Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Should we go any further, Sir?” Huffman asks as the group of four approaches closer to the South-Western Mondstadt-Liyue border.

“No, stay here,” Kaeya commands. “It’ll be safer if you keep your distance.”

The immediate danger in question is the large, red ley line surrounded by at least fifteen Hilichurls by Kaeya’s count. In any usual situation, Kaeya would be certain that he and the three other Knights with him could easily take the monsters, but this was far from a normal situation.

Recently the red outcrops had been popping up more and more. What used to be only the occasional sighting of them once every two or three years, had turned into one or two being spotted every day. The main danger was that they were appearing in populated areas and attracting dangerously strong monsters that were becoming more and more difficult to defeat.

That, and anyone who went near the outcrops seemed to disappear into thin air.

Kaeya eyed over the unmarked border, the still and silence uncanny. Not even the grass or trees swayed in the gentle afternoon breeze. It was as if time had frozen and all life outside of Mondstadt had come to a standstill.

Maybe it had, Kaeya thought. If the past two weeks had taught him anything, it was that anything was possible at this point.

The whole ordeal had started just over three weeks ago when a group of adventurers were commissioned to destroy an unusual Ley Line Outcrop. According to Katherine, the commission should not have taken more than an hour. However, the adventurers had failed to return to collect their commission prize, and a subsequent team who had been tasked to look for the group also failed to report back. That is all except for one group member.

When the young man returned he came crashing through the city gates, crying out for help. When later questioned he said that his team had found the outcrop still surrounded by Hilichurls and no sign of the original missing team. Then, with a bright flash of light, the outcrop, the Hilichurls, and his entire team disappeared. He searched all over Windrise but couldn’t find a single trace of them.

Over the following days, there were more and more sightings of the red outcrops and more and more people reported missing. By this point, Kaeya had returned from a short expedition out to Old Mondstadt and had finally been filled in on the situation.

To say it had been annoying would be an understatement. He was quite looking forward to taking a two-week vacation he’d planned for when he returned from that expedition. Unsurprisingly, Jean had put that on hold. Something that Kaeya couldn’t be too annoyed at—he had sworn an oath to protect Mondstadt and all.

Then just over a week ago, without much warning, no one was able to enter or leave Mondstadt.

When Kaeya first heard of that, he hadn’t really believed it. It wasn’t as if Mondstadt was some cursed domain that could turn on its occupants. But as the days passed, that’s what the situation started to feel like. The land beyond Mondstadt’s borders was seemingly frozen in time. Plants and trees didn’t move with the wind, animals were frozen in place, and not a single soul—human or otherwise—had been spotted. Even the ocean waters no longer move, the waves frozen like they’ve been depicted in a painting. Perhaps the most concerning though is what happens when someone tries to cross over the border. From trying on foot, with a horse, and even using a boat launched from Falcon Coast, the result is always the same: the person disappears from sight with a bright flash of light.

Everyone has returned thankfully, but each person has reported opening their eyes and finding themselves in a completely different part of the nation. Even Jean herself tried it. She tried walking through Stone Gate only to end up at the peak of Starsnatch Cliff.

And if the outcrops, disappearing people, and crazed domain-like border, weren’t enough of a problem, the inability to pass through the border meant there were no imports. And Kaeya for once wasn’t complaining only about the wine supply chain. Though Mondstadt could technically support itself foodwise, there was still a heavy reliance on imported fruits, vegetables, and grains. They’d have to start rationing food soon if the Knights couldn’t figure out what was going on.

And that’s currently what Kaeya was disliking the most right now—not knowing what was going on. There was no explanation for this other than it was some crazed fever dream. Lisa, Sucrose, and Albedo had been tasked with trying to figure out what was happening but even they were stumped. Well, Lisa and Sucrose were anyway. A letter had been sent to Albedo’s lab on Dragonspine but the Chief Alchemist was yet to return. It was unclear whether he had been a victim of the disappearances or if he was so engrossed in whatever research he was doing that he hadn’t noticed the letter yet.

It was almost funny how both options are equally plausible.

Either way, it was almost impossible to send anyone to go look for him. Nearly fifty people had gone missing in less than a week and Jean was hesitant to send anyone out unless absolutely necessary. If Albedo had disappeared then it would be useless to send someone out to look for him, and if he hadn’t and was simply engrossed in some research he would no sooner return to Mondstadt than if simply left alone. Kaeya knows personally how difficult it is to get the alchemist to abandon an experiment, no matter how dire the outside circumstances.

For now, all anyone can do is hope that this helplessly convoluted situation gets solved as quickly as possible. And for Kaeya, that means investigating as many of these unusual outcrops as possible. The outcrops and the bizarre border situation are quite possibly linked. So, if Kaeya can understand the outcrops he might be able to figure out how to resolve this entire situation.

“Sir, are you sure this a good idea?” Huffman calls as Kaeya slowly starts edging closer to the outcrop and group of Hilichurls.

Kaeya calls back from over his shoulder, “I’ll be fine so long as you don’t startle the Hilichurls.”

Though Kaeya doesn’t see it he can almost hear Huffman’s jaw snap close. And that’s a good thing too, Kaeya thinks. The last thing he needs is for the Hilichurls to go crazy and attack everything in sight which was hard enough to avoid on his lonesome, let alone with three other Knights who decided to tag along.

Huffman, Fynn, and Swan were later additions to this party. Initially, Kaeya had wanted to investigate on his own since it was generally easier and safer that way. It’s much harder to not attract attention when surrounded by three other people who aren’t trained in being covert. But it’s not as if Kaeya could’ve told the men to leave after they volunteered to help. If he did they’d probably go to Jean and ask why she let Kaeya go on a mission alone—something that the Acting Grand Master had forbade since the beginning of this mess—and then Jean would find out that Kaeya had gone on a mission alone.

But it’s not as if he was going against direct orders. Isn’t there an old saying about how the Thousand Winds are always with you? So by that metric, he’s technically not alone.

And it’s not like he could’ve asked Jean for permission because Kaeya is nearly certain she would say no to his investigations. She’d say that it was too dangerous and that she couldn’t risk any of her captains going missing. Not that that wasn’t a valid point, but who would Kaeya be if he couldn’t take up his own initiative?

Besides, he knows to be careful. As long as he doesn’t get close enough to touch the Ley Line Outcrop he should be fine. All he needs to do for now is try to get a good look at the blossom. He might be able to figure out if it’s some portal to the Abyss or somewhere else based on visuals alone.

Kaeya slowly edges forward, wary of the Hilichurls. If he startles them and they attack then his whole plan will be a waste. Thankfully, the Hilichurls seem rather oblivious to their surroundings, instead opting to walk in and around the blossom in dizzying circles. Even the Hilichurl Shooters who usually take up the role of watchmen seem more interested in the red flower-like blossom than anything else.

Kaeya has to suppress a groan as he edges closer and is still unable to get a clear view of the centre of the blossom. He’ll have to try to get closer again. Taking a grounding breath, Kaeya crouches closer to the ground and keeps moving. He has to stop when he spots movement to his right. A lone Hilichurl, having wandered away from the rest of its group, is slowly circling a wider area. If Kaeya doesn’t move its path will lead it straight to him. Kaeya lets out a low hum as he contemplates his options.

If he moves too quickly he might startle the larger group but if he moves too slowly then the single Hilichurl will startle and in turn startle the rest of the group. He glances between the approaching Hilichurl and the outcrop, thinking of what to do. Perhaps he could test his luck and stay put. The Hilichurl might turn the other way before it gets to Kaeya.

However, before Kaeya can commit to any one option, there’s a shout from behind-

“Sir Kaeya, look out!”

-and a lone arrow shoots toward the oncoming Hilichurl. The shot misses and lands roughly a metre ahead of the monster but still manages to startle it. It comes to attention with a shout, instantly alerting the rest of its group.

Damn it, Kaeya thinks as he stands and summons his sword. There’s no point in trying to hide now.

Kaeya throws a glance at the Knights behind him, wondering why in Barbatos' name they decided to shoot an arrow. Huffman sends a guilty look back, his bow still drawn with another arrow.

“Well come on then,” Kaeya shouts and the rest of the Knights spring into action.

Just like every other group of Hilichurls that Kaeya’s encountered in the past couple of weeks, these monsters are much stronger than usual. They take blow after blow yet remain standing.

Kaeya swipes at two Hilichurls with enough force to send them flying backwards, knocking them into one more monster. He doesn’t have much time to celebrate the small victory, as he’s spinning on his feet and spraying a blast of cryo towards a Samachurl that’s just about to take a swing at Fynn. The Samachurl falls backwards and disappears into a puff of stardust.

Fynn throws Kaeya a thankful smile before launching himself at the next monster.

As the seconds stretch into minutes, there’s still no sign of this fight ending. That’s not much of a problem for Kaeya personally, but he is getting concerned for the other three knights. Every minute that passes is another minute that they’ll be fighting exhausted.

That and he doesn't trust that the others are being as aware of their positions as they should be. A single wrong step could send them spiralling into the centre of the Ley Line Blossom.

Kaeya throws himself to take on another Hilichurl. He can already feel his power waning and he really needs to take a break from using his Vision if he doesn’t want to pass out. But the monsters just won’t stop coming. Kaeya’s feet dance across the ground and he readies his sword to strike a Hilichurl shooter.

His strike misses though, as Huffman roughly falls back into Kaeya, the Knight having been knocked down by a Samachurl.

As Kaeya falls back towards the ground he realises his mistake.

The blossom is right behind him and he’s about to fall back into it.

Kaeya reaches his hand out and sprays a blast of cryo praying that it will knock the other three Knights away in time. But before Kaeya can see the results of his endeavour there’s a bright flash of white light.

Then, just as quickly, the world turns black.

Chapter Text

Kaeya is aware that he’s conscience, despite the all encompassing black. He can’t tell if his eyes are open or closed. Is he really awake or just half asleep? There’s little time to give that thought much contemplation before Kaeya feels his stomach drop—a sensation akin to that initial jump you make from a height before activating a wind glider. He can’t stop the feeling and part of him briefly wonders if he’s died. Was him falling into that blossom the thing that finally ended him? It would be embarrassing if it had and Jean would not doubt be furious with him.

And then, in a moment that is both an eternity and a single second, the world comes rushing back and Kaeya opens his eyes.

He’s on his back—though that’s not surprising given the fall he just took—staring up towards the midnight sky. That’s the first odd thing, Kaeya notes. How long was he out for that it’s now night? It was just after midday when he left the city and mid afternoon by the time he arrived at that blossom. Yet given the position of the moon in the sky, it was at least one of the last hours of the day, maybe even the early hours of the morning.

The next thing Kaeya notices is the thin veil of clouds above and the damp ground under his back. The moisture below him tells that it was raining recently, not heavy enough to reduce the dirt to mud but light enough to dampen and soften the ground. Perhaps a constant, light rainfall throughout the night? The cloud cover would certainly explain that. The clouds are enough to block out the light of some dimmer stars but do little to reduce the moonlight.

And the more Kaeya thinks about it, he finds the rain particularly odd too. Jean had consulted Mona just a few days prior for weather predictions—something the astrologist rarely got wrong—and there was no sign of even the slightest drizzle. It was to be nothing but clear skies, day and night.

A groan to Kaeya’s left alerts him that he’s not alone. Kaeya supposes he should probably sit up now and try to figure out what’s going on.

“Gods, my head,” Huffman groans with a hand massaging his temple.

“Are you alright?” Kaeya asks though he will admit he isn’t really listening for an answer.

Instead, he’s finding himself much more occupied with figuring out where exactly they are. It’s just the two of them unless Fynn and Swan have woken up somewhere else nearby. Kaeya prays that it’s the latter option because that way at least he’d been able to push someone out of the way. It’s hard to pinpoint an exact location in amongst the shadows and trees but it’s definitely not where they were investigating that blossom, that’s for sure.

