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Diluc was rushing. His lungs were burning as he ran towards the direction of the Thousand Winds Temple. He's trying not to think about how familiar this stormy night was to that night. He brought both his vision and delusion. In his mind, he wishes he wouldn’t have to use them, but he also wanted to be sure. He was bringing everything he had at his disposal to stop him.
"Kaeya!" his voice roaring through the heavy storm.
When he saw the familiar silhouette of the cavalry captain, he found himself running even faster. They were at the site where the remains of a huge compass looking structure was. Diluc tried to call out Kaeya’s name once again to possibly stop him. But before he could reach the other man, a wall of ice blocked his way. He was at a disadvantage with this rain. With his claymore in his hands, he felt the flames from his vision enveloping his weapon as he tried to take the wall of ice down.
"Kaeya!" His voice was weaker now. It was more of a plea rather than a roar. He swung his claymore once again to try and stop the other from walking away. But Kaeya was always quicker and more agile than Diluc. A simple sidestep with a dancer’s grace was all it took for Kaeya to dodge the attack.
“Diluc.” The voice was so soft yet so clear despite the rumbling thunder.
When he found out the truth about what happened to the people of Khaenri’ah and their connection to the Abyss Order all those years ago, he rushed back to Mondstadt to keep an eye on Kaeya. Diluc refuses to lose the cavalry captain to the Abyss Order. He had ended his fight with the Fatui and began his war with the Abyss Order immediately. Using every resource and connection he had, Diluc took it upon himself to tear down every lair the Abyss Order had if it meant they could never get to Kaeya. Flashbacks from his panic over the knowledge that an Abyss Order stronghold was found at the Golden Apple Archipelago and the fact that Kaeya was about to go there as well still gave him nightmares to this day. If Kaeya truly was the last hope for Khaenri’ah, it meant that he was to save them and not to bring forth the destruction of Mondstadt.
There was only silence between them as Kaeya eventually turned around to face Diluc. This was the first time Diluc has really seen the changes in Kaeya. While the cavalry captain’s left eye, the eye he showed to the world for a big majority of his life had a lone star, the other was like a black sky dotted with a galaxy of stars. Growing up, he’s seen Kaeya’s right eye before. It was never like this. It was just a scar over his perpetually closed eyelid that the young boy preferred to be hidden from the world.
“Kaeya, stop this! You can’t just–”
“Master Diluc. I assume the traveler has told you. They’re on their way to stop their own sibling as well. As you can see,” he raised his hand to point to his galaxy-filled eye, “you can’t stop it.”
When Diluc came back to Mondstadt, he swore to never raise his claymore or use his vision on Kaeya. He vowed to never hurt him anymore. He had used his vision on him that night all those years ago thinking Kaeya had betrayed him, when in reality, Kaeya had a more selfless mission, a burden no child should ever carry. Now, dismissing his claymore, he clenched his fists and charged at Kaeya.
Kaeya was always smarter when it came to combat. Despite being a sword user, Kaeya knew how to fight against Diluc’s overwhelming brute strength. He expertly moved to dodge every single one of Diluc’s punches and kicks without having to strike back. The exchange was already taking too much time, that Kaeya changed tactics and went on the offensive. He easily took hold of Diluc with his arm locking around the red head’s neck.
“Give up, Diluc.” His voice was calm despite the gravity of his words. Black wisps of energy encircled Diluc and the next thing he knew, he was being thrown towards a nearby tree.
Diluc was tired. He ran from Dawn Winery to the other side of Mondstadt just to reach Kaeya. He was out of breath and the hit from the impact did not make things better for him. “I can’t give up,” he said with gritted teeth. Looking at the black starry ribbons of energy surrounding Kaeya’s right arm, power likened from the Abyss Order, gave Diluc a sudden surge of energy. The traveler had once told him that some creatures, more powerful creatures, from the Abyss Order had the power to create portals to escape. His vision shone bright like the flames it produced at the thought of Kaeya slipping through his fingers. “I can’t give up. Not when you’re the price I have to pay if I did.”
He charged again at Kaeya, flames forming in his hands as he tried to land punches once again at the most important person in his life. With his newfound energy, he was able to get closer to striking Kaeya, to slow him down, to maybe knock him out so he can take him back to Mondstadt where it’s safe, where they’re both far away from the Abyss Order. This time, Kaeya was fighting back, not with his vision but with Khaenri’ahn magic. Seeing that unusual power surrounding Kaeya only made Diluc madder. It was too dark, too sinister, not unlike the soft light blue glow of Kaeya’s cryo vision. This power was too similar from the power that took his father away from him as well.
