach sighting. They actually have traveled so far that they’ve reached the bottom of the marsh island, and the point where the road and the shoreline meet. A bridge allows them the keep going without wading through the water, and Diluc notices, once they reach the other side, that there are an awful lot of reeds.

            Then he sees it. Another Golden Loach. He elbows Kaeya to get his attention, but other than that, doesn’t move, knowing Kaeya will follow his gaze. They don’t want to spook this one prematurely too . . .

            “I’ll get ahead of it,” Kaeya says, voice whisper soft, and Diluc knows he doesn’t have to tell him to give it a very wide berth. They have no idea how good these creatures’ eyesight is, but they don’t want to let another one get away, at least not without giving up its pearl.

            Kaeya actually goes back across the bridge to get ahead of it, on the other side of the water. Then he freezes the water as he advances to give him an edge. Once Diluc judges he’s in a good position, he himself makes his move. He advances toward the loach, hoping to sneak up and grab it . . . but the loach sees him before he can get close enough. Like the last one, it runs straight ahead. Toward Kaeya, but there’s still a fair distance between them, and Diluc wants to leave nothing to chance, so he chases after it.

            “I can’t get it!” Kaeya calls, and if Diluc wasn’t in full hunter mode, he’d recognize that as Kaeya calling it, but in that moment he forgets Kaeya can’t tell the truth, thinks Kaeya really can’t get to it, and he’s not about to let this one get away.

            So Diluc sprints after it, heedless of the water and mud, and he lunges . . . right as Kaeya reaches the loach and scoops it securely into his hands. Diluc tries to reign himself, in, but he slips and crashes right into Kaeya who yelps. They both fall back onto Kaeya’s ice, and the loach squirms out of Kaeya’s grip, plops into the water, and wastes no time burrowing into the mud below.

            “No!” Diluc struggles to disentangle himself and go after it, and possibly ends up elbowing Kaeya in the face in his haste, because he hears Kaeya grunt in pain. He swears, realizing that the salamander is gone, then looks shamefaced at his brother. “I’m sorry, Kaeya.”

            “It’s not okay,” Kaeya says, and holds his hand out toward Diluc. In his palm is what looks like a pale blue bead, with a slight rainbow sheen.

            “You got it?” Diluc asks. “It spit that out before it got away?”

            “Nope,” Kaeya says cheerfully.

            “Good,” Diluc says . . . then stands. “I’m glad.”

            “You are?” Kaeya looks amused.

            “Shut up,” Diluc tells him, but holds his hand down to help Kaeya up.

            Once he’s on his feet, Kaeya freezes a path for them back across the water, so they don’t have to circle around and take the bridge again. Then they’re back on their way.

            “That was bad luck,” Kaeya says, smiling as they go, studying the Loach Pearl. “We don’t have what we need, and I don’t think we can make it to Wangshu Inn for lunch.”

            “That was good luck,” Diluc agrees. “Good job holding onto that . . . and sorry . . . for crashing into you.”

            “You should be sorry,” Kaeya says with a smirk. “You should feel bad about that. You’re a horrible person.”

            “ . . . And now I’m a lot less sorry than I was three seconds ago,” Diluc says. He ignores the smile that’s tugging at his lips. “We should reprovision at Wangshu. I don’t see anywhere else on your proposed route that we can, so we might as well top up while we’re there.”

            “No,” Kaeya says. So, he agrees.

            The inn is visible before them now, high above the marsh on its rocky base. The sky around it is a beautiful bright blue. The day is going pretty well despite the fact that yesterday Diluc and Kaeya both almost died, and now they have all but one of the ingredients for the elixir.

            All that’s left is the Juvenile Jade . . . from a thought-to-be extinct Primo Geovishap, which Kaeya claims to know where to find. According to his map, it will take them another day or two to reach it. Then they can cure Kaeya, so he can talk less nonsense, and won’t drop dead, then they can go home.

            . . . And maybe once they’re home . . . maybe someday they’ll reminisce about this trip and laugh about the Loach Pearl collision over glasses of grape juice and wine.