Kaeya hoists himself up onto his feet, ignoring the growing pressure behind his eyes. He offers a hand to Huffman and helps him up too, still scanning the area.

“I think this might be Brightcrown Mountains,” Huffman offers.

Kaeya hums in agreement despite still being unsure himself. He can’t figure out what exactly, but something doesn’t seem right. The two are surrounded by towing trees and some much younger ones as well. The surrounding cliffs and trees paint the area in dancing shadows—something that spooked Kaeya when he was younger—and it looks like the Brightcrown Mountains, but it doesn’t feel like it. It’s almost as if someone has recreated the surrounding scene from memory—an accurate representation by most metrics but certain trees and shrubs have been placed in the wrong spot.

Though Kaeya can’t quite say if he’s right on that or not. He certainly isn’t familiar enough with this area to make an observation like that. Someone like Eula or anyone in the Reconnaissance Team might be able to though.

“What time is it?” Huffman asks looking up to the sky.

Kaeya pulls his timepiece from his pocket and checks it, but finds himself stalling as he reads the time. He blinks a few times before checking it again. But no, he read it right the first time.

“This says it’s two in the afternoon.”

He unclips the device and presses it up to his ear, wondering if the mechanism stopped working at some point. Yet, there’s a distinctive mechanical whir and a tick with every second that passes. Kaeya narrows his brow. What is going on?

It’s like his clock froze for all that time he was unconscious.

Huffman steps closer to look at the clock himself and offers a surprised hum, “That’s uh… odd.”

Kaeya pockets the watch and takes another look around, “Yeah, it definitely is.”

Without warning, the familiar sound of hoofbeats approaches from behind and Kaeya turns to face whoever's approaching. It’s hard to make out in the dark, but the distinct silhouette of Cavalry horses grows closer.

Kaeya narrows his eyes. He hasn’t had Cavalry horses since Varka left for his expedition. So who is this and how did they get Cavalry horses?

“Are you two alright?” Asks one of the mounted men as he stops in front of Kaeya and Huffman, his face invisible in the low light. There’s an odd intonation at the end of the question as if the Knight is fishing for more information than an answer to that question warrants.

“We’re fine,” Kaeya calls back, “just a bit disorientated.”

He tries to catch a glimpse of either of the men’s faces but fails in the low light. And a quick glance to Huffman who’s sporting a confused look that he’s not even trying to hide, Kaeya gathers that Huffman is just as lost.

Though, he doesn’t need to let Huffman know that. At least one of them should be displaying some semblance of level-headedness—no matter how superficial it may be.

Kaeya opens his mouth to ask the two for names and where they got the horses from when he overhears the younger of the two say:

“Isn’t that one of Crepus’ boys?”

Hang on- What?

He hasn’t been referred to as ‘Crepus’ boy’ in years. It’s been so long in fact that Kaeya was almost certain that most in Mondstadt no longer associated Kaeya as being Crepus’ adopted son.

The apparent older Knights sends a warning glance to the other—something that Kaeya only just manages to notice—before speaking again, “Just stay here and help will arrive soon.”

Help?

The two Knights have said all of three sentences between them, yet every word is confusing Kaeya more and more—something that he’s starting to take personal offence to. Something is obviously not right here and Kaeya needs to figure out what exactly before this ‘help’ arrives.

So from the beginning:

He fell into an unusual Ley Line Outcrop and passed out for Gods know how long. Then, he woke up in a simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar place, with a timepiece that was strangely out of sync with the actual time. It was raining when Mona had predicted the opposite—though Kaeya isn’t sure he can take that as credible evidence since even astrologists are fallible—and two completely unfamiliar Knights, riding on Cavalry horses who should all be with Varka, have arrived and told both him and Huffman to stay put.

So what could all this mean?

Unless…

Is this a domain?

It would certainly explain people disappearing into the blossoms. Though it was very uncommon, it wasn’t unheard of for entrances to Domains to appear in wild and random locations. A particularly strong Ley Line Disorder could do such.

And, it could explain the wild weather and time. Some domains were known to have ecosystems of their own and it wasn’t unheard of for Adventurers to enter domains only for the subspace to completely warp their sense of time. That was one of the reasons it was so important for people to keep timepieces with them since they were one of the few things that could ground someone in reality if stuck in some strange place.

But how would he then explain the two Cavalry Knights? Though he supposed anything could go in a domain, he hadn’t ever heard of one creating entire people.

Unless they weren’t people at all.

They could be Abysslings.

Kaeya will be the first to admit that he’s pulling at straws here, but the Abyss Order had been suspect number one behind this entire ordeal. Given their power and general hatred for humanity, it wouldn’t surprise Kaeya if he learnt they were the ones that had thrown all of Mondstadt into chaos.

Regardless of how correct Kaeya’s guess is, it doesn’t change just how dangerous this situation might be. So what is he supposed to do next?

If he were by himself—if he’d actually managed to push Huffman out of the way in time—then Kaeya would have no issues with staying around to figure out what was happening. He’d be able to stay and go as he pleases only being concerned for his own safety.

But that’s not an option right now. Huffman is here and Kaeya can’t just abandon him. So as much as Kaeya is burning to stay put and try to get a grasp on the situation, he knows he has to leave for the safety of both of them.

However, before Kaeya can signal to Huffman that they need to leave, the sounds of hoofbeats fill the otherwise quiet night air.

The two mounted Knights sit up straight in their saddles. Kaeya supposes that this is the ‘help’ arriving. Which means if he wants to get out of here he needs to do so right now.

“Grand Master,” one the Cavalry Knights call, “over here.”

‘Grand Master’?

And almost as if being cued by his title, the one and only Varka emerges from the treeline followed by an entourage of three more Knights.

Kaeya knows he isn’t masking his confusion very well, but given the circumstances, he thinks he’ll give himself a pass on that for now.

It’s been months since Kaeya’s seen Varka in person, but he’s still the same large presence that Kaeya remembers. The height, pure muscle mass, and booming voice of the Grand Master are impossible to ignore and even harder to upstage.

What should also be impossible is Varka’s current, physical presence. He’s out on an expedition, far beyond Mondstadt’s border, and given the current circumstances should not have been able to enter Mondstadt.

With every minute that passes Kaeya is starting to see his crazy theory as more and more feasible.

Huffman fails to see the potential danger, apparently, as he perks up and exclaims, “Grand Master, it’s good to see you!”

‘Varka’ steps fully into view and glances between Kaeya and Huffman, a discerning expression on his face. As the Grand Master locks eyes with Kaeya, there’s a brief glimpse of surprise. His eyes widen ever so slightly as if something about Kaeya’s appearance is shocking. All the more reason to doubt that these people are actually who they say they are.

Actually, scratch that, Kaeya is certain that these people are not who they say they are. They might not even be people at all.

‘Varka’ turns his attention back to Huffman and the two briefly exchange pleasantries. It’s a good thing too, as it gives Kaeya a chance to examine this ‘Grand Master’ to look for any hints that might solidify Kaeya’s theory. Something as simple as the muscles around the mouth not moving properly or long periods without blinking might tell Kaeya whether these people are Abysslings or not. It might also help him gauge how dangerous the immediate situation is.

Though there doesn’t seem to be anything about ‘Varka’ that’s nonhuman-like, there is something that doesn’t seem right. It’s like Varka’s face is just slightly wrong, much like how Kaeya felt about the surrounding trees earlier.

It’s becoming increasingly infuriating just how little of this situation Kaeya understands. For someone like Kaeya who prides himself on being able to pull apart every detail, not being able to put words to what is wrong is going to start being humbling soon. And that is not an experience that Kaeya has the mental capacity to undertake right this minute.

“Sir Kaeya,” the ‘Grand Master’ greets as he moves his attention to Kaeya.

Kaeya offers a small nod in greeting in return, “Grand Master.”

There’s a brief silence as the two lock eye contact and Kaeya gets the feeling that this supposed ‘Varka’ is just as weary of Kaeya as Kaeya is of him. Which is… odd. If this really is a set up by the Abyss Order why would they have any reason to mistrust Kaeya?

But this might not be the Abyss Order, Kaeya reminds himself. He doesn’t have anything concrete to make an assumption like that—not that he has much evidence to ascertain anything, really.

“Why don’t we head back to the city,” ‘Varka’ offers slowly.

He glances over to the two mounted Knights, perhaps indicating some cue that Kaeya can’t see from here.

Huffman takes a step forward, “Of course, Grand Master.”

Kaeya almost rolls his eyes at how little self preservation this man has sometimes. Even Huffman should be able to see that this can’t possibly be the real Varka, right?

Kaeya puts his hand out in front of Huffman to stop him from advancing any further, “Just wait a second.”

Varka turns back to face Kaeya and narrows his eyes. “Is everything alright?” He asks deliberately—a tone that Kaeya doesn’t hear very often.

There’s a sinking feeling in Kaeya’s gut, likely attributed to the growing danger. Kaeya can feel at least two more sets of eyes watching him from somewhere in the treeline, but it’s hard to gauge how long they’ve been there.

All Kaeya knows for certain is that he and Huffman need to get out of here as soon as possible.

“How did you get into Mondstadt?” Kaeya asks, adding a tone of genuine curiosity.

He just needs to stall long enough for Huffman to figure out what’s happening so that they can get out of here together.

“I’m not following, Sir Kaeya.”

That’s not the response Kaeya was hoping for. Some elaborate excuse perhaps, but not feigned confusion. Though, Kaeya will admit that the confusion is pretty convincing. If it were any other situation Kaeya would be inclined to believe it.

Kaeya glances at Huffman who is looking at Kaeya confused.

“I think the Grand Master is right,” Huffman says. “We should probably start heading back to the city now. I imagine Master Jean is worried that we didn’t report back.”

Kaeya is about to strangle this man. How can he have said all of that but still not understand that this is not Varka?

It’s fine, Kaeya reminds himself. He’s always believed in the philosophy that everyone but yourself is an idiot. Well, not everyone he corrects. Jean is not on that list.

Bringing his attention back to the current conversation, Kaeya is trying to think of some way to clue Huffman in on what is going on. And he’s going to have to be quick about it too, if the ever growing presence out of view is anything to go by.

He could always leave Huffman here, Kaeya thinks, just to see what he does. It would certainly be an entertaining experiment. But then he might have to explain how someone died on his watch, which would be slightly less entertaining.

So beyond outright telling Huffman, what can Kaeya say?

He fears that he might not have enough time to figure that out.

“I imagine you have lots of questions right now, Sir Kaeya,” ‘Varka’ adds, “but now is not the time to answer them.”

This is certainly not Varka then, Kaeya concludes. The Grand Master may be smarter than most people will give him credit for—many fail to see beyond his smiles and laughs—but he is certainly far from a cryptic individual.

“I’ll be happy to come with you when you answer my question,”

It’s a lie and an intentionally bad one. Kaeya’s main goal right now is to convince Huffman that they need to get out of here. But blinded by duty his fellow Knight is failing to see any hints Kaeya is throwing his way.

‘Varka’ narrows his eyes, “Don’t make me pull rank on you, Sir Kaeya.”

Kaeya knows he’s treading a fine line now. One wrong move here and the hidden assailants in the trees might decide to move in. Hopefully, though they’ll be relying on the element of surprise—something that Kaeya has taken from them.

“If you’re the real Grand Master then you’ll know that threat won’t stop me,” Kaeya finally says.

He didn’t want to show all his cards right now, but Huffman isn’t exactly giving him a choice.

Speaking of which, he finally chimes in, “What do you mean if he’s the ‘real Grand Master’?”

Kaeya sends him a glance telling him to really think about it. Because as much as a stickler for rules and regulation Huffman may be, he’s not an idiot. If he thinks for himself for just a moment surely he’ll understand.

