Chapter Text
A Blue light in the Dark
When his father had to leave him in order to save him
He was used to darkness. His hands were adapted to recognise every corner of stone, only illuminated by a reddish light. Sometimes, Kaeya would like to discover the place where he’s hidden a little more. And he would like to see something more than his father’s shadow arguing with someone he didn’t know. Something wrong was happening judging by the harsh movements and the dry words of his dad. Upon hearing his name, Kaeya came close to see. He met his father on the way.
“Kaeya” he said, looking at him with horror, because of something Kaeya wasn’t aware of yet. “We have to go. Now”
His father seemed so scared that Kaeya didn’t dare to ask. He only nodded. They always went to one place to another, always running away from something that wasn’t explained to Kaeya. Kaeya wanted to pick up his stuff but his father held him by the hand and started walking.
“Let’s go”
“But, papa, my clothes and my things…”
“We can’t waste time”
It was hard for him to keep the adult’s pace; he was almost dragging him. When he stepped on a rock, his father slowed down. He carried him on his arms and he could keep walking even faster than before. Both of them carried on towards the light at the end of the cave. Kaeya had never been outside, he was anxious to discover how it was.
But just as they went out to the surface, the sun’s light went straight to his eyes and completely blinded him. Kaeya screamed and quickly covered his face.
“I’m sorry… You’ll get used to it soon” his father said, rocking him. Kaeya tried to hide his face on his father’s shoulder, but it wasn’t enough. As he tried to open his eyes, the sun already hurt him. His father left him on the floor and he ripped his shirt off to put the cloth over his son’s eyes. “This will work for now”
“Papa, where are we going?”
“Do you remember what I told you about mama? That she isn’t with us anymore…” Kaeya nodded; he never knew her. “I don’t want you to be the same. We’re going far away, so you can be fine. Safe. If we manage to, you can bring us hope”
Kaeya nodded again, and his father resumed the walking. As Kaeya was always in his father’s arm, he could hear his heart-beats. So, he could know if his dad was scared, anxious or calmed. And most of the time, he seemed stressed.
From time to time, his father took the vendage off his eyes and he would stare long at him until Kaeya complained of the sun. A few days after, he could start wearing the cloth less at sunset. The first thing he saw was a little shiny flower, his blue faint light didn’t hurt him at all. Kaeya smiled, happy to see something so pretty in the shadows. He wanted to keep it, but the light died off when he ripped it from the earth.
Kaeya heard a river run. He was so excited to see more flowers, so he completely took off the cloth and ran to the shore to touch the water. It was a bit cold. His father stood behind him.
“Papa, look, how many flowers!” the kid said, amazed. He ran along the meadow and went back to his father, waiting for him to play too. He’d never seen such a landscape before; he only heard vain explanations from the older one.
His father was staring at his arm, anguished. Kaeya managed to see it stained, just before his dad hide it. Kaeya looked at him, worried.
“Papa, your arm…”
“We don’t have much time left, Kaeya” he said, kneeling down. He caressed his cheek, right under the eye which blackness contrasted with the light violet of the other iris. “I think I won’t be able to get there with you…”
“No, you have to come!” Kaeya hugged him, scared of letting him go.
“I will be with you as much as I can, but it’s not safe for you… You have to promise me that you will be brave and will survive” but Kaeya was already crying. “Don’t cry, you have to be strong for both of us”
“I’ll stay with you!”
“I won’t let you turn into a monster” his father said, forceful, holding him by the shoulders. Kaeya shut up, a bit scared. Hi father carried him one more time. “Do you see those lights? It’s a city. You’re going to stay there, understood?”
Kaeya screamed a little more, kicking around, but his father kept him under his arm. The night arrived and Kaeya started to get scared. He wasn’t afraid of the dark, but his father started acting weird. He stumbled and panted. Maybe he was tired, but Kaeya was afraid that the stain on his arm might hurt him. He didn’t dare to say anything until his father abruptly left him on the floor.
“Your eye, Kaeya…” he said, very serious. He held his face, a bit harsh, to observe his eyes. “It has scattered. Fuck…”
His hands started shaking. Kaeya looked at him, but the sun had already set and he could only see shadows. But there was something he did notice; tears. Kaeya put his little hands on his father’s face, bringing him support.