Chapter Text

            They end up getting a few more Loach Pearls before they reach Wangshu Inn, because Diluc wants to have some spares. Kaeya has no objections, as long as they don’t kill the loaches to get them . . . because, though he would kill them if he had to, they’re actually kind of cute. He thinks Klee would like them, and bringing her here to see them someday would kind of be soured if he and his brother just went and massacred a bunch of the critters. Better to let them live, since they don’t need to kill them.

            At Wangshu, they top off their supplies, because as Diluc assessed, it’s the only place they actually can. They also take the time to have a meal while they’re there, since they arrive right around lunchtime, and things are proceeding well. They don’t exactly have a set schedule, but they’re right on track for how long Kaeya estimated it would take them to get here. His electro sequela doesn’t seem to be escalating either, so while they shouldn’t dawdle too much, they can afford to take the time to have a sit-down meal.

            . . . It’s actually the first sit-down meal he’s had with his brother in years. Not counting the meals they’ve eaten at their campfire on this trip so far, because while they are sitting down for them, it’s not the same as having a meal at a table, in a restaurant or residence. It’s . . . nice to be doing something like this with Diluc again. Just something casual, something normal. They’re getting along so well on this trip that Kaeya’s a little scared. Maybe things are going too well, and they’re using up what little good will they have toward each other too fast . . . but it’s not like he’s going to deliberately keep Diluc at an arm’s length when his brother is making the effort to get along with him.

            If things go bad again, then they go bad again. Since they’re going good now, Kaeya will enjoy it for however long it lasts.

            After their lunch of noodles with mountain delicacies, eaten on the terrace, overlooking Liyue’s vast landscape, they settle their bill, then Diluc walks over to the rail and takes out the map.

            “It doesn’t actually look like there’s a bridge across the water that way,” he says, pointing out the fact that Kaeya’s proposed route takes them west, over a wide stretch of lake. “We’re going to have to make a detour.”

            Kaeya gives Diluc that smirk and waits until his brother looks at him. When Diluc does, he cringes.

            “What? Why are you looking like that?” Diluc demands.

            “Wouldn’t you rather just . . . wing it?” Kaeya asks. Then he waits just long enough for his words to sink in. He can tell when they do by Diluc’s expression simultaneously lighting up and turning mildly horrified. The way it always did when they were younger, and Kaeya suggested something unorthodox but extremely effective, or dangerous but oh-so-fun.

            Then, before Diluc has time to say more than, “Kaeya, don’t you dare –” Kaeya vaults over the rail and activates his wind glider.

            “Kaeya!”

            But despite Diluc’s protests, he follows . . . just as Kaeya knew he would. How could he not want to leap from Teyvat’s biggest treehouse and cut a huge detour out of their journey in one go?

            Kaeya wishes he could slow down a bit and let Diluc catch up, so they could glide side by side, like in the old days, at least when they weren’t on a mission . . . but while he’s pretty sure he has a decent margin of error as far as his distance-height-stamina ratio goes, he’s also got no depth perception. So, Kaeya keeps his speed up, though when he reaches the far shore with a comfortable buffer of height and stamina, he can’t help but regret it just a little. He turns and waits for Diluc, who lands beside him, looking both harassed and exalted.

            “You’re crazy,” Diluc huffs, but his eyes say he just had the time of his life.

            “Who’s crazier, the crazy man or the redhead who follows him?”

            Diluc elbows Kaeya. Kaeya just laughs, even though it kind of hurts. He doesn’t try and tell Diluc it doesn’t hurt though, because that would be a lie, so Diluc would know the truth, though he probably does anyway, but Kaeya has his pride.

            “Got the map?” Kaeya asks instead, and they go over their route again as they continue their journey.

            An hour later, Kaeya has a headache. A bad one. Possibly the worst one of his life, to date. It starts just as a slight stinging behind his eye sockets but gets worse as the day goes on. He wants to believe it’s just a coincidence . . . that maybe the mushrooms in his lunch just don’t agree with him, or that this is just a normal headache like people get from time to time . . .but he knows better.