Thankfully, he does. Kaeya sees the moment the realisation sinks in. The slight widening of the eyes, the way his breath hikes, how his spine straightens, and how his hand instinctively falls to the sheath of his sword.

Unfortunately, ‘Varka’ seems to notice this too.

Kaeya is given barely a second to react when he spots movement to his left. He just manages to dodge a swipe of a sword, the blade dancing dangerously close to his face.

Immediately on the offensive, Kaeya pushes Huffman back by the chest and with the same hand summons his sword. He parries a second swipe from the attacker—an attacking ‘Knight’—and takes a step back to give himself room to send out a blast of ice.

“Wait, don’t,” he hears Varka yell as the frost leaves the tip of Kaeya’s blade and condenses into a blast.

Except, it’s not just a blast.

It’s an entire wall of ice.

The attacker is knocked back with a pained cry, the screen of frost disappearing into stardust just a second later.

Kaeya can’t help but take an extra step back. It’s been years since he’s lost control of his Vision like that.

“I understand you’re confused,” Varka calls his sword now drawn, “but you need to stand down.”

Kaeya makes no move to do so.

“That’s an order!”

Stall, Kaeya, stall.

He and Huffman are surrounded on all sides. There’s no way they’d win in a fight. Their only option is to try to break through the chain of offending ‘Knights’ and pray they can run away in time.

Kaeya glances over his shoulder to Huffman, the other Knight has drawn his sword but is visibly hesitant.

“Captain,” he says lowly, “I think we should do what they say.”

If only that were an option right now. Kaeya doesn’t know what they’ll do with them if they go to ‘the city’ and Kaeya doesn’t really want to chance finding out.

He could always try to send out a large blast of ice, Kaeya thinks. It might knock the attackers back and create an opening for their escape. But if Kaeya loses control over his power again he might end up hurting himself or Huffman.

Damnit!

What is he going to do?

“Give me a reason to believe this isn’t some Abyss Order ploy.”

If he can just stall a little bit longer he can figure out some plan.

Varka stares back, his expression uncharacteristically empty, “I’m happy to explain but I can’t do so now. Come with us and everything will make sense.”

There’s no discerning expression that can key Kaeya into what the ‘Grand Master’ is thinking. There’s no explanation of why he’s being so cryptic, and no damned explanation for this entire situation.

Kaeya can feel the ground around him condensing into frost—probably some instinctual response to the ever growing danger—the effect spreading through the damp ground.

Behind him, Kaeya can hear hoofbeats approaching.

Damnit, damnit, damnit!

Alright, he’s out of options now. Kaeya raises his sword and scans the area trying to figure out the best place to send out a blast of cryo. He doesn’t want to but it’s not as if he has much of a choice.

If he sends it towards ‘Varka’ then he’ll have to run right past the Grand Master. Given his sheer height and speed advantage, that’s not something Kaeya wants to risk. Ideally, he’ll want to create as much distance between himself and ‘Varka’. The other option is turning and running in the complete opposite direction but that’s where Huffman is. If Kaeya’s not careful he might injure the other Knight.

Where else?

To the right leads down towards sheet cliffs and the left is blocked by a high concentration of ‘Knight’.

Okay, so that’s four bad options. So which is the best of them?

“Grand Master,” a voice from behind calls, “are you alright?”

And for a moment, Kaeya forgets about his escape plan because…

He knows that voice.

It’s younger and missing a certain gruffness that has grown to be all too familiar. It’s a voice that once meant home and family. It was once a voice that made Kaeya feel safe.

Beyond his better judgement—beyond every instinct telling him to not look away from the threat in front of him—Kaeya turns around.

As Kaeya locks eyes with the new arrival there’s a mutual expression of shock and confusion. For a moment Kaeya seriously considers whether this is some vivid fever dream. Because before him, mounted on a Cavalry horse, and adorned in Favonius uniform is Diluc. Albeit, a younger and long-gone version of Diluc than the one that Kaeya has become familiar with.

What the actual fuck?

Kaeya must have been staring for too long as he senses movement behind him. He moves to dodge, or fight back, or something, but his footing slips on the damp ground beneath him and Kaeya is defenceless against a tackle from behind.

He falls to the ground, the weight of two Knights piled on top of him. Kaeya looks up to Huffman who has dropped his sword and holding his hands open in a sign of surrender.

“There better be a really good fucking explanation for this,” Kaeya yells as he struggles against the weight on top of him.

There’s a light chuckle from above as ‘Varka’ makes his way over and kneels down in front of Kaeya, “Now that’s not language becoming of the Favonius Captain you’re dressed like.”

The weight on Kaeya’s back shuffles around and then he feels the cold of metal handcuffs being clipped onto his wrists.

Okay, this is getting ridiculous. He needs to get out of here now. No more trying to figure out how to not hurt anyone, just pure escape.

Kaeya shuffles in an attempt to roll over on his back but stops as he feels a light pressure against the back of his neck. Is that a damned sword?

“Should we take them back to the city now, Sir?” One of the Knights above Kaeya asks.

“Yes,” Varka responds, “we’ll question them from there.”

Kaeya has to bite his tongue as he’s roughly pulled up from the ground. How is he, the Cavalry Captain, being arrested? It’s okay, Kaeya reminds himself. He should be able to freeze the cuffs off with no problem, especially with the light mist of rain to help. He just needs to make sure he doesn't overdo it and kill everyone around him.

As much as Kaeya wants to write off the last time he used his vision as a fluke, he can’t ignore the feeling that something’s wrong. There’s this strange, indescribable, new energy pulsing through him and he can feel it growing with every minute that passes. It’s condensing in his head as pressure behind his eyes and starting to become a little uncomfortable.

He’ll have to figure out what that is later though, Kaeya decides. For now, he just needs to get out of here. As much as Kaeya hates to leave him behind, Kaeya doubts he’s going to be able to take Huffman with him. The other Knight’s been handcuffed too and Kaeya doesn’t think he’ll be able to break those in time.

Kaeya will just have to come back and find Huffman later.

And then, just as Kaeya is about to make his escape, he locks eyes with Diluc again. The younger man has dismounted from his horse and is walking towards Kaeya.

There’s something so different about those eyes. They’re younger, fresher, more innocent, trusting even. There’s no hint of Diluc having seen things that no one his age should have seen and no sign of a man who’s been betrayed by the world over and over again.

Maybe falling into that blossom had transported Kaeya into some alternate world where he’d never betrayed Diluc and the Ragnvindr heir had remained a Knight.

“Kaeya,” Diluc says after a moment, “you need to trust us on this.”

Maybe this is an alternate world, then. Kaeya is certain that no Abyssal being could replicate the pure stupidity that can come out of Diluc’s mouth.

“Wise words coming from the one who’s got me in handcuffs.”

Diluc offers a tight smile, “Okay, fine, I get that.” And then after a moment, “You’re 22, right?”

Kaeya doesn’t offer a response, confused. In all honesty, Kaeya’s at the point where he’s just going to accept the confusion.

“You don’t have to trust all of us, you’d be stupid to right now,” Diluc says with a sigh. “But can you at least trust me?”

Kaeya looks deep into those all too familiar red eyes, swirling with all sorts of long gone but familiar emotions. If this is some Abyss Order ploy, then Kaeya will give them credit where credit is due because this is very convincing.

Forcing himself to look away, Kaeya takes a breath and prepares to leave. He can’t let himself get caught up in a past that doesn’t exist anymore. His and Huffman’s life currently depends on Kaeya to get out of here now.

But, as usual, luck is never on his side when he needs it.

“Wait, don’t!” Diluc yells.

Kaeya could almost laugh right now, he forgot that Diluc used to be able to read his every thought.

The young man launches forward and snatches Kaeya’s Vision from his belt, flinging it far out of reach.

Damnit!

Getting out of these handcuffs is going to be impossible now.

“Please Kaeya, trust me.”

Those words are almost nostalgic, Kaeya thinks, but they can’t be from Diluc. It’s been years since they’ve trusted each other and they never will again—not after what Kaeya did.

But, with his Vision out of reach, and hands cuffed behind his back, Kaeya is inclined to entertain trusting this ‘Diluc’. It’s not as if he has an option anymore.

He’ll just have to figure out how to get out of here later.

Chapter Text

The moon is starting its steady decline towards the horizon by the time Kaeya and Huffman are led to ‘the city’. Much like in the wilderness before, everything certainly looks convincing but it doesn’t feel convincing.

There’s something odd about the desolate streets and silent night air. There’s no sign of anyone venturing out for a late Thursday night drink, and even the nocturnal life is unusually absent. The light spray of rain leaves a dreamlike haze reflecting off the cobbled ground. It’s disconcerting and once again Kaeya is trying to figure out if this is in fact some crazed dream.

A glance towards Huffman gives Kaeya the impression that the other Knight is just as put off by the scenery. At least he’s lucky enough to not have four different ‘Knights’ on all sides, Kaeya thinks. Right now there’s someone in front of him, one on each side, and someone behind him holding Kaeya’s chained hands tight. Huffman only has a single man by his side and his handcuffs look significantly looser.

It’s very unfair in Kaeya’s humble opinion.

The trip to the ‘city’ had been tense, to say the least. There was little conversation between anyone and the distinct feeling of mistrust in the air. That alone was very confusing.

What reasons do their captors have to be so nervous? If this is a domain, or an Abyss plot, or something along those lines, then why are they so wary? Surely they can see they have the upper hand. It’s not like Kaeya or Huffman have any chance of escape right now.

Could it be they fear Kaeya’s power, in particular? They definitely knew that Kaeya’s power was different—stronger even—in wherever this place is. The way ‘Varka’ tried to stop him from using his vision implied that anyway. Actually, the more Kaeya thinks about it, ‘Varka’ must have known that Kaeya wouldn’t be able to control his Vision. The ‘Grand Master’ had tried to stop him before he’d drawn on the elemental energy.

So how would this Grand Master imposter know that? Perhaps—if this place is where all the missing people end up—someone else with a Vision landed in this place and lost control of their power. That would explain why all the security focus was on Kaeya and why they were so quick to take his Vision away.

But that still doesn’t explain who all these people are. If they even are people, that is.

Kaeya glances over his shoulder to see if ‘Diluc’ has rejoined the group. He’d silently split off as they passed through the main gate. By the looks of it, he hadn’t rejoined.

It was certainly an… experience to see a younger version of his ex-brother. The man—boy Kaeya has to remind himself—had followed the tail of the group as he tended to do when not in a commanding position. Kaeya hadn’t been able to see him much but could certainly feel the stare ‘Diluc’ was sending into the back of his head. It was almost as if this Diluc was just as interested in Kaeya’s presence as he was in Diluc’s.

But, ‘Diluc’ hadn’t reappeared. He’d gone somewhere else, and if the waning call of his Vision was any indicator, he’d taken Kaeya’s Vision with him.

That isn’t his main priority right now, Kaeya reminds himself. He needs to focus on figuring out where he and Huffman are being taken. To the prison cells in Headquarters maybe?

As the group passes through the market area, then up towards the main stairs that will take them to the upper levels, there is still no sign of life. Not even the odd stray cat dares to grace the group with its presence.

As the group approaches closer and closer to the Headquarters building, Kaeya is getting a sinking feeling that his earlier assumption was true. And don’t get him wrong, the Favonius holding cells are far from inhumane, but they’re certainly not comfy.

Without a word, ‘Varka’ looks over his shoulder from his position in the front and sends a glance to the surrounding men.

It’s hard to gauge what that’s supposed to mean—it’s hard to gauge what the real Grand Master is thinking half the time really—but it’s probably not something good.

“Hey wait!”

Kaeya snaps his head towards the sound of Huffman’s voice and watches as the ‘Knight’ holding him captive splits off from the rest of the group towards the Cathedral.

“Where are you taking him?” Kaeya demands.

