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The first thing Diluc was acutely aware of was a disgusting smell. Its potency was enough to make him feel sick to his stomach. He opened his eyes, unsure of what he would see, but was met with the pitch dark. He tried closing and opening his eyes again, but nothing changed. Confused and slowly coming around, Diluc considered rubbing his eyes and finally realized what an uncomfortable position he was laying in. Not only was he on his stomach with his arms at his side, but he laid on something extremely uncomfortable which was likely the source of the disgusting smell.
When Diluc tried moving his arm out, he hit a wall. Annoyed, he tried to lift it up, also hitting a wall. Feeling around the area using his other arm and legs, Diluc quickly came to the realization that he was trapped in some sort of small container. He immediately tried to regulate his breathing. Given the air quality, it was unlikely there was any air flow, so he needed to conserve as much oxygen until he figured out a way to get out of here.
Diluc tried to look around out of habit, but his head hit something. He carefully maneuvered himself so that he could bring his left hand up near his head. Once that was accomplished, he faced his palm upwards. If he created just a small flame for a moment, he could see what was in the container with him without wasting too much oxygen. Maybe he could use it to help him escape.
He summoned a tiny flame. Diluc noticed there was red hair near his palm that couldn’t possibly have been his. For one thing, his hair was tied back. For another, the hair lacked a certain shine to it. He moved his hand closer to the origin of the strands, revealing the decomposing head of Crepus Ragnvindr.
…
Diluc tried not to scream, but he couldn’t hide the abject horror he felt. He let out a whimper as if someone had just stabbed him. He moved his hand down and glanced at the shirt the corpse was wearing and confirmed it was his father’s. He clenched his fist and let the flame dissipate. A sob escaped him. Diluc closed his eyes and counted as he inhaled, held his breath, and exhaled. He needed to ignore the smell. He needed to control his breathing. He needed to last long enough for help to come.
Because he couldn’t escape his father’s coffin by himself.
*****
The knights were scrambling to find the young wine master. Ever since they received a letter taunting the Knights of Favonius for losing one of their “most precious citizens,” the Acting Grandmaster halted all travel within Mondstadt to account for everyone. It didn’t take long to discover that Master Diluc was missing.
Kaeya checked in with Adelinde and Elzer and confirmed that the redhead wasn’t doing any vigilante nonsense, nor was he off gallivanting around Teyvat. It alarmed Kaeya, but he wouldn’t admit it aloud. Instead, he ran around searching for Diluc, much like the rest of the town had once the news was out. They had searched for a little over an hour when a worker at the winery stumbled upon Crepus Ragnvindr’s desecrated grave.
Now, the cavalry captain stood before the grave with many other knights, all with shovels in their hands. It was just as the worker had described. The ground was dug up recently and Crepus’ real tombstone was smashed to bits, replaced by a new one that read:
Diluc Ragnvindr
April 20th, 1040 – May 3rd, 1062
Beloved by Most
Rest in Peace
Today’s date was inscribed as Diluc’s date of death. The sight made Kaeya want to throw up, but he resisted by putting himself to work with a few of the others and started shoveling dirt as fast as possible.
The knights kept a crowd from forming, and those who tired out were quickly replaced. At one point, Jean asked Kaeya to switch off and take a break, but the cavalry captain vehemently refused by only digging faster and harder than before. The group dug and dug, and after twenty minutes, someone had finally hit Crepus’ coffin. Everyone surged with newfound energy, and very quickly the item of desire was no longer covered by dirt.
The coffin looked just as it did the day Crepus was buried. It was screwed shut, but someone came with crowbars at the ready. They struggled to pry open the lid and eventually called for the blacksmith who had the tools to remove the large screws. Whoever had done this wanted to make sure that Diluc wouldn’t be easily saved. While they waited for the blacksmith to get the screws out, Kaeya and a few of the other knights called out to Diluc whom they prayed was still alive, but there was no response.
It took about five minutes for the screws to come out, and immediately afterward the lid of the coffin was popped up and thrown to the side. Everyone present gathered around and peered at their discovery. Diluc laid on top of Crepus’ corpse. His arms gripped the dead man’s shoulders, almost as if he was trying to hug him.
“Diluc!” Kaeya gasped and pulled him up. He’d been worried that they would find two corpses instead of one. “Help me get him out of there!” Kaeya barked at the two stunned knights who stood in the hole with Kaeya above the coffin. Jean ordered everyone unnecessary to get away and motioned for her sister, Barbara, to prepare to heal any injuries Diluc might have sustained.
They quickly hoisted the redhead up and got the traumatized young man on a patch of grass a safe distance from the grave. Diluc was somehow even paler than normal and shaking like a leaf. To say he looked awful would be an understatement.
“Back up, give him some privacy, won’t you?!” Kaeya shouted at everyone who now became onlookers to some scene of horrific fascination. Jean came out of her shock and took over, ordering everyone unnecessary to leave. After Barbara indicated there were no physical wounds, she promptly left as well. The knights who helped dig up the grave now worked on getting the crowd dispersed and returning to their posts.
While all this movement went on not too far away, Diluc remained sitting on the ground as tremors wracked his body. The color still wasn’t returning to his face, and he had yet to make eye-contact with anyone.
“It’s okay, Diluc. You’re safe,” Kaeya said as gently as he could. He kneeled onto the ground next to his once older brother and reached out for him. Diluc grabbed Kaeya’s arms with a death grip and finally looked the cavalry captain in his eye.
“K–” Diluc hiccuped and let the water that had been begging to spill from his eyes for so long finally run down his cheeks. A sob wracked his body and he let out a short pitiful whine. Kaeya looked at Jean who was the only person still nearby.
“I’ll go get Elzer and Adelinde…” Jean walked briskly away, leaving the two as alone as they could be.
Kaeya focused all his attention on Diluc, whose head was lowered and quietly crying, still clinging to Kaeya. The once younger brother felt his own anguish well up inside him and threatened to flow out of him just as well. He pulled his arms out and embraced Diluc in a hug just as the redhead used to do for him when they were younger. Diluc welcomed the embrace, hid his face in Kaeya’s shoulder, and hugged back with enough force to keep the cavalry captain planted there. Kaeya never thought that he could ever be this close to Diluc again. While it made him uncomfortable at first, he quickly felt a tension inside of him, which he had become so accustomed to, dissipate.
Kaeya held the back of Diluc’s head and mindlessly ran his fingers through the redhead’s hair. Diluc’s muffled sobs were almost deafening to Kaeya. The blue-haired young man rubbed Diluc’s back reassuringly.
“It’s gonna be okay, ‘luc,” He whispered. Diluc couldn’t say anything in response even if he wanted to.
Kaeya squeezed Diluc tighter and closed his eyes, ignoring the sickening stench emanating from his brother.