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Kaeya Alberich is a man of lies. He lies to get his way, lies to follow orders, and lies to keep himself safe. The most impressive lies he tells, however, are the ones he tells himself.
I'm loyal to Mondstadt
I'm loyal to Khaenri'ah
I'm loyal to the Knights
I'm loyal to the Abyss Order
I'm loyal to my brother
I'm loyal to my father
These are words Kaeya repeats in his head whenever they suit him best.
If he needs to please an old woman by helping her up some stairs, he is the Calvary Captain of Mondstadt.
If he needs to relay intel to an Abyss Mage, he is the Prince of Khaenri'ah sent by his father to a foreign nation to act as a sleeper agent until it was time for him to return.
So, one may ask, which is the real Kaeya?
Even if the man himself knew the answer, he wouldn't tell anybody.
After all, Kaeya Alberich is a man of lies.
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His window was open.
Kaeya placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, readying himself for the need to engage in combat.
As a spy, one must always cover their tracks if they are to remain in hiding. His father told him that once. Whoever was in his house right now clearly did not know that basic rule. Kaeya always locked everything away, including his house, if it needed to be left unattended. Inside his tiny apartment there were many classified documents hidden away that only he and Jean were privy to. Kaeya gently stepped on the piles of clothes that scattered his floor, their materials deafening any sound his boots would've otherwise made.
Nothing in the kitchen. He looked left.
Nothing in the bathroom. He looked right.
His bedroom door was open.
Kaeya drew his blade from its sheath as he made his way to his bedroom.
He checked under his bed, in his closet, and around every corner. There was nothing except an envelope laying on his bedsheets.
Hesitantly, Kaeya picked up the envelope, opened it, and began to read the letter.
Kaeya Alberich of Khaenri'ah,
I regret to inform you that your father has passed, leaving our nation without a ruler. For almost fifteen years you have acted in accordance with your homeland's wishes, and have operated as an insider in the nation of Mondstadt. Now that mission has come to a close and your services are needed back home as the new leader of Khaenri'ah. Tonight, under the full moon, when The Abyss is at its most powerful, make your way to Falcon Coast. From there, Royal Guards will escort you back to Khaenri'ah. We await your return home, Prince.
Kaeya crumpled up the paper and shoved it in his pocket, hiding away its contents. His father was dead- probably his mother too -and now Khaenri'ah needed him to return home.
This was what he always wanted, right? To help his homeland...
Kaeya looked out the window at Mondstadt city, which was illuminated by the setting sun in the distance. He saw the merchants closing their stands until daylight returned. He saw his fellow Knights patrolling the streets, helping whoever needed it. He looked towards the church where he saw a group of nuns leaning on the railing that wrapped around the plaza, all of whom were chatting about something he couldn't quite hear. A darkness fell over Kaeya and he turned to see the statue of Barbatos casting a shadow over his body.
I was born in Khaenri'ah, Kaeya thought as he moved away from the window, but Mondstadt feels more like my homeland than that place ever did.
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"You're here earlier than usual," Diluc commented as he watched Kaeya enter the tavern shortly after sunset.
"What can I say? The quicker I complete my patrols, the quicker I can snag a drink," Kaeya shrugs as he slides into the nearest barstool and begins chatting up another patron nearby. To anybody else, the sight currently in front of Diluc wouldn't have raised any questions. The Calvary Captain of Mondstadt, famed for his ever-present smile and frequent travels to the tavern, having pleasant conversations with a citizen. To his estranged brother, however, Diluc could tell with one glance something was on the captain's mind. His posture held less confidence, his smile less energetic, and his aura gave off little to none of its usual flare. Concern grew in Diluc's mind as he watched Kaeya pathetically try to mask any problems. However, this was not the proper place to confront him, as Kaeya would no doubt dodge the question and look towards another patron as an escape.
Diluc turned back to mixing Kaeya's drink, deciding to wait until the tavern cleared out to confront the Calvary Captain. To his luck (which didn't appear very often), today was a slow day for Angels Share as many of the frequents were occupied with their families or jobs, and as a result, it didn't take long for Diluc and Kaeya to be left alone.
"I hate dancing around a subject, so I want you to answer me straight, Kaeya. What is up with you tonight?" Diluc asked as he leaned on the counter and pushed aside Kaeya's drink.
"Oh, whatever do you mean, Master Diluc? Is my hair a mess, or do you just want an excuse to lecture me about my outfit again?" Diluc frowned at Kaeya's answer, but he had expected it.
"We both know that I've always been able to tell when you were hiding something, so there's no point in trying to get better at it now. Avoiding an answer won't help whatever is going up in that brain of yours." Diluc hated being so direct with Kaeya, but if the man wasn't going to spill his secrets willingly, there wasn't much Diluc could do otherwise. Regardless, his straightforwardness seemed to do the trick as Kaeya's facade dropped and he pulled out a letter from his pocket, sliding the crumpled paper across the counter.
Diluc picked up the item and scanned its contents, his posture growing more and more rigid with every word he read.
"I had always cursed the day they would return for me. I always knew they would, but some part of me still hoped I could live out my life in Mondstadt." The vulnerability in Kaeya's voice brought Diluc out of his shock. The last time he had seen Kaeya this open was...that night. Diluc shook away the memories of that battle. He would not make the same mistake twice. He rounded the bar and made his way toward Kaeya, who had his head turned downwards in shame.