“He’ll be fine,” ‘Varka’ calls but doesn’t turn back to face Kaeya. Instead, he keeps walking towards Headquarters and Kaeya continues to be dragged behind him. “I just need to ask you some questions.”

The sound of a struggle fills the otherwise quiet night air, as Huffman attempts to break free from his captor's hold. It’s certainly a brave change in pace compared to the last few hours, Kaeya will give him that.

“Where are you taking him?” Kaeya repeats, firmer this time.

He digs his heels into the ground, the heel of his boots thankfully catching the edge of a cobbled stone. The effort doesn’t prove to be worth much when the man behind Kaeya roughly shoves him forward.

Damnit.

It’s fine. As long as they don’t kill Huffman then everything will be fine. Once Kaeya figures out how to get out of here, he’ll head towards the Cathedral and look for him.

The more that Kaeya thinks about it, Huffman is probably being taken to the lower Cathedral floors. Those rooms have always been used to house people during natural disasters or some other crisis, and occasionally when the holding cells overflow.

“Huffman,” Kaeya yells as he continues to try to slow down his forced steps, “I’ll figure something out.”

Kaeya doesn't get a chance to catch a reply as someone grabs his shoulder and forces him to keep walking. They continue towards HQ and just as Kaeya had predicted, he’s led straight through the foyer, into the lower library floor, through another door, and then into a holding cell.

The door slams closed behind him and Kaeya is greeted by a cold, dim room with nothing but a silver table and two matching chairs.

Is this set up for an interrogation?

Though he’d never admit it out loud, Kaeya would say he’s almost excited to be on the other side of the table for once. Interrogations can get rather boring after a while. They often include the same boring phrases and questions and very rarely is someone willing to put enough of a fight to entertain Kaeya.

This will certainly be an interesting change of pace.

That’s assuming someone goes in to question Kaeya before he escapes, that is.

A quick glance at all four walls tells Kaeya that he’s in one of the internal rooms with no outside access. There’s no window he can squeeze his way through or vent to crawl into. That means his only option is the room behind him.

Kaeya slowly feels the handle, aware that the chains on his wrists will make too much noise if he’s too fast, but it’s firmly locked. His Vision is nowhere to be seen so that means no freezing the lock open. Perhaps he can pick the lock? There’s a lockpick in his back pocket but it’ll be difficult to get it out without making too much noise and even harder to pick the lock.

Perhaps Kaeya can wait until someone opens the door and pushes past them. That won’t work either, Kaeya realises. It would be stupid to barge out with no clue of what’s beyond the door.

What else?

Unfortunately, the sound of the door in front of him unlocking means Kaeya doesn’t have any more time to figure it out.

He spins on his heel and leans against the wall next to the door. Kaeya forces his shoulders and face to relax, creating the perfect image of a bored man leaning against a wall. He crosses his arms, the clanking of chains in time with the squeak of the opening wooden door.

Kaeya can’t say he’s surprised when ‘Varka’ enters.

The man is still a good head or so taller than Kaeya and the rest of his body hasn’t seemed to change too much. So that means that whoever is wearing the Grand Master’s skin is very skilled at it. Kaeya’s known Abyssal creatures who can take on the forms of others, but he’ll admit he’s never seen one as impressive as this. Usually, the form falls away in certain places—the hands might grow an extra finger or two, or smile lines might disappear—that makes the guise apparent. That doesn’t seem to have happened yet, but Kaeya will make sure to keep an eye out.

“You can take a seat,” the man says as he fully enters the room and closes the door behind him. “You’ll be comfier that way.”

That certainly sounds like something the real Varka would say. Whoever this is must have done their homework. Well, most of it, anyway. Somehow they missed the Grand Master having departed months ago. In all honesty, if that crucial detail hadn’t been missed, Kaeya might have started believing all this was real. Unless the plan is to gaslight Kaeya until he finally caves and believes all of this?

Seeing no harm in following the instruction, Kaeya takes a seat at the far end of the table. Usually, the suspect is supposed to face away from the door. It’s something that tends to give a sense of unease. Unfortunately for ‘Varka’, Kaeya chooses not to follow along with that and instead faces the door. This way he’ll have a grand view should the door open again.

‘Varka’ wordlessly makes his way around the room, lighting the oil lamps along the wall. They immediately cast a warm glow into the room, and for the first time all night, Kaeya can finally get a proper look at this imposter.

Again, there’s nothing that immediately gives away the disguise. There’s greys peppered along the man’s hairline and throughout his neatly trimmed beard. The smile lines and creases along his forehead are the same as ever. If Kaeya didn’t know better he’d almost believe that this is Varka.

But just like before, there’s a feeling that something isn’t quite right. He felt the same in the forest earlier, as he was dragged into the city, and again now. But what is it? What is the common thread between them all?

Unless…

Does ‘Varka’ look younger?

‘Diluc’ certainly had.

Yes, that’s it. Now that Kaeya can see it, it’s hard to miss.

While the man is greying it’s certainly not to the same degree that Kaeya’s familiar with. And the more that he thinks about it, Kaeya is fairly certain that the real Grand Master is a bit more aged than this.

But if this is just a younger version of Varka, what is that even supposed to mean? Did Kaeya end up in some past memory by falling into that blossom?

Finally, ‘Varka’ takes a seat across from Kaeya and a long silence follows. There’s a deliberate, pondering expression on the man’s face as he stares down at Kaeya, only blinking on occasion.

Kaeya knows exactly what the man’s trying to do, it’s a technique that Kaeya himself is particularly fond of. Usually, people are so desperate to fill a silence that they’ll talk without being prompted. They’ll answer questions that haven’t been asked, and confess to crimes that no one has even accused them of yet. Unfortunately for ‘Varka’, Kaeya is one of the few who have an acute appreciation for silence. Often the void of words can tell Kaeya just as much as saying every word.

There’s a brilliant example right in front of him for instance. ‘Varka’ has his elbows up on the table and leaning into his hands, pondering. It’s mostly feigned, Kaeya thinks if the way his eyebrows don’t hint at true curiosity is any reliable indicator. And the lack of fidgeting is a dead giveaway too. The real Varka is not known for sitting still or being able to keep his hands idle. He’s always fiddling with something, or tapping his feet. The fact that those usual signs are lacking tells Kaeya that ‘Varka’ isn’t actually thinking too deeply about anything.

All the more reason to think that he’s just waiting out the silence.

If it were any other situation, Kaeya might be inclined to play the game and see who could stand the longest. Unfortunately, Kaeya really needs to get out of here and find Huffman—something he can’t do with ‘Varka’ here.

Kaeya lazily leans back into the cold, metal chair and sighs, “So are you going to question me or just stare at my pretty face all day?”

There’s a huffed laugh as ‘Varka’ imitates Kaeya’s action and leans back into his own chair.

“I’ll admit, it’s a relief to know that you eventually come out of your shell.”

Kaeya raises an eyebrow, downplaying his confusion. What is with this man and the constant cryptic comments?

“Relax,” ‘Varka’ says, “you’re acting like I’m going to turn around and kill you.”

Kaeya hums in neither agreement nor disagreement. That comment is definitely something that the real Varka would say. Many fail to see how observant the Grand Master really is, often they’re distracted by his flamboyant flare. The fact that ‘Varka’ can see through Kaeya’s mask and see just how wary he truly is… interesting.

Unless the man is bluffing and only guessing what Kaeya’s thinking?

If that’s the case, Kaeya’s not one to show all his cards so quickly.

“I highly doubt you have any intent of killing me,” Kaeya says as he sits up again and leans his elbows into the table, “I’m just confused as to why you insist on wasting both of our time.”

It’s better to pretend he’s confident than prove he’s not, Kaeya thinks. While he is fairly sure no one will kill him right now, Kaeya can’t really be certain what they plan on doing with him. If this is an Abyss ploy, then the fact they’ve kept Kaeya alive means they need something from him.

What that something is begs to be discovered.

“Very well then,” ‘Varka’ says after a moment of contemplation. “I do have some questions I need to ask you.”

Now this is where Kaeya has to be careful. In every other instance where he’s been captured, Kaeya has had some idea of what his captor is after. A few summers ago when he had the misfortune of being held hostage by Treasure Hoarders, Kaeya knew they were after patrol locations. He knew exactly what they wanted and knew exactly what truths to skirt and what lies to sell—but he doesn’t have that luxury here. Kaeya has no clue who this man is, nor what motive he has for capturing Kaeya.

That’s fine, Kaeya tells himself. He’s nothing if not resourceful.

“Firstly,” Varka continues after Kaeya fails to comment, “what were you doing before you woke up?”

“Investigating a Ley Line Disorder.”

It’s not the whole truth nor is it a lie and that’s exactly what Kaeya wants. If this man is as observant as Kaeya thinks he is then lying too quickly will make it obvious when Kaeya is telling the truth. Starting somewhere in the middle should make it harder for ‘Varka’ to gauge any of his tells.

‘Varka’ hums in acknowledgement before continuing, “What’s your role in the Ordo?”

That must be a baseline question, Kaeya thinks. It’s obvious that Kaeya’s the Cavalry Captain based on his cape alone, and ‘Varka’ even pointed out his status earlier. If he’s asking a simple question like that, then that means ‘Varka’ is going to look at anything that will hint at Kaeya telling the truth.

Kaeya can’t give up details like that so quickly, he thinks.

“Quartermaster,” Kaeya answers.

It is technically true. Though management of resources is primarily Hertha’s job, Kaeya has always stepped in to help even before he was made Captain. It’s happened so often in recent months—especially with four in five of the Knights out on an expedition—that Kaeya being the quartermaster has almost become an unofficial title.

‘Varka’ raises an eyebrow, the beginnings of a humoured look in his eyes, “Any other role?”

Kaeya purses his lips and pretends to think for a moment, “Oh that’s right! I’m the Cavalry Captain.”

Now that Kaeya’s given ‘Varka’ two half-truths, and a whole truth, all that’s left is a lie.

“I see,” Varka narrows his brows a touch. “You didn’t think to mention that first?”

Kaeya offers a wry smile, “It must have slipped my mind.”

Right now, ‘Varka’ is looking for all the tiny things that tell whether Kaeya is lying or telling the truth. It’s an unwritten rule to start an interrogation with a question that almost always guarantees a truthful answer. Thankfully for Kaeya, he’s been on the other side of this table enough times to know how to flip that in his favour. Internally, Kaeya is applauding himself for all of his hard work. He thinks he might have turned this whole interrogation upside down in record time.

Kaeya supposes this will be the real test of ‘Varka’s’ authenticity. The real Grand Master would probably see what Kaeya’s playing at immediately. It’s hard to gauge what ‘Varka’ is thinking though, Kaeya thinks as he stares across the table. There’s no annoyance in the man’s expression nor a hint of self-satisfaction that someone might feel if they think they’ve seen through Kaeya’s guise.

If this is the real Varka, Kaeya realises with a touch of annoyance, then he’d been able to see through Kaeya’s plan and just as equally hide that revelation.

“There’s no need to be so coy, Sir Kaeya,” ‘Varka’ says after a brief stretch of silence. Then he crosses his arms and relaxes his shoulders a bit, “And you don’t have to be so distrusting of us either.”

Kaeya holds up his chained hands if only to highlight the pure stupidity of that last statement.

‘Varka’ huffs a laugh before continuing, “I’m going to ask you some more questions but I need to answer truthfully.”

“I always tell the truth, Sir.”

‘Varka’ narrows his eyes, “I’m being serious about this.”

“So am I.”

They’re at an impasse here. The Grand Master is a stubborn man, and if Jean’s word is to be believed, Kaeya is too.

“How about this,” ‘Varka’ offers, “I’ll answer some of your questions and you’ll answer mine.”

It’s certainly an appealing proposition. The only caveat is whether Kaeya can trust what ‘Varka’ is willing to share.