            Pretty soon his skull is throbbing, and every step he takes makes it worse. Thankfully, he and Diluc have lapsed back into silence, so he’s able to keep it hidden from his brother for quite a while

            After landing, they hug the shore and head south until they come to a road that takes them inland. Then, they follow that until reaching a good place to scale the cliff wall which they need to climb to reach an old herb gatherer’s path. Kaeya’s speech slurs slightly when he points out the place to Diluc, but luckily, Diluc doesn’t seem to notice. It starts getting dark, shortly after they reach the top, and so they end up camping on Cuijue Slope, in sight of a valley filled with broken pillars. Tomorrow they’ll have a straight shot to the Tianqiu Valley and the ruins and rubble where their quarry dwells.

            “We’ve made good time. Better than I excepted,” Diluc says. “I think that tomorrow we’ll actually reach our destination. Unless we’ll be traveling over extremely rough terrain, or there’s some other obstacle that doesn’t show up on the map.”

            Kaeya hears him dimly, but it doesn’t occur to him to respond, at first.

            “Kaeya?”

            It’s then that Kaeya realizes that an answer is needed. He looks at Diluc . . . then promptly forgets what he just said. “What?”

            “ . . . Are you feeling alright?” Diluc asks.

            “Yes,” Kaeya says, lying on instinct, and forgetting that Diluc knows to take the opposite meaning of whatever he says now. “Gah – I mean – ”

            “Kaeya.”

            Kaeya sighs.

            “What’s wrong?”

            “My back hurts.”

            “So, something other than your back,” Diluc says, patiently. “Will you tell me what doesn’t hurt then?”

            “My head doesn’t hurt.”

            “You’re slurring your words too,” Diluc realizes. “How long have you felt this way?”

            “ . . . It didn’t start about an hour after we left Wangshu.”

            Diluc frowns. “You should have told me.”

            “What good would that have done, Diluc?” Kayea asks tiredly. “What difference would it have made? Would we not still need to take the exact same route? Do we not still need to travel as expediently as we can without overexerting ourselves?”

            “Well, if we’d been attacked by Treasure Hoarders or hilichurls, it would have been good to know you weren’t at your best.”

            “ . . . That’s not true.” Kaeya sighs. “I’m not sorry.”

            “It’s okay. I don’t suppose there’s anything I can do to help you?”

            “Other than helping me get the ingredients for the cure? I can think of a few things,” says Kaeya, who can’t think of anything. His brain is deteriorating because of ongoing electro damage. There’s not really anything else that can be done for that.

            “Why don’t you lay down?” Diluc suggests. “I’ll make dinner, then we can turn in early.”

            “No,” Kaeya mutters, then summons his pack. As he’s getting out his bedroll, he realizes something important, and pulls out something else, as well, which he hands to Diluc.

            “I have a stove, thanks.”

            “It’s a stove.”

            “Hm? Oh, that’s . . .”

            A portable alchemy bench. It does sort of look like an adepti seeker’s stove. In fact, Albedo might have been inspired by their design. Kaeya borrowed this one from the Investigation Team without express permission. He’ll have to pick up some almond tofu or other sweets on the return trip, so Albedo will let him off the hook. He does believe there will be a return trip for him. He just has to get through one more day. Hopefully this time tomorrow, they’ll have the antidote synthesized and Kaeya will be on the mend.

            “I better hang onto this and the ingredients,” Kaeya says, releasing the portable alchemy bench once Diluc takes hold of it. He gets out the other items they’ve collected and hands them over to Diluc as well. Just to be on the safe side. If he goes comatose, it will be up to Diluc to make the elixir for him.

            “Good thinking.”

            Kaeya lays down then, and sleeps fitfully as Diluc makes dinner. They eat in silence, once it’s finished, then Kaeya lays back down. Minutes later, he’s out cold.

            In the morning, his headache is even worse. He also notices that his hands aren’t as steady as they should be. Not full out trembling, just . . . not great. It makes managing his fork a bit difficult as he forces last night’s leftovers down his throat for breakfast, and mentally adds loss of sense of taste to the list of symptoms that electro sequela can possibly cause.

            Diluc watches him closely as they get moving again. Thankfully, his brother doesn’t try to baby him, as he would have when they were kids. Nor does he ask a bunch of pointless questions. He just makes sure Kaeya doesn’t think he’s in danger of collapsing, then stays close to him as they get under way.

            Putting one foot in front of the other over and over again is harder than Kaeya remembers it being. He wants nothing more than to just stop and rest . . . or go back to sleep and never get up. He reminds himself, repeatedly, that might very well happen if he doesn’t keep moving . . . and despite that seeming less and less like a bad thing, he’s too stubborn to just give up.

            By mid-morning, they’ve reached the Tianqiu Valley.

            “Not much further now,” Diluc says, and his voice holds more encouragement than Kaeya’s heard in it for years. “This will be over soon.”

            Kaeya forces a slight laugh since there’s not much he can say, and nothing he can say that’s not a lie. He tries to make it sound relieved, but probably fails.

            “You’re going to have to tell me how you know where to find a Primo Geovishap once you can talk normally again,” Diluc says. “I’m sure it’s a long story, but we have a long trip home.”

            “Will you actually trust me when I tell that story?” Kaeya asks, trying to inject some levity into the conversation.

            “Probably. I think you’ve probably had more than your fill of lying by now.”

            Kaeya actually had more than his fill of lying years ago, but he knows better than to bring that up now. He’s not positive, but . . . it kind of feels like after that blow up the other night, he and Diluc have come to terms with what happened.

            If this is the end for Kaeya, he’s glad he managed to accomplish that, at least . . . but hopefully this won’t be the end. He loves living in Mondstadt, and there are many things he still wants to do. He keeps this in mind as exhaustion and his electro sequela grind down on him as they start walking again. Down into the valley, toward the water and the ruins.

            “The bridge ahead of us looks broken,” Diluc says as they approach. “The one over there looks like it’s still holding up, though. Why don’t we – never mind.”

            Instead of answering, Kaeya just freezes a path for them and walks out onto his ice. Diluc follows, hopefully doing his best to think icy thoughts so his pyro nature won’t melt the cryo too fast. They make it to the other side without incident, then climb up the slope, toward the ruins. Kaeya remembers this place only too well. He looks forward to telling Diluc all about the misadventures that brought him here before; his undercover stint with Liyue’s Treasure Hoarders, and his run in with Xiao, the Boy Adeptus . . . of course Diluc’s not going to believe a word of it. Maybe Kaeya should have tried to tell it to him before he got to the point where thinking too much hurts. If he’d used a bunch of negatives and told Diluc all about what didn’t happen . . . that might have worked.

            The familiar stone staircase leads to a huge pile of rubble against the ruins and mountainside. Kaeya holds up a hand, signaling Diluc to stop, then proceeds alone. This is going to be a pain . . . and he would have preferred to allot a nice chunk of time to resting after this task, but that’s no longer possible. He’s running out of time. So, he’s just going to have to do this, then go directly into the fight. Diluc will have to pick up his slack.

            “What are you doing, Kaeya?” Diluc asks, as Kaeya studies the mountain of broken stones and dirt, figuring out how to best proceed. He thinks he sees his way. If he pushes aside the larger pieces . . .

            “You know that thing that happens when water gets into cracks in the ground and freezes?” Kaeya asks. Then, he demonstrates. He sends threads of his cryo power into the pile of rubble, beneath the big pieces he needs to move and forces it to expand. The stones groan as they shift. Kaeya’s ice makes snapping and crackling sounds. If it could give under the weight of the rocks, it would, but Kaeya won’t let it. He adds more, and more, and more. Enough to force the big slabs of stone up and shove them to the sides.

            “Kaeya, don’t overdo it,” Diluc warns.

            “This is harder than fighting the Oceanid,” Kaeya says dismissively and keeps at it.

            It doesn’t take him long to clear away what he needs to. Then, a tunnel into the ruins looms before them, and Kaeya swears that he can see a glint of elemental light within. He thinks it’s cryo . . . which is good for Diluc. Less good for Kaeya, but he brought Diluc along for a reason, after all.

            He glances back at Diluc and starts to motion for his brother to come along, but something . . . is wrong. His arm suddenly just feels so heavy. He can’t lift it. Then the world starts sliding sideways and Kaeya has just enough presence of mind to wonder if he’s having a seizure when his consciousness just . . . blinks out.

Chapter Text

            Diluc rushes to Kaeya as soon as he collapses. He doesn’t manage to make it to him before Kaeya’s head connects with a chunk of stone.

            That, however, seems to be the least of their worries . . . because Kaeya’s not just having some sort of fit . . . he’s giving off electro sparks.

            Diluc curses and grips Kaeya under his arms, ignoring the stings of the sparks as they jump from his brother to him. He drags Kaeya away from the opening into the ruins he created, and all the rubble that he could potentially crack his head on. He’d like to get him off the stone walkway and onto the grass, but Kaeya’s convulsing too hard, and Diluc’s worried that moving him might be making things worse. So, once they’re far enough away that he thinks Kaeya should be safe, he lets Kaeya down, as gently as he can.

            It’s . . . hard. Watching Kaeya like this. Not being able to do anything . . . but he knows that the only thing you really can do when someone has a seizure, is stand by and wait. He probably shouldn’t have even moved Kaeya from where he landed when he fell, but if there really is a Primo Geovishap inside, Diluc doesn’t want it drawn to Kaeya like a shark to injured prey.

            “Come back,” Diluc tells Kaeya, kneeling beside him, with his sword drawn in case something decides to come out of the ruins. “We’ve almost got the last ingredient. Just come back . . . and hold on just a little longer. We’ve almost got the cure.”

            He’s worried that he might be watching his brother’s final moments . . . but thankfully, before too long, the spasms wracking Kaeya’s body subside, and he stops sparking. He doesn’t wake, however, but he is still breathing.

            “I don’t know if you can hear me,” Diluc says, making his decision, “but I’m going on alone. I’ll get the Juvenile Jade. You stay here and rest. When I get back, I’ll make you the elixir.”

            Kaeya doesn’t give any signs that he heard, but Diluc wasn’t exactly expecting him to. He tells himself that this isn’t goodbye, that Kaeya will still be alive when he gets back. Then he heads into the ruins.

            The chasm that Kaeya opened is dark, but there’s some sort of light within. It looks like the gleam of cryo . . . and it seems to be moving. Diluc advances cautiously toward it, and soon finds himself at the end of a ledge. Before him is a cavern in the collapsed ruins . . . and below him is his target. A Primo Geovishap.

            It’s bigger than Diluc thought it would be. Possibly the largest monster he’s ever gone after. It seems that the legends about them infusing themselves with elemental energy were true, because this one shines with the pale blue of cryo. Perfect.

            Diluc has no time to waste. After scanning the cavern to ensure that it’s the only one there, he leaps out into the air and glides until he’s directly over it. Then he drops into a plunging attack. The first the beast knows of his presence there is when his claymore thuds heavily against its head. Then, before it can do more than give a startled, pained roar, Diluc unleashes Dawn, right in its face and begins laying into it with his flame enshrouded claymore.

            The Geovishap roars again then swipes at him. Expecting it, Diluc ducks under the attack and spins around to launch a counterattack, turning the speed from his spin into sheer force. His blade clangs against the creature’s stony skin, eliciting another scream.

            Diluc’s hurting it. He can tell by the way it’s acting, even though it doesn’t feel like he’s doing much damage. He strikes with enough force that he can feel it ringing in his forearms, but the Geovishap is solid as hell. Possibly the most durable thing Diluc’s ever gone up against. This isn’t going to be a fight that ends quickly, with a well place strike, he realizes, and summons his flames to his sword again. This is going to be a long fight, and he’s going to have to cut away this dragon’s life one chunk at a time.

            For something so huge, the Geovishap moves extraordinarily fast, and with the grace of a cat. It attacks like a cat too, when it’s not calling on the elements. Swiping with massive paws that would tear chunks out of Diluc if he let them connect. Its tail is worth watching out for too. He learns that when the first hit the Vishap lands on him is from that damn thing. It strikes him in the side and knocks the breath out of him . . . and knocks him off his feet. Diluc has enough presence of mind to roll with it, so the force of the hit bleeds off a bit, but it still hurts like hell.

            When he finally skids to a stop, he does his best to regain his feet quickly – and sees that the dragon is doing something. Charging a cryo attack. A long-buried memory of an attack called Primordial Shower suddenly flies to the forefront of Diluc’s mind. Right before he’s blasted off his feet again.

            “Damn you!”

            Diluc is slower to get back up this time. The cryo slows him down just as much as the pain. For the first time, it occurs to him that he might not be able to win this fight. Not alone . . . No. He has to.

            Kaeya’s face flashes through his mind. As he saw him last. Unconscious and helpless. If Diluc doesn’t defeat this dragon, his brother dies . . . and he can’t let that happen.

            With a growl, Diluc charges back into the fight.

            It startles the Vishap. Surely the beast expected him to flee after a direct hit from its last attack. Was probably looking forward to giving chase and playing cat and mouse for a bit before killing its defeated foe. Unfortunately for it, failure isn’t an option for Diluc. He summons more searing flames to his sword and goes back on the attack.

            For a while it’s give and take. Diluc makes sure to give better than he gets. Striking then dodging, because every hit that the Vishap lands on him is equal to dozens of claymore strikes against the beast. He doesn’t manage to remain completely unscathed. Thrice, the Geovishap rends him with its claws. One of those times it only rips through his coat, but the other two times its claws tear through flesh. The wounds burn like frostbite, and Diluc knows he’s going to need to cauterize them when this is over.

            He thinks he’s winning, though. Even when the Primo Geovishap changes things up and starts . . . summoning nodes of ice that turn out to act like cryo mines when touched (which Diluc learns the hard way, when he’s forced to back into one) Diluc still feels like he has the edge. Little by little, he wears the Geovishap down. Cuts it, cleaves it, carves chunks of out its stony hide. It begins slowing down . . . and losing strength to the point where Diluc begins parrying its strikes on his claymore. That lets him counter faster, wear it down faster. He’s sure the fight is almost over. Victory feels like it’s right within his grasp.

            The Primo Geovishap isn’t beaten yet though . . . and it seems to have some cunning left in it. It strikes out at Diluc, slowly, so he blocks it with his claymore. Then, it accepts the counterattack that follows as it begins charging Primordial Shower again.

            Diluc swears and starts to back away, then realizes there’s too many cryo mines behind him. He can’t go through them and get out of range in time . . . and he’s not sure if he can survive another direct hit from Primordial Shower. There’s one card he has left to play though, but his timing has to be perfect. So, rather than falling back, he stills himself and gets ready . . .

            . . . And when the Primo Geovishap releases its Primordial Shower, Diluc unleashes Dawn again. Fire and ice collide, and the flaming phoenix Diluc summons flies right through the cryo beam, searing the Vishap’s face. It screams and reels back . . . and exposes its throat. So, Diluc rushes in and slices with his flaming claymore. He doesn’t quite lop the dragon’s head off, but it’s a near thing, and the beast collapses in a heap without even a dying scream, thanks to its ruined throat.

            Death scream or no, it still has death throes. Diluc has to scramble to get back and out of range. As much as he would like to just drop to one knee panting, he knows better. Dying animals are always dangerous, and he can’t afford to fall now. He just hopes he can afford to wait . . .

            Ten minutes. That’s how long it takes for the dead dragon to stop twitching. Diluc does try to get closer to it before then, but its throes drive him back repeatedly. Finally, it goes mostly still, giving Diluc the chance to rush in and finish taking off its head. Then . . . carving it open to find the Juvenile Jade . . . that’s neither easy nor pleasant, but it must be done.

            When he finally emerges from the cavern, a chunk of Juvenile Jade clenched in his fist, he estimates that it’s been an hour since he entered. He does his best to hurry, despite a leg wound that’s bleeding pretty bad and frost burns that are causing him no small amount of pain.

            Kaeya isn’t exactly where he left him, but he is close. It looks like he must have woken up and tried to go after Diluc after realizing he was alone . . . before passing out again. Stubborn fool . . . but if their situations were reversed, Diluc’s sure he would have done the same.

            He wastes no time summoning his pack, setting up the portable alchemy bench and assembling the rest of the ingredients. He spares a minute to read over the recipe again, because he’s only got one shot at this, and he can’t afford to fail.

            Minutes later, he has the elixir in hand, contained in a vial that looks entirely too fragile to store something as important as this, for any amount of time.

            “Kaeya.” Diluc kneels beside his brother and props him up. “I’ve got it. I don’t know if you can hear me, but I’m giving you the elixir now. Don’t fight me on this.”

            Maybe Kaeya is semi-conscious because he makes a slight noise, but stays still as Diluc wraps an arm around him and pulls him against his chest to keep him immobile, then tilts the contents of the vial into his mouth. He puts a hand over Kaeya’s mouth then, to make sure it stays in his mouth, but realizes that’s not necessary when he hears Kaeya make a gulping sound.

            “Good,” Diluc tells him. “That’s it. Let’s . . . just hope it works. I’m sure it will. We’ve gone through enough trouble that it better.”

            Kaeya’s sigh seems to be him agreeing . . . but there’s a part of Diluc that’s scared that it won’t work. That the recipe was wrong, or that he did something wrong, or that they’re just too late . . .

            There’s nothing to do now but wait.

            Diluc tightens his grip on his brother. Which, he knows, will do nothing to help him hold on but . . . there’s nothing truly helpful he can actually do. At least not for Kaeya. He does need to patch himself up. His leg wound’s still bleeding . . . and he’s got other cuts and scrapes that could use patching up too. He’ll do that soon. In a minute. He just . . . wants to wait a little longer, and see if there’s any change in Kaeya’s condition. Then he’ll clean himself up. Or so he tells himself . . . but five minutes later, he’s out cold. So, he’s not awake to see when Kaeya’s eye opens, and slowly shifts to turn his worried gaze on his brother.

Tomorrow, look for the final chapter! As well as a special announcement on my Twitter.

Also, FYI, if you beat a PrimoGeovishap without using a shield to counter Primordial Shower, you get an achievement and 5 Primogems. I found that out while doing research for this fic.

Chapter Text

            It’s dusk when Diluc awakens. The first thing he notices, aside from the gold and crimson sky, is that he’s no longer on the stone walkway of the ruins, but on the grass beside them . . . and on a bedroll that’s not his own.

            “Kaeya!” Diluc sits upright and looks wildly around for his brother.

            “Right here,” Kaeya tells him.

            Diluc slumps in relief. Then notices what Kaeya’s holding. “That’s my coat.”

            “I’ve got one rip left to stitch up, then you can have it back. I promise,” Kaeya tells him. “No lies.”

            Then Diluc realizes. “The elixir . . . it worked.”

            “Yes. I woke up shortly after you nodded off,” Kaeya tells him. “You were really out of it. Didn’t even twitch when I sterilized and stitched up your wounds . . . though I did numb them with a bit of cryo first, to dull the pain.”

            Diluc checks himself over. His leg wound is neatly bandaged and the less serious claw wounds on his chest and arm have been patched up as well . . . as have the rips in the clothes that he’s wearing. He half wonders if Kaeya did that to show off his regained stealth and steady hands. The stitches are as tiny and neat as any tailor’s, and Diluc’s sure his coat will be as good as new too.

            The scent of food is also wafting through the air from the campfire Kaeya set up. If Diluc’s not mistaken, Kaeya’s making Matsutake Meat Rolls . . . and he sees two bowls of Mint Salad already made to go with it. His brother’s been busy.

            “And finished,” Kaeya says. Diluc looks back at him in time to see him tie off the thread he’s using to mend Diluc’s coat, then snip it with the tiny scissors from his field sewing kit. He stands and crosses the camp to hand it back to Diluc.

            “Thank you –”

            “I wanted to thank you –”

            They speak at the same time. Then make eye contact and Kaeya starts speaking again.

            “I know we’ve both saved each other’s lives plenty of times in the past but . . . I wasn’t sure if . . . no, I was pretty sure you’d . . . Actually, I’m not completely sure what I thought before I came to ask you for help . . . but I am grateful. That you dropped everything and traveled all the way to Liyue, and were willing to fight what feels like half the monsters in Teyvat to save my life. Just saying ‘Thank you’ doesn’t feel adequate but . . .”

            “Of course, I’d come,” Diluc tells him, and sighs. “I’m sorry you had to doubt.”

            “You have nothing to apologize for,” Kaeya says softly.

            “I’m not sure about that,” Diluc admits. “It’s probably better not to talk about . . . all that right now. I still don’t know how I feel about it myself . . . but you’re still my brother. You’ll always be my brother.”

            Kaeya bows his head slightly. “Thank you.”

            An awkward silence descends upon them. Diluc searches for a topic to break it. Thankfully, he doesn’t have to look too far.

            “Are those Matsutake Meat Rolls you’re making?”

            “Ah, yes,” Kaeya says quickly, sounding relieved. “They’re not exactly like they should be. I used ham instead of raw meat, so the flavor won’t be exactly the same, but I promise they’re still good. I’ve made them before this way, since ham makes better field rations than raw meat. The mushrooms still need a few more minutes to cook properly, but I made these Mint Salads . . .”

            Kaeya chatters on. Probably relishing in the fact that he can, once again, say what he wants to. All of it seems to be true though, which makes sense. Diluc supposes even Kaeya would get sick of lying after being forced to speak nothing but lies all week. Then something occurs to him.

            “Kaeya? You can still lie when you want to, right?” Diluc asks as Kaeya takes their dinner off the fire.

            “Hmm, let’s see. My name is Diluc Ragnvindr. My favorite drink is grape juice. I’m a broody billionaire who wears nothing but black. Nope. Damn. It looks like you screwed up the elixir. Now I’m stuck telling nothing but the truth. Not that I’ve ever lied in my life.”

            Diluc snorts.

            “Why? Were you worried?” Kaeya asks, trying not to smirk. Failing.

            “No,” Diluc huffs. Then relents. “Well, perhaps a little. It’s not like I’m unaware you occasionally put your lies to good use.”

            “Hm, yes. The Black Fire incident would have been hard to wrap up if I could only tell the truth.”

            “Besides,” Diluc continues grudgingly. “They’re . . . it’s . . . just what makes you who you are.” He honestly wouldn’t change Kaeya, even if he could. “Though I can’t say I haven’t had my fill of your lies, this trip. I’m ready to go home and send you back to the Ordo. You can be their problem for a while.”

            “I will do my best,” Kaeya says, with an easy smile. “Though I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy this trip.”

            Diluc sighs, then admits, “Yeah. Me too.”

            Kaeya is silent for a moment. Then, “You know . . . if you could stand my presence for just a little bit longer than it takes to get back to Mondstadt . . . there’s a Treasure Hoarder Camp west of Qingce that’s been supplying the Mondstadt branch with weapons and potion ingredients, and occasionally giving unsuspecting travelers around Stone Gate trouble. Not that Stone Gate is Mond territory. If it were, I’d have set a trap for them by now.”

            “Perhaps we should pay them a visit. See how they like it when a couple travelers take the fight to them,” Diluc says, seeing what Kaeya’s getting at.

            “You know I can’t just go hunting down bandits outside of my jurisdiction, Diluc . . . but fortunately, I have a horrible sense of direction. From time to time, I find myself lost and stumbling right into Treasure Hoarder camps.”

            “It sure would be a shame if that happened when we stopped in Qingce for souvenirs,” Diluc says.

            “Wouldn’t it?”

            “Hmph. I suppose I can put up with you a day or two longer. If I must.”

Thank you everyone for reading! And especially thank you to the one who made this fic possible, and has made it possible for me to spend more time writing this month. I’m so grateful for all your support!

If you enjoyed this fic, feel free to check out my others. I specialize in gen and found family fics, and often end up writing about the Ragnvindr brothers, because they’re my favorites. I did my best to branch out a bit and write about different characters during the 2021 Found Family Week prompt challenge, but Kaeya still showed up in nearly half of them. ><

Or, if you just want more Ragnvindr brothers, I’ve got this oneshot where they go on another adventure in their teen years, and it doesn’t go at all as planned. As you can probably tell from the title, “Just Me And You, The Sky So Blue . . .” they have a problem with a certain carnivorous flower. ^^

I’m also on Twitter, where I have a big announcement about one of my projects to make today. It involves art!   https://twitter.com/StrangeDiamond5