Kaeya found the upper hand once again and used his powers to throw Diluc at a fair distance. And to keep him in his place, his vision glowed its familiar blue as spikes of ice surrounded Diluc to not only pin him in place, but to also cage him. A lone icicle pointed at his throat to keep him from moving any further. Not a single icicle pierced through his skin, but he was restrained nonetheless.
“That night, I said that I was torn between two sides, Khaenri’ah and Mondstadt. When he died, I told myself it was finally easier for me to pick a side, but I was wrong. I still had you, Diluc.” Kaeya spoke in that same calm voice. It wasn’t his usual teasing tone. “You were still my tie to Mondstadt.”
“Kaeya!” Diluc interrupted. “You owe nothing to both nations. You’ve protected both. You’ve protected Khaenri’ah by keeping your secret and staying alive. You’ve protected Mondstadt by being a Knight of Favonius. If anything, both nations owe you a happy life that was robbed from you.” His voice broke at the mention of the happy life Kaeya could have had. Diluc could have spent that happy life with Kaeya.
“You’re wrong. I couldn’t protect Khaenri’ah. If anything,” he gave a sad smile as he looked at Diluc, “I brought nothing but suffering to my own people after defeating so many from the Abyss Order. I’m nothing but a sinner, you see. There’s no one left of our old nation except us sinners. And this is the price I finally have to pay.” He stepped back, hand glowing a deep blue. “This is my mission, Diluc. As the last hope of Khaenri’ah. As the Darknight Hero, you should be helping me since this will also save your beloved Mondstadt.”
“How can I believe your words?” Diluc spoke, tears of anger falling from his eyes. “You say that this is your mission. But how can I believe that in order to save everyone, you must suffer?” It was unfair. Kaeya was only a child when he was given this mission of his. “You once said that you didn’t know which side to choose between Khaenri’ah and Mondstadt.” He could feel both his delusion and vision activating as he spoke, his desperation for Kaeya fueling both foci. “What about me?” His hand was once again covered in flames, but this time, the black fire from his delusion intermingled with the red flames of his pyro vision. “This may save Mondstadt,” his hand grasped at the icicle pointing at his throat, “but how can I pretend that this is the right thing?” His voice rose as the heat of his vision and delusion enveloped his form.
“Diluc, don’t.”
“All I know is that this world means nothing without you!” At his words, his ice prison shattered from the heat of his flames.
Diluc had never used both foci at the same time before. He knew the risks of using his delusion, had witnessed the consequences if he let it overpower him. But right now, he didn’t care. All he cared about was Kaeya was going to leave him, and he may never come back. His mind was focused on stopping Kaeya, of saving Kaeya.
He finally called his claymore and ran towards Kaeya to try and stop him from leaving. With a wave of Kaeya’s hand, a sword made of ice and stars appeared in his hand to try and block Diluc’s attacks. As their weapons clashed, all Diluc could think about was the years he spent hating Kaeya and living life far away from his side. The loneliness and yearning for the other man tugged at his heartstrings, but at the same time the self-loathing consumed him for loving what he believed to be a traitor. He lamented over the fact that he lived all those years in hatred when he could have lived a happy life with Kaeya, with no more secrets between them. Realization struck him that he and Kaeya could have spent all those wasted years that they were apart finding out together a way for Kaeya to fulfill his mission without harming the two nations that tore his loyalty into two.
It was when Diluc’s claymore dangerously made very close contact at Kaeya’s neck with his claymore that made him freeze in place. Not even in his blind desperation could he harm Kaeya. But in turn, Kaeya took advantage. The stars in his right eye glowed with power and a wave of darkness pushed Diluc far away, the darkness felt like it was shocking his skin into paralysis. It wasn’t pain, but it was more of a numbing sensation. Even with his Khaenri’ahn powers, Kaeya still chose not to bring harm to Diluc. He felt his back collide a boulder. His body was still surrounded by those same dark ribbons laced with stars. Kaeya was pinning him down. He couldn’t move even if he wanted to. There was no energy left that he could muster to even keep his eyes open.
He had lost.
He had lost not to Kaeya, but to the Abyss Order. He lost Kaeya, the most important person to him, to the Abyss Order.
With the last of his energy, he could hear Kaeya’s parting words.
“You changed my life, Diluc. I owe you my life.” He could feel Kaeya’s fingers caress his cheek. His eyesight was already blurring due to fatigue. “As a sinner, this is my penance. Know that I’m doing this all for you. And only you.”
The last thing Diluc remembers before passing out was smelling the scent of calla lilies from the nearby pond as the rain stopped pouring and the pressure from Kaeya’s lips on his temple.