But why offer information if he’s not willing to share the truth? Unless this Varka imposter is truly desperate to get information out of Kaeya—it’s certainly something Kaeya would do himself.

Kaeya hums as he considers his options. If he passes up this opportunity he won’t find out anything useful. But if he does ask ‘Varka’ questions, then he has to submit to answering the man’s questions truthfully—well at least truthful enough to not be visible to the man’s apparently keen eyes.

The only question left is: how desperate is Kaeya for answers?

Very, he decides.

“I can ask anything I want?”

The man in front of Kaeya nods, “And I’ll answer truthfully.”

Kaeya hums again, “How many questions do I get to ask?”

‘Varka’ takes a moment and Kaeya can see the man’s fingers moving slightly. Is he counting on his hands?

“I’ll give you three. One for every two of mine.”

“That hardly seems fair.”

“Well,” the man leans forward, “I imagine your questions will be rather deeper than mine.”

One question for every two answers. Kaeya supposes he could not answer if need be. And besides, if this is the Abyss Order, he might want to answer the easy questions now before they torture it out of him.

“Alright then,” Kaeya cocks his head to the side, thinking. If he’s only got three questions he better make them count.

“I’ll give you time to think.”

That’s something that Kaeya can appreciate. He knows that if he words this right then he should be able to ask more than three questions.

“Who are you really?” And before ‘Varka’ can answer, “Because initially, I thought this might be a domain and you were just some figment of my imagination but I’m not so sure about that now.”

Varka is silent for a moment and Kaeya can see the gears turning in his eyes. His foot has also started tapping the ground lightly, another tell. That’s… interesting.

“I can assure you this is not a domain, Sir Kaeya,” he says after a weighted silence. “Well, at least not in the way you’re thinking.”

Again, what is with being so cryptic?

“But to answer your question, I am Varka, the Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius.” And then as an afterthought, “And yes, I’m not lying about that.”

There’s a lot to unpack there. So first, this isn’t a domain. Or at least ‘Varka’ doesn’t think it is. Maybe this place is functioning much the same as the Mondstadt he knows. There’s an invisible barrier somewhere keeping everyone trapped—much like how some deep domains function. And why is he so adamant on saying he’s Varka? Unless he really is? Maybe this is all in Kaeya’s imagination.

“My turn then,” Varka says without giving Kaeya a chance for further thought. “As far as you know, who’s the Grand Master?”

Is that really all he’s going to ask? If this is how all of them are going to go Kaeya understands why he only gets one question for every two. Not that he needs to verbalise that, of course.

“Varka.”

“And I—he’s—currently in charge?”

“Technically yes.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“Uh-uh,” if Kaeya’s hands weren’t chained he might wave his fingers back in forth in mock condescension. “You already asked two questions.”

Varka narrows his expression much like a parent might at their naughty child, “Humour me, Sir Kaeya. We both know you asked more than one question yourself.”

Kaeya purses his lips, this man is definitely more attentive than Kaeya initially gave him credit for. Maybe this really is Varka—just a slightly different, younger version.

“Fine,” Kaeya says with perhaps a touch too much attitude. He’s starting to feel like a teenager again—an effect that Kaeya is keenly aware the real Varka can have on people. “Varka is away on an expedition and Jean Gunnhildr is Acting Grand Master.”

“Right,” Varka responds without hesitation. “Your next question then.”

There are a million things Kaeya could ask right now—something that could clarify what’s going on—but he knows there’s a higher priority right now.

“How many people like me have you captured?”

“About eighty so far, mostly civilians.”

The man across the table doesn’t hesitate to answer, his response seeming to be memorised. Did he know Kaeya was going to ask that question? Well, Kaeya is a Captain so by rights his first priority should always be civilian safety.

“Where are they?” Kaeya asks.

“Are you sure you want to ask your last question so soon? I might say something you want me to elaborate on.”

Kaeya’s not dumb enough for that to be lost on him, “Tell me where they are.”

Varka presses his lips into a tight line and then after a moment, “At the Cathedral. They’re all safe, warm, and fed.”

That’s encouraging to say the least. Assuming that this man is telling the truth that is. There’s no way to confirm it unless Kaeya can see it for himself, but even then it’s hard to judge if he can trust his eyes right now. This entire ordeal being some mass illusion is still an option.

Honestly, Kaeya still isn’t sure what to make of this. Everything about ‘Varka’ is so damned convincing but the weary part of Kaeya—the part that knows to trust others just as much as others should trust himself—tells him that this isn’t real. Because how can it be?

“Who’s head of the Investigations Team?”

“Albedo.”

“The Reconnaissance Company?”

“Eula Lawrence.”

The questions continue, near rapid fire. The answers are largely harmless and Kaeya is getting the feeling that ‘Varka’ already knows what Kaeya has to say. The limited personal questions the man has asked Kaeya gives the impression that ‘Varka’ knows much more than he’s letting on. It’s as if these questions are no more than tests. Much like how Kaeya might test a captured bandit with questions that the Knights already know the answers to.

“The Outriders?”

“Amber.” Though Kaeya can hardly say if she is. It’s hard to be the head of a team when you’re the only member. But then again, the same could be said for Kaeya. He’s Cavalry Captain with no cavalry around.

“And what of your brother?”

Brother?

Oh, of course.

Diluc.

“He’s…” There’s an unexplainable tightening in his chest—a feeling that Kaeya promptly pushes aside, “taking care of the Winery.”

“What of your father?”

“You already asked all your questions.”

If this man knows as much as Kaeya believe he does, there’s no need to state the obvious.

Varka hums and then offers a pitied smile, all but confirming that he knows what Kaeya doesn’t want to say.

“Well played, Sir Kaeya,” ‘Varka’ stands from his seat. “That’s all I need from you for now. I’ll let you reunite with your friends now.”

Kaeya raises his eyebrows, asking what ‘Varka’ means without saying it. And then, completely unexpectedly, the Grand Master imposter moves along the table and unlocks Kaeya’s cuffs.

“If I really make you a captain then you should know how much I hate using these things,” he says with a smug smile.

Kaeya rubs his wrists to relieve the slight ache building in them. This is certainly an interesting turn of events.

“What friends are you talking about?” Kaeya asks slowly. Maybe he was right earlier and the missing people have ended up in this place.

Of course, he was right. He always is.

Varka turns and makes his way across the room to the door, “Follow me.”

Chapter Text

Wordlessly, ‘Varka’ leads Kaeya through the twisted underground level of the Favonius headquarters. The man is in front of Kaeya, so it’s hard to determine what exactly he’s thinking, but it can’t be good if their destination is where Kaeya thinks it is.

These tunnels are a long lasting remnant of the Aristocracy; these winding paths and passageways once served as maintenance tunnels for the old elite’s bathhouses and used to connect to other tunnels all over the city. The bathhouses had been turned into the Library more than a millennium ago and the tunnels repurposed into holding cells of varying sizes.

Familiarity is the only reason that Kaeya knows where ‘Varka’ is leading him. From both the years Kaeya spent sneaking away to hide down here to the most recent years of Kaeya himself leading people down through here, he has the whole layout memorised.

Which is why Kaeya is extra wary as ‘Varka’ leads him deeper into the level. If they keep heading the way they’re going, Kaeya and Varka will end up in the farthest rooms. They’re bigger compared to most of the other cells down here and typically used if someone requires protection, less so if they’re being arrested. The twisted route to get to the far rooms is strategic in that it’s hard to find your way in if you’re unfamiliar, and harder yet to find your way out.

That fact that ‘Varka’ is leading Kaeya down this way could mean one of two things:

One, ‘Varka’ thinks Kaeya is enough of an escape risk that he warrants being detained this far down. Or two, ‘Varka’ thinks that Kaeya is under some sort of threat, thus meaning he needs to be in the protection cells.

Kaeya is still unsure which is most likely. 

What he does know though, is that he’s not going to be alone and he’s going to be accompanied by some ‘friends’. It’s difficult to pinpoint who these ‘friends’ could be. It could be Albedo—assuming he had gone missing up on the mountain and ended up here—it could be Huffman, or it could be some less than savoury individuals. 

Actually, the more that Kaeya thinks about it, this might be some elaborate set up to him being tortured. ‘Varka’ could be leading him into a false sense of security before turning into an Abysall beast and doing everything in his power to get whatever information he needs from Kaeya.

Maybe he should try escape now.

His hands are uncuffed which makes things easier. And he knows the longer he waits the harder it will be to escape. Kaeya knows the underground well enough to find his way by himself. The only major barrier will be the man in front of him. If this is really Varka—as he continues to insist—then outrunning him will be hard. Many mistake the Grand Master’s size to mean that he’s strong but slow. But that can’t be farther from the truth. Varka is one of the few that Kaeya knows to be both strong and fast—that’s one of the reasons he’s such a formidable opponent. 

If Kaeya wants any chance of escape, he’s going to need to be smart about it. 

Kaeya is fast in his own right so if he can put enough distance between himself and ‘Varka’ then he might have a chance of escape. Except, ‘Varka’ is likely expecting that. He’s been dealing with all sorts of criminals and alike for more years than Kaeya’s been alive. There’s probably very little that’s new to him.

So if Kaeya wants to escape, he has to do something so outrageously crazy that ‘Varka’ has little to no chance of expecting it.

But what could that be?

Kaeya glances around him, knowing his time is running short. If he’s going to do something, he needs to do it now.

There isn’t any random cell he can slip into—he’d only trap himself—and sprinting away is too obvious. Kaeya glances up to the ceiling, noting the vents above bringing in fresh air from above. Kaeya knows from experience that while those vents are a tight fit, he can fit in them. Klee used to make a habit of hiding in there and Kaeya, of course, had to help bring her out. 

The vents also connect to the street level, so he might be able to escape the building completely. The only thing he now needs to consider is how he’ll get into the vents in the first place. The vent covers are screwed on tight in all the places that Kaeya knows of, and he doesn’t have his Vision to freeze off the bolts. There would be no way for him to easily open the vent, crawl into it, and avoid being spotted all at the same time.

He’d have to wait until he can find a screwdriver of some sort. Kaeya knows there’s a box of them in the storerooms—well there should be anyway—but that room is locked and again, Kaeya has no Vision to freeze it open. But he does have a lock pick in his back pocket that no one’s taken yet.

Okay, that could work.

There’s a storeroom about fifty meters behind him and a cell right next to it. All he needs to do is pick the lock, find a screwdriver, enter the cell, and unscrew the vent cover. But does that cell actually have a vent directly into it?

For all the years Kaeya has spent taking people in and out of these cells, he can’t for the life of him remember.

Okay so change of plan then. First, he needs to get into that cell and confirm if there is in fact a vent cover. He could probably make a run for it now and get to the cell in time to get a look. Varka will catch him almost immediately, Kaeya knows, but that doesn’t mean the effort won’t be worth it. 

Even if he can’t escape right this minute, at least he’ll know what to do when the opportunity finally presents itself.

It’s now or never then.

Varka is thankfully, in front of Kaeya—which makes very little sense all things considered—so it should take at least a second for him to notice.

Kaeya takes one deep breath.

Then he turns and runs.

The sound of his boots on the cobble is a dead giveaway of his location, Kaeya realises with a touch of annoyance. How did he forget to take something like that into account?

“Hey!” ‘Varka’ yells.

Looks like his escape attempt has already been spotted.

That’s okay though, Kaeya tells himself as he rounds a corner, spying the storeroom and the next door cell just a few metres ahead. He pushes himself forward, knowing ‘Varka’ is going to be right behind him. Kaeya doesn’t give himself much time to truly look inside the cell, but he does note a single vent in the top left corner of the room.

That’s his escape.

Kaeya pushes himself past the cell, hoping he can find another cell with a vent. He’s not stupid enough to hinge his entire plan on just a single vent.

Except, Kaeya doesn’t get the chance to go much further.

There’s a slight tug on his cape but it’s enough to send Kaeya tumbling to the ground. He lands on his chest, momentarily winded from the impact, but isn’t given a chance to recover before he’s being pulled up again by the wrists. 

“You don’t have to be so rough,” Kaeya complains between wheezing breaths as ‘Varka’ grips his wrists much harder than necessary.

“I thought letting you out of those handcuffs might make you a bit more willing to cooperate,” ‘Varka’ bites out.

Sounds like Kaeya really annoyed him. He’s quite impressed with himself.

“Consider it a test of your ability to prevent a prisoner's escape,” Kaeya beams, purposefully playing up the condescension. “You passed with flying colours.”

‘Varka’ doesn’t respond instead only pulling Kaeya forwards, and annoyingly, in front of him.

But that’s okay, Kaeya convinces himself. He hadn’t planned on actually escaping right this moment. That stunt back there was just reconnaissance of sorts. He’ll get a real opportunity later.

Just as before, ‘Varka’ is silent as he pushes Kaeya along—the protection cells growing closer and closer. Kaeya forces himself to ignore the growing dread that amplifies with each step. He doesn’t know what’s going to be in that room, so there’s no point in stressing himself about it just yet. For all he knows, it could be someone as harmless as Flora behind that door.

He’s about to find out for sure, Kaeya realises as he and ‘Varka’ finally arrive at the end of the hall. In front of them is a single, solid, iron door. There’s no sound from behind but Kaeya can’t tell if the density of the door is blocking all sound, or if it’s because it’s actually vacant inside.

‘Varka’ steps forward and pulls a key off his belt—he has a whole ring of keys—and moves to open the door. Kaeya eyes the man as he inserts the key into the lock. If there really is something terrible behind this door, Kaeya will have no choice but to make another run for it. He likely won’t get far again, but it’s the effort that counts.

“Relax, Sir Kaeya,” Varka says as he turns the lock. “I’m not going to bite.”

Kaeya rolls his eyes, “You’re awfully convinced I’m scared of you, aren’t you?”

If he can play up his confidence then this man should start believing it soon.

Unless this really is Varka, Kaeya reminds himself. It’s hard to hide anything from the Grand Master, and even if you can, you’ll still feel as if he knows everything.

It’s an aura that Kaeya one day hopes to imitate.

“Maybe I wouldn’t be if you were better at hiding it,” Varka shoots back, seeing right through Kaeya, again.

He turns the key and the silently, the door swings open. ‘Varka’ steps aside and motions for Kaeya to step inside. He could almost sigh in relief—he doesn’t though, ‘Varka’ doesn’t need to see that—as he’s greeted with two familiar faces.

He understands what ‘Varka’ meant by ‘friends’. 

Kaeya steps into the room and wordlessly, ‘Varka’ closes the door behind him.

On the left, sitting on the ground amid a sprawl of papers is Albedo. He looks up momentarily, offers a nod of greeting, and then back to the papers in his hand. Kaeya supposes that whatever he’s reading must be important then.

Next to Albedo, leaning against the back wall is Eula. It’s been some time since Kaeya heard from her last—which wasn’t all that uncommon given how often she was out of the city—and Jean had been worrying that she’d disappeared as well. It looked like the Acting Grand Master’s hunch had been correct.

Briefly, Kaeya wonders if Jean realises that Kaeya has also gone missing. If Fynn and Swan hadn’t fallen into the ley line blossom—and Kaeya really hopes that’s the case given the circumstances—then they would have reported what happened to Jean. 

Truly a blessing and a curse.

A blessing that Jean will know what has happened and a curse because if Keaya doesn’t die before all of this is over, he certainly will next time he sees Jean.

“Kaeya,” Eula stands up straight, “I was wondering when you’d show up.”

There’s no surprise in her voice, actually there’s not much tell of anything in her voice. 

“Lady Lawrence, the pleasure’s all mine,” Kaeya struts forwards, taking a proper look at the room.

It’s well lit, which is a nice change, Kaeya muses. There’s no vent; disappointing but not unexpected. And besides two beds tucked away in the far corner, there’s not much else. It’s roomy, at least. Kaeya can easily walk around if need be. 

Eula’s face contorts at Kaeya’s mock pleasantry but surprisingly she doesn’t bit back. Which is… odd. Usually, she calls out Kaeya’s use of her clan name immediately. Or, she’ll offer some quick retort about how he’s dressed.

“It seems I won our bet, Albedo,” Eula folds her arms, eyes narrowing slightly.

She’s examining him, Kaeya realises. Perhaps trying to figure out if he’s the Kaeya she knows. Actually, the more Kaeya thinks about it, he should probably be doing the same for her. Eula certainly looks like Eula, that’s for sure. But if this is an elaborate Abyss Order plan, it could also just be a guise. 

“I’d hardly call it a bet,” Albedo responds, not looking up from his papers.

There’s also not much expression in his voice, though that’s hardly out of character. From the outside, Albedo can appear quite dull when he’s reading something. It’s not until you force him out of his hideaway on the mountain and actually make him talk that his true colours start showing. By all of Kaeya’s metrics, Albedo is very fun to talk to when he actually starts talking.

He gets losts in his ramblings, mostly oblivious as to whether he’s lost his listener's attention. At least it keeps Klee entertained, Kaeya thinks. She certainly doesn’t seem to mind whatever comes out of Albedo’s mouth.

“Bet?” Kaeya probes.

This might be a good way to confirm whether these two are really who they look like they are.

“Yes,” Eula turns her attention back to Kaeya, that discerning look in her eyes not well hidden, “I had a feeling that you’d be the next one to show up. Especially given your track record.”

“Track record?”

Kaeya has a feeling he knows what Eula is implying. His reputation precedes him, after all.

“The Acting Grand Master gave explicit instructions not to investigate the Ley Line Blossoms, no?” Eula tilts her head to the left slightly—a quirk she’s always had when asking a question. “And I suppose you went and investigated anyway.”

“You know me so well, Lady Eula,” Kaeya forces his face to light up with a smile.

It certainly sounds like something Eula would say, but Kaeya still can’t figure out if it is her.

“Well?” Eula starts tapping her right foot lightly against the ground.

Kaeya leans back against the wall behind him and raises his eyebrow, questioning what she means. If this is really Eula, the lack of direct questions should really annoy her.

“Did you find out anything important?” She bites out.

That’s a good indicator, Kaeya thinks. She’s never really liked unvoiced questions, preferring that people instead get straight to the point. It’s probably a result of her upbringing, Jean had told him. Which makes sense in Kaeya’s mind. When you spend your whole life surrounded by people talking behind your back, one would probably grow tired of it.

“Besides questioning my own sanity?” Kaeya folds his arms, “No, I didn’t.”

Eula raises her eyebrows, a knowing expression on her face, “Ah, so you’ve met with Varka.”

Kaeya doesn’t respond for a moment, as he continues to examine Eula. There’s still no indicator that she’s an Abysling. He hasn’t noticed a change in her form, her voice is the same as always, and the way she’s just as wary of Kaeya as he is of her is also a positive.

Unless that’s just what he’s supposed to think. 

Kaeya has to push away that little paranoid voice away. He’s not going to make any progress if he refuses to trust anyone. He just needs to treat these two like they really are Albedo and Eula. He’ll keep that up until they prove otherwise.

And if he’s extra observant of everything, then that’s just an added safety precaution.

“How long have you been here?” Kaeya asks.

“A few days,” Eula says. Her shoulders have relaxed a touch.

Maybe’s she come to the same realisation about Kaeya as he had about her. That’s another good tell, Kaeya thinks. Eula is discerning—she wouldn’t be Captain of the Reconnaissance company if she wasn’t—so the fact that she didn’t blindly trust him from the start is another reason to believe it’s truly her.

“A blossom opened up right underneath my company and most of us fell into it,” Eula continues when Kaeya doesn’t respond. “Not long after we were arrested by these ‘Knights’.”

“Did anyone get away?” Kaeya knows the Reconnaissance Team members are slippery on a good day.

“No,” Eula lowers her head, “but that was my fault. When I saw the other Knights I told my men to stand down. The only one that got away was Amber.”

“Amber was with you?”

“Yes, I’m not sure why she was alone but we met up in the Brightcrown Mountains not long before the blossom opened up,” Eula looks away again, biting her lower lip in frustration. “The only reason she got away is because of her gliding skills. She was able to jump from a cliff ledge before anyone had a chance of grabbing her.”

That certainly checks out. Amber’s glider skills have always been incredible—she is an Outrider afterall. Hopefully she’s been able to avoid capture so far. And if they’re lucky she might come and break them out. But Kaeya won’t pin his hopes on her. She is just one person after all.

“What happened with you, Albedo?” Kaeya asks but before the Alchemist can respond he says, “Let me guess, you saw a red ley line blossom and touched it just to see what would happen.”

Albedo looks up from his place on the floor and blinks a few times, “Yes, that’s exactly what happened.”

Kaeya loves that he knows Albedo so well. 

“What about you?” Eula asks, that untrusting look back in her eyes. “How did you end up here?”

“Huffman and I were knocked into a blossom by a Hilichurl. When we woke up, some ‘Knights’ arrested us.”

In any other context, Kaeya might embellish the story. Add a little bit of excitement. He chooses not to now, knowing that Eula is still trying to figure him out. Though, that might be too out of character for him, Kaeya realises after the fact. Maybe not embellishing the story has made him look more suspicious. Kaeya chooses to leave that aside. At least if Eula trusts him less now, it’ll be interesting to see whether she outright accuses him of being an Abyssling or not. 

“Huffman was taken to the Cathedral I think,” Kaeya continues, “and ‘Varka’ brought me to headquarters to ask me some questions. Then he brought me down here. I assume something similar happened with you and your company?”

Eula nods and then brings her hand to her chin, pondering, “I’ll admit, while it’s rather convincing, I’m still not sure if Varka should be trusted.”

Kaeya narrows his brow, “You think it’s really him?”

“I’m not sure,” Eula chews her lower lip in another sign of frustration. “But then again, I’m not really sure what’s happening at all.”

For someone who’s pride will be the death of them, Kaeya will admit he’s impressed that Eula would admit something like that so easily. 

This is really Eula, right?

Kaeya pushes the paranoia aside. He’s already decided that he needs to offer at least a small semblance of trust. He can figure out if this is a hallucination later.

“It’s a ley line disorder,” Albedo says, breaking his own silence. He looks up from the paper he’s been reading, “That’s what’s going.”

Eula sticks her chin in the air with an indignant huff, “I knew that much. What I mean is that beyond that I don’t know what the situation is.”

“Oh,” Albedo looks to Kaeya like a lost sheep.

That’s right, Albedo probably hasn’t had much interaction with Eula. Between the Alchemist’s adventurers up to Dragonspine and Eula being away from the city with her company, the two rarely cross paths. It might take some time for Albedo to appreciate Eula’s personality.

Kaeya does nothing but offer a smile in return. Albedo will figure out Eula soon enough. 

Albedo’s expression falls a touch and Kaeya can see him grinding his jaw. It looks like the alchemist noticed Kaeya’s intentional unwillingness to help. It’s cute that he’s come so far from the days of not being able to read any of Kaeya’s expressions.

Then hesitantly, Albedo asks, “You both know what the ley line disorder is, right?”

Kaeya shares a confused glance with Eula. Surely Albedo hasn’t figured this out already

Albedo’s brow furrows at both Kaeya’s and Eula’s lack of response, “It’s a ley line disorder that’s merges our past and current selves.”

“Right,” Kaeya says slowly.

He gives himself a moment to try decipher that statement. Is Albedo saying that he’s been interacting with a past version of Varka?

“I’m not following,” Eula says slowly.

There’s a look of genuine surprise on Albedo’s face, like the answer is obvious. It only lasts for a moment before he’s shuffling through the haphazard piles of paper on the floor. There’s a certain franticness in his movements that Kaeya’s come to associate with the alchemist having discovered something extraordinary. 