Slowly, Diluc placed a comforting hand on his estranged brother's shoulder. He felt the man stiffen at the contact, obviously stunned by the unusual physical contact currently being demonstrated. Still, Diluc kept his hand on Kaeya, rubbing shallow and comforting circles on his back. Slowly, the tension in Kaeya's shoulders dissipated as he leaned into the touch.
"I don't want to go," he heard Kaeya mumble. Silent tears dripped onto the bar counter as Kaeya tried to muffle his sobs.
"Kaeya look at me." Diluc removed his hand from Kaeya's back as he grabbed the discarded letter. Kaeya raised his head, eyes red from tears, and watched as his former brother gripped the top of the letter with his hands and tore it in half. The action shocked him.
"Diluc-"
"I don't give a shit what the Abyss Order says- you are staying here. You might have been born in Khaenri'ah, but you are a citizen of Mondstadt. You have fought tooth and nail for this city alongside myself and other knights, and I'll be damned if I let the Abyss take you away." Diluc took the two halves of the letter and tossed them into a trash can. "Come back to the Dawn Winery with me. You can take up your old room there and we'll form a plan to get you to stay."
"Diluc, I can't! I consider Mondstadt my home, but I have an obligation to Khaenri'ah." The words that left Kaeya's lips felt emotionless, all the more proof of his internal crisis.
"Are we talking about the same nation here? Because, you seem to be describing a country that gives a shit about its prince, and not the one that left him alone in the rain when he was 8!"
"It was for a mission..." Kaeya's voice cracked as he attempted to defend his homeland's actions.
"A mission that should have never been given to a child." Diluc gripped Kaeya's shoulders with such a force that Kaeya couldn't help but listen. "Please, come to Dawn Winery with me. I do not want to lose somebody else."
The tavern fell into silence as Diluc tried to capture Kaeya's gaze, who, opposingly, had his eyes cast downward. "I don't want to be a burden." He whispered, the words that Diluc had cast upon him all those years ago rang in the minds of both men.
"You're not a burden, Kaeya. I'm sorry I ever made you think that." Reluctantly, Kaeya met his former brother's gaze. No words were spoken, but the nod that followed was all the confirmation Diluc needed.
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The last thing Diluc remembered before falling asleep was saying good night to Kaeya, who was asleep on his bed while Diluc slept on the couch.
When he awoke, he was met with empty bedsheets. Panic shot through him as he raced out of the room and looked over the railing to see the mansion devoid of activity. When he reentered his bedroom, Diluc noticed two things that he had previously missed.
An open window and a letter on the bedsheets.
A sense of hopelessness and defeat plagued Diluc as reality set in. He was alone. For good. After reading its contents, he placed the folded letter into a drawer on his nightstand. He walked over to his desk in the corner and began reviewing documents that he had set aside the day before.
He handed over the completed business papers later that day. If Adelinde noticed the tears that marked each and every one of them, she didn't say anything.
Regardless of Diluc's wishes, life pressed on following Kaeya's departure. A search party was sent out after Kaeya had not returned for 3 days, but after 2 months of empty findings, it was disbanded.
Diluc began assisting Jean with paperwork, picking up the pieces that Kaeya had left behind. Although, if you were to ask him directly, the man would still refuse to acknowledge his assistance with the Knights of Favonious. For a few weeks, a day wouldn't go by where Klee didn't sob at her older brother's disappearance. However, like all things, it came to an end as even the young child began to accept he would not be returning.
Time will always press onward, regardless of whether you want it to or not. Diluc learned that the hard way. Days, weeks, months, and years passed, and slowly, the ache that Kaeya left faded into the background. He hated it. He felt like he was forgetting his brother. After an entire day passed when he didn't think about Kaeya once, he wanted to punch himself. Still, those days became more and more common, and soon Diluc could barely remember his brother's face.
But he never forgot that letter. It remained in the same spot for years, having not been moved since the day it was written. It always stayed there, just like the legacy Kaeya Alberich left on Mondstadt- a nation he could call his home.
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Diluc,
I know you wanted to help me, and I know this isn't out of character for me to reject said help, but I cannot put the lives of you and Mondstadt at risk for my sake. The remanents of Khaenri'ah will stop at nothing to ensure my return, be it willingly or forcefully. One life at the expense of hundreds is not worth the trouble, you of all people should know that. My final wish to you is that you keep my departure a secret. If somebody asks, deny your knowledge, and if somebody close to me prys, make up a lie. Please do whatever it takes to keep my origins between us. I know it's a selfish wish, but at the very least, I want my legacy to not be one of a traitor to Mondstadt.
Please make sure Jean does not overwork herself- I know that my departure will leave her with more work than normal. Look after Klee and ensure that she spends time with Albedo to make up for my lack of presence. Please make sure that Rosaria and Venti do not cease their nightly visits on account of my absence. Finally, you, Diluc. There's so much I want to tell you and thank you for, but we both know I've never been good with words.
I forgive you for that night. In fact, I should be apologizing. Pathetic, I know. Apologizing over a letter? How much lower could I stoop? In any case, I want you to take care of yourself. Live up to father's legacy and carry on the Ragnvinder name. Maybe one day we'll see each other again- be it in a field of calla lilies or on a battlefield.
I wish I could say I'm leaving without regrets. I had a fulfilling life, a stable job, and friends that loved me. However, I'm a selfish individual, so my cursed mentality can never be satisfied. The truth is, I do have one final regret- I never got to call you my brother again.
Please, Diluc, forget me.
I love you
~Kaeya