“I’m sorry, baby…” his father whispered. “But I must try it”
“Papa, no…”
His father kept shaking while he took out a little dagger from his pocket. He didn’t dare to look at his son, the kid wasn’t aware of what his father wanted to do.
“It will hurt…, but it’s for your good. It’s the only way I can think of to stop it. It worked on me…, until now”
His father took his eyepatch out, showing his closed eye. He gave it to his son, holding his hands strongly.
“It will only be a moment, I promise you…”
He laid Kaeya down, carefully. He caressed his hair, calming him down. He also kissed his cheeks, crying. Then, he brough the dagger close to his son’s poisonous eye.
The screams broke the silent of the forest. The father, holding his bleeding son tightly, joined him in his cries.
“It’s over, dear…”
Kaeya held onto his father’s clothes. It started raining and the waterdrops helped in cleaning his face, but he wasn’t aware of it. The pain was so unsufferable that he soon passed out.
It was impossible to wake up, but he felt everything. People talking, his dizzy head, his stabbing eye, a fever that couldn’t let him rest. And the rain, unstoppable, against a window.
“He completely lost his eye”
“Poor kid…”
He didn’t recognize any of the voices and he started getting scared. Where was he? He woke up suddenly at hearing thunder. His eye hurt a lot when he touched the bandage on his face. In the nightstand next to the bed, there was his father’s eyepatch. That reminded him that, from all the people that were in the room, none of them was his father.
“Papa…?” he muttered. No one seemed to hear him except from a red-haired man.
“Hi, little one. I’m glad you wake up” the man said, sitting on the bed. Kaeya held on the sheets. “Don’t be afraid, here you are safe”
A woman got close to check on the bandage, but Kaeya hit her hand as a reflex. He didn’t know her. The red-haired man indicated the woman to leave him alone.
“What’s your name?” the man seemed kind, but Kaeya was terrified and he couldn’t talk at all. “You’re at my house, I promise you that nothing will happen to you. I’m Crepus Ragnvindr. How about you?”
He tried again, but Kaeya was now paying attention to the eyepatch. He grabbed it and showed it to the man.
“Papa…” it seemed that it was the only word he could articulate. His hand shook and Crepus held it firmly.
“You’re still very confused. You have to rest, okay?” Even though Kaeya resisted a bit, Crepus laid him down and tuck him in. Then, he walked to the door to leave him alone. “Diluc, go back to your bed”
Crepus closed the door, but it soon opened again to let in his spitting image in miniature. A kid about the same age as him looked at him, cautious and a bit defiant. There was a kid who he didn’t know in his house, and he felt a bit territorial. Soon, he came close to the bed and stuck his red eyes at him.
“Who are you?”
For a reason, the presence of someone who looked like him calmed him down. Still a bit shaky, Kaeya held tight to the sheets.
“Kaeya…”
“I’ve never seen you in Mondstadt before”
“What’s Mondstadt?”
“Are you serious? It’s the best city of the world! You should know it. I’ll had to show it to you, I guess. I have no choice” the boy crossed his arms, haughty.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Diluc Rag… Ragn… Diluc! I’m eight years old, my dad is the most important wine producer of the whole world and I soon will be a Knight of Favonius that will keep the city safe “he says, as if it was a learnt speech. “What happened to your eye?”
Kaeya looked down at the eyepatch. He had faintly images in his head about his father, over him and holding a knife. He trembles out of fear, his father never hurt him before.
“My papa…”
“He isn’t around?” Kaeya shook his head. “We will look for him later. My father said it’s time to sleep, so it’s the same for you”
“I’m not sleepy…”
“Go to sleep” Diluc adjusted the pillow and pulled up the sheets. He was trying to tuck him in, but he was a bit harsh. Kaeya complained. “I will stay here until you fall asleep”
“Can you hold my hand…?”
Diluc, all confident, climbed up the bed and held his hand. He seemed willing to not move away from there, and Kaeya found it very pleasing. The rain had decreased its intensity and thanks to the warmth that Diluc emanated, he could fall asleep easily.