“Here,” Albedo says as he pulls a sheet of paper from the pile, ”look at this. This is a diagram of how scholars believe the ley lines and time are linked.”

The diagram in question is little more than a straight line with illegible sribbles and unfamiliar runes across it. 

“Maybe you could explain it in words,” Kaeya offers.

Albedo pulls the paper away, looking unsatisfied that the two didn’t immediately understand, “It appears that by falling into the unusual Ley Line Outcrops, the Ley Lines have carried us along to past memories.”

“So,” Kaeya starts slowly, trying to figure out if Albedo really means what he’s getting at, “it’s time travel?”

“No, not quite,” Albedo gently chews on his lower lip in contemplation, as if trying to simplify the concept. “The Ley Lines hold memories of everything that has ever happened in the world. It appears that this Ley Line disorder has converged the past memories with our current memories.”

Kaeya cocks his head to the side, still slightly confused. He can feel the beginnings of a headache around his temples.

“It’s not time travel?”

“No, not exactly.”

“But we’re currently in the past?”

Albedo presses his mouth into thin line, “I suppose you could put it like that, but it’s more like out past and our present have collided.”

“So, time travel?”

Albedo sighs, finally resigning himself and letting Kaeya win, “Sure, let’s call it that.”

“I suppose it’s a fitting description,” Eula chimes in. “Certainly makes it easier to understand.”

Kaeya leans back against the wall and lets out a slow exhale.

Time travel.

Right.

Of course.

Because what else could it possibly be?

It would explain why the forest looked different—because it is different than what Kaeya’s used to—and explain why Varka looks younger. It would explain why Diluc looked younger.

Actually, scratch that. He doesn’t look younger, he is younger. He’s young enough to still be a Knight. Young enough to still be the prodigy he was always supposed to be.

Wait-

That means…

That Father is-

Nope nope nope. 

Kaeya is far too sober to be thinking about that right now,

“Albedo, how long have you known this?” Eula asks.

Kaeya can hear the curiosity in her voice, though there’s a hint of aloofness creeping in. She’s been like that for as long as Kaeya can remember—always making an effort to remain calm but simultaneously sounding like she’s above everyone else—and it’s probably just a quirk of the Lawrence Clan. If you don’t know Eula well enough, then you’d probably think that she was acting aloof. Kaeya can only hope that Albedo starts to see past that aspect of the Reconnaissance Captain soon enough.

But they have been stuck in this room together for the past few days so maybe he already has.

“A day or so,” Albedo responds and he makes his hands busy with shuffling through some papers. “Though I’d predicted it from when I first arrived, it wasn’t until Nymph sent me some academic papers that I confirmed it.”

“You’ve been in contact with Nymph?” Eula asks, her tone edging on annoyed bewilderment.

How long have these two been stuck together exactly? Because of what Kaeya knows of Eula and Albedo, he can’t see them becoming the best of friends. Actually, he’s fairly certain that Albedo’s idiosyncrasies might grate on Eula after some time.

It’s a real shame that he’s missed out on all of this.

“Yes. Well, the past memory of Nymph that is. That’s whose been sending me all these papers,” Albedo responds as if that should have been obvious.

“And you didn’t think to tell me this?”

“I didn’t think it was important.”

“Not important? You’ve been in here for over a week and you didn’t think it important to tell me. How long have you been in contact with her?”

“Since we got here, I believe.”

So Albedo has been stuck in this cell for a whole week. But why? It doesn’t seem like Varka is particularly mistrustful of them. But then again, if this really is the Grand Master, it can be near impossible to understand his true motives. Besides a few obvious tells, Kaeya’s never been able to truly pin the man.

It’s something that Kaeya can respect. Afterall, it’s better to keep your allies are arms length, and only your true friends closer. In the life of the Grand Master it’s hard to know who to trust. There’s a reason that Varka is one of few Grand Masters to have maintained his position for as long as he has. There’s always someone else vying for the position.

“Besides the Grand Master, have any other Knights visited you two?” Kaeya asks, pretending not to notice Eula and Albedo’s escalating argument.

As hilarious as it is to see Eula try match wits with someone who’s oblivious to her attempts, there are more important things right now.

Eula snaps her jaw shut, Kaeya successfully muting her rebute. Then after a breath, “No, no one else. And despite our attempts, there’s no convincing the Grand Master of letting us out.”

“I don’t think he trusts us fully,” Albedo offers. “And Nymph hasn’t said much else in her letters, but it sounds like many of higher ranking Knights don’t trust us at all.”

Yes, that does sound like the most plausible situation. And if Albedo’s correct—if they have wound up in the past—then the current higher circle is currently filled with some more… difficult members. Most had filed out after Eroch was expelled but the few that remain are still a pain to deal with. It’s likely that even if Varka wants to trust Kaeya, Eula, and Albedo, he’s probably fighting with other Knight’s over it.

So that means Kaeya’s only other option is to wait. If this is the real Varka that they’re dealing with, he’ll get tried of the politics sooner rather than later and make an executive order.

How long they’ll have to wait is still unknown.

“Why don’t we break out?” Kaeya offers to the group.

He stands, having already decided that’s what he’ll do regardless of the other’s protests. Kaeya has been here less than an hour but he can already feel himself go stir crazy. That or maybe it’s alcohol withdrawal—it’s been days since he’s had a proper drink.

Eula takes another audible breath. It’s an impressive feat that she’s been able to control herself this long. Usually Kaeya can stir her up quicker than this.

“We can’t break out,” Eula says with a firmity that implies she thinks she can stop Kaeya. “We need to prove that these Knights can trust us.”

Kaeya hums as he moves to the far wall and runs his fingers along the stonel, searching for a loss brick or such. He’s fairly certain that the old maintenance tunnels are behind here, “Trust is a mutual thing, my Lady. I’ll give them reason to trust me once they tell us what’s going on.”

“I have to agree with Eula on this one,” Albedo says as he starts sorting the paper and books around him into semi-neat piles. “Trying to break out now will make them mistrust us more than they already do.”

“I’d listen to him Kaeya,” a unfamiliar—no, actually it’s very familiar—voice calls from behind. “The Grand Master is having a hard enough time convincing everyone to let you out as is. Don’t make it any harder for him.” 

Kaeya turns towards the cell door, deliberately running his finger along the wall so that to an outsider it would look like he’s skimming for dust. The new presence in question is currently leaning on the doorframe, a knowing smirk plastered on his face. 

It’s Diluc.

Well, a past version of Diluc anyway.

The door behind him is wide open—a bad choice since it wouldn’t take Kaeya much to push past—yet Kaeya hadn’t noticed him approaching at all. Sometimes Kaeya forgets that Diluc has always been light on his feet. 

“And you won’t break out by loosening a brick,” Diluc says. “Those walls were set with some crazed alchemy and haven’t budged in over fifty years.”

“Break out?” Kaeya mock feigns innocence. “I’d never dream of it.”

Diluc is definitely different in all the ways Kaeya remembers. The fact that he’s smiling simply for the sake of it is one thing that might take some time to get used to. He’s no longer dressed in Favonius uniform as before—so he’s likely off duty—except for a winter coat hanging loosely on his shoulders. Diluc—his Diluc—used to be fond of those and would wear them whenever the weather permitted. 

To see him standing there with something so obviously Favonius is almost nostalgic. 

“Huh,” Diluc says as his expression morphs into the look of a man who’s stuck on some puzzle. “I don’t know why, but when Varka said that future-you talks more, I was expecting something… different.”

“I’ve always talked a lot.”

“Yeah, but only at home. Never when you’re around other people.”

Why is talking to him so easy? It’s been years since Kaeya’s had that luxury. It’s been years since Diluc’s looked happy to see him.

How much longer until that changes?

“I’m sorry to interrupt your reunion,” Eula says, her impatience having peaked it seems, “but we have more pressing matters.”

“Oh right, sorry.” Diluc stands up straight and brings his attention to the others in the room. “It’s Eula… Lawrence, right?”

“No need to wear my clan name.”

“Right, sorry,” Diluc shrinks in on himself slightly—Eula’s presence can do that to a man.

Kaeya could almost laugh—it’s been years since he’s heard an apology from Diluc that wasn’t dripping with sarcasm. 

“Well, I’m Diluc Ragnvindr. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

He brings his arms up into a Favonius salute. It’s firm and lasts for just as long as the Handbook prescribes. Kaeya remembers the first time Diluc admitted how much he hated doing that salute; how it made his arms ache and how it felt so unnatural. 

Is he thinking about that now? Or is he the same boy that Kaeya knew would give his life for Ordo?

“I’m nice to meet you too,” Albedo stands and brushes the dust from his pants. “Though we are well acquainted in… our time. I’m Albedo, Captain of the Investigations Team.”

“Oh you’re the one that Nymph has been writing to, right?” Diluc piques. “I don’t think I’ve ever known her to be impressed by someone else.”

“I see. Well, I don’t know Nymph very well…”

“You can take it as a compliment. Especially from her.” Diluc offers a warm small which then falls a little, “She has…”

“A stick up her ass?”

“I was going to say high standards,” Diluc throws Kaeya a glare. “At what point do you become so brave?”

“There’s a certain freedom in not caring what others think.”

There’s a look in Diluc’s eyes, as if he’s seen right through that facade. But it’s true, Kaeya tells himself. He’s long since grown from the child who was concerned with every opinion. Nowadays he only lets the important ones matter.

Was this banter always so easy? Kaeya thinks he’s going to have to walk away from this—he could probably go out that open door—before he starts getting sentimental. He forces himself not to think about that too much. The only reason that this isn’t how he and Diluc interact on a daily basis is because of what Kaeya did.

“Did you come down here just to chat or did you want to share something with us?” Eula asks again. She’s not even trying to hide her frustration anymore.

Diluc darts his eyes away from Kaeya, “I wanted to let you know that the civilians really are safe. I imagine it might not mean a lot coming from Varka, since he did lock you three up in here.”

“Is there any word on if he’ll let us go?” Albedo asks.

“I still don’t know yet. Varka wants to but the Inspector and his circle are giving him a lot of grief.”

Right, Eroch. 

“Can you at least tell us what’s going on? Do you have any idea what’s caused this ley line disorder to begin with?” 

Diluc snaps his jaw closed, perhaps realising he’s treading dangerously close to a line he can’t cross. “Listen, I’m not supposed to be down here as is. I can’t- I can’t just spill everything we know.”

“But you do know something?” Kaeya asks but it’s not really a question.

“Barely. Varka knows more than he’s letting on, but he’s not sharing it. At least not with me or anyone I know,” Diluc sighs and rolls his lower lip between his teeth. “I’ll try to let you know as things happen if I can. In the mean time, do you need anything? Food? Blankets?”

Eula folds her arms and relaxes her shoulder, “Some warmer blankets would be appreciated.”

Kaeya makes a mental note to remember that all he needs to do is offer Eula food or blankets to calm her down. It might be useful in the future. That or it might only add to her anger. Regardless, it will be fun to experiment with.

Diluc nods, “I’ll see to it then.”

Kaeya narrows his eye a touch as he watches Diluc. How old is he? Do they know how far back into the past the Ley Lines have thrown them?

“I’m seventeen,” Diluc says, responding to Kaeya’s thoughts.

Sometimes Kaeya forgets just how much he disliked the mind reading. It used to be a mutual thing, and even now there are days where Kaeya can see the thoughts behind Diluc’s—his version of Diluc, Gods this is going to get confusing quickly—eyes. But Kaeya knows that Diluc can’t read him like he used to be able to. Despite how civil he pretends to be in public, Kaeya knows that Diluc doesn’t trust a word he says anymore—regardless if it’s left unspoken or not. 

“Well, I’m supposed to be,” Diluc—younger Diluc that is—continues, “but this Ley Line disorder has messed with time apparently so I’m not sure if my birthday has passed or not.”

He’s just turned seventeen. 

That means he’s got less than a year before-

Nope. Kaeya has already decided that he’s not thinking about that. That’s something to think about later, preferably over a bottle of wine.

“I should get going,” Diluc takes a step back out of the room, his right hand grasping the door. “And if anyone asks, I wasn’t here.”

Of course he isn’t suppossed to be down here. Diluc’s been breaking rules for as long as Kaeya can remember. 

“Wait, one more thing,” Kaeya calls, stopping Diluc as he’s closing the door. “If the other Knights don’t want to trust us, why do you?”

Because it doesn’t make sense. There’s obviously something else going on that Kaeya doesn’t know about. If this really is some twisted ley line disorder—if it really is time travel of all things—that can be explained by Nymph herself then what’s stopping the other Knights from believing it? Not that Kaeya thinks this is easy to believe—he’s still seriously considering that this is a hallucination—but Nymph is one of the best mages the Knights have ever had.

But she’s not a captain yet, Kaeya realises. She doesn’t take up that position until after Lisa joins the Knights. That means that her opinion won’t be valued as much as it should be—especially if Eroch of all people is calling some of the shots.

Diluc’s expression scrunches into confusion for a moment. Then just as quickly it changes again, that once coveted smirk replacing it, “I trust you because you’re my brother.”

Brother?

It’s definitely been a long while since Diluc’s called him that. Briefly, Kaeya wonders just how long until this younger version of Diluc realises just how far their relationship has soured. 

Actually, if he finds out now, it might save this past Diluc a lot of grief in a years time. But he doesn’t need to find out just yet. For now they just need to ficus on getting out of here.

Kaeya will work up the courage to tell him later.

Probably.

Chapter Text

“...but he only… …job…”

Diluc presses himself closer to the crumbling brick wall behind him, straining his ears, trying to catch anything that can clue him into what’s going on. 

“Yeah… …simple job.”

“...right?”

He has long since learnt the Ley Lines shape the world in more ways than most can imagine, yet he’d never thought they could be capable of throwing people into oblivion. At least, he thinks this might be oblivion. That, or a complicated domain perhaps.

He can’t think of anything else that could explain his current predicament. 

He’d been preparing a food transport to be sent to the city when the Ley Line Blossom opened up underneath him. Diluc had known it was a possibility—he’d heard enough first hand experiences—and even expected it to happen given his luck, so he wasn’t all that surprised when he had no time to move out of the way of the Blossom’s trap. 

What had been a surprise was waking in Wolvendom with a splitting tension headache encircling his head. 

He’d soon been confronted by two unfamiliar Knights—Reconnaissance Knights if their uniform was any indicator—who had suggested he return to the city. Diluc almost would have if he’d missed just two seemingly trivial details.

First, the Reconnaissance Company had been dispatched to patrol the border—they were currently the first line of contact if anything changed—and secondly, they’d addressed him as ‘Sir’. That title in of itself wasn’t too much of an issue—people still refer to him as that on occasion—it was the fact that they were confused when he asked that they not address him that way.

The more that Diluc thinks about it, he realises they had been nervous too. Diluc knows he can have that impression on occasion—he’s far from the approachable boy he used to be—but nothing could explain just how nervous they’d been.

The final straw was when the two drew their swords when Diluc refused to accompany them to the city.

He’d been able to flee the scene quickly enough. He would have dealt with the two Knight impersonators personally if it wasn’t for the headache severely clouding his judgement, but as the hours have passed he’s glad he didn’t. Because Diluc is fairly certain that this isn’t Mondstadt. At least not a Mondstadt that he’s familiar with. 

From the little things such as Wolvendom not looking quite right to the bigger things such as much of Old Mondstadt still being intact—Alice had set off some bombs years ago because the ruins ‘didn’t look enough like ruins’—everything is not quite right.

He’s been trailing this particular platoon for several hours now, hoping that they might accidentally slip some helpful information. He’d first spotted them as he’d fled north. Initially, he’d just wanted to find somewhere safe where he could wait off this headache, but he couldn’t pass up an opportunity like this.

Regretfully, his headache was still yet to cease, and the Fatui still hadn’t given him anything useful to work with. 

They’ve mostly patrolled along the western edge of Stormterror’s Lair, circling the same route four times now. Not long after sunset, the group had set down for the night, sitting and eating around a small camp fire. Diluc had tucked himself next to an adjacent ruin wall hoping the proximity would let him listen in to anything the group had to say, but that plan was proving to be futile. 

A mix of the crackling campfire and the harsh wind from a brewing storm overhead was making it neigh impossible to hear anything except for a few key words. The group of four had thrown the word ‘job’ around a fair bit, but that could mean anything. 

Staying here for much longer won’t be productive, Diluc realises with a touch of frustration. At this point he’s going to be spotted without having gained any useful information.

On the topic of being spotted…

There’s movement to Diluc’s left, and he can feel a presence next to him. He forces himself to stay still, pretending to be oblivious to the newcomer. They’re not being overly quiet, Diluc realises, and they’re likely relying on the sound of the wind to drown out the noise of their movement. Whoever this is is unlikely to be Fatui, then. They prefer to work as a team and will be quick to alert others of any intruders. Could it be a Treasure Hunter or some other bandit?

Diluc hears the quiet draw of a bow—the sound of the straining string very familiar—far too close for comfort. There’s another shuffle as the soon to be attacker draws closer. If they have a bow, why are the approaching him? Why not take the shot for a safe distance?

The presence draws closer again. The bow is likely very close now and a shot from this distance might kill him. He can’t have that.

Diluc sticks his left arm out, gently nudging the drawn bow away from his face. He turns his head, finally facing the newcomer. Diluc narrows his eyes as he recognises the person crouched less than a metre away. It’s the Outrider girl.

There’s a hint of surprise in her eyes—perhaps from Diluc having thwarted her attack—but is quickly replaced when her eyebrows furrow into sternness.

“What are you doing?” She hisses, suspicion drowning out any other emotion in her voice.

Diluc doesn’t respond knowing he’s far too close to the Fatui to be talking. He’s not stupid enough to give his position away so easily.

Amber tightens her grip on her bow when Diluc doesn’t respond. He throws her a glare and cocks his head backwards indicating how close they are to the enemy. Surely she knows they’re there, right?

Amber’s mouth snaps shut. So she hadn’t realised the Fatui are right behind the wall? She’s an Outrider, isn’t being aware of your surroundings part of their job?

Amber relaxes her bow, it vanishing into stardust just a moment later. 

“Come with me,” she says in a tone that leaves little room for argument.

Diluc sighs before glancing over his shoulder again. He’s not going to get any information out of these Fatui. Surely following Amber can’t hurt for now.

Amber takes the lead, pushing through the shrubbery and—Diluc notes with a hint of frustration—is being far too loud.

Diluc steals a glance over his shoulder to the group of Fatui still blissfully unaware of their surroundings. A bout of laughter erupts from the group and Diluc watches as one of the Cicin Mages falls backwards, clutching her stomach as her shrill laughs pierce the air. It’s times like these that he wonders how these people can have so much humanity in their off time, yet so little while following orders.

At least he can take solace in the fact that none of the four will spot him and Amber. Not only are they distracted but they’ve been staring into the fire for so long they’ve effectively ruined their natural night vision. 

Diluc brings his attention forward again, and still low to the ground, pulls himself up over a short ridge.

“What are you doing?” Amber asks again once the two are at least a couple hundred metres from the Fatui. 

“I could ask you the same,” he shoots back. 

Diluc is really not in the mood to be dealing with baseless suspicion. He looks back to Amber, her face contorted into frustration.

He sighs, the tension around his head spiking. Diluc reminds himself that he needs to at least try and be civil. If Amber is in the same position as Diluc—if she too was approached by some ‘Knights’—then she has every right to be wary of him. In all honesty, he should probably be sceptical of her too. 

“I’m trying to figure out what exactly is going on,” Diluc says after a tense moment. “I imagine you’re doing the same, no?”

Amber hums, that suspicion in her eyes not diminishing, “I am, but that doesn’t explain why you were following the Fatui.”  

Diluc forces himself to suppress a groan. He thought the Outriders were supposed to be smarter than this. 

“I was following the Fatui to see if they knew anything. Unless the Acting Grand Master has changed her tune, none of them should be patrolling Stormterror’s Lair.”

Amber eyes Diluc again, that discerning look never waning. If Diluc didn’t know any better he’d almost joke that she’s turning into Kaeya. Actually, Kaeya is much better at hiding what he's thinking. He can pull a man apart, piece by piece, with nothing but a grating smirk on his face.

“How long have you been here?” Amber asks.

She never releases the tension in her shoulders, as if she’s ready to pounce at any moment. What’s happened that she’s so on edge? 

“A few hours at most,” Diluc says as he continues to examine Amber.

There’s a still healing cut on her left cheek, but it looks jagged enough that it probably wasn’t caused by a blade. Likely she slit the skin open on a sharp tree branch or rock. Besides that, there’s not much else that Diluc can discern.

He tries and fails to suppress a shiver as a gust of chilling air blows through the area. Diluc glances upwards, noting the swirling clouds gradually covering the stars and moon above. Storms in Old Mondtstadt aren’t rare—they’re actually quite frequent—with the cliffs on all sides tending to trap any rain clouds and giving them little chance of escape. Diluc instinctively brings his hands to his arms, trying to rub in some warmth. His coat is gone—left hanging on a chair in the Winery Manor—so he’ll have to brave this weather without it. 

Amber looks up to the sky too, but her gaze stays a little longer, and she slowly spins her head from left to right, as if looking for something in the skyline.

“There,” she says after a moment. She raises her arm and points towards the far cliffs, “There’s a gap in the rocks we can stay in until the storm passes.”

Diluc nods, as he too spies the gap in the cliff face. It’s narrow and likely a tight fit, but Diluc supposes that’s better than sitting in the rain. He follows Amber as she leads them further towards the western cliffs of Stormterror’s Liar. The cloud cover overhead should mask most of the moonlight making them harder to spot, but Diluc can’t help but be on the lookout.

Amber is at least aware of her surroundings—something most of the other Knights could learn to do—and checks for any Fatui before crossing through a stretch of open grass. Diluc follows behind her, making sure to stay at least fifteen or twenty steps behind. He knows that it’s much harder to spot a single person.

It doesn’t take long before they reach the base of the cliff, but by that point, the rain is falling. The drops are sparse but thick and heavy. They’ll be in for a downpour then.

Amber scales the cliff first. It’s not that high of a climb—maybe a metre or two—but it’s very exposed. Diluc scans the area, eyeing for any hints of Fatui activity. The rain, darkness, and wind will conceal them, Diluc knows, but he can’t help the tenseness in his shoulders. It wouldn’t take much for someone to take a shot at Amber.

Unsurprisingly, that doesn’t happen. Amber disappears from view and Diluc starts his own climb up the sheer cliff. 

“Should we start a fire?” Amber asks as Diluc pulls himself over the ledge and into the small cave. 

There’s not much room, just as Diluc had suspected. Even with Amber curling herself into the far wall, Diluc only barely has enough room to sit out of the rain. It’s falling heavy now and the occasional gust of wind sprays cold water into the tight space.

“It’ll have to be a small one,” Diluc says as he scans the darkness outside their little haven.

He can spy a few small dots of orange light through the wind and rain. Likely, the Fatui in the area have also retreated out of the rain. Lighting a fire themselves will make their position obvious, but hopefully, the Fatui won’t think anything of it. Hopefully they'll think that Amber and Diluc are just another one of their comrades waiting out the storm.

“Those are all Fatui,” Amber observes as she starts fishing some small twigs and branches from her pack. “They’re everywhere.”

“Yes, I noticed that.”

Though Diluc had primarily been tailing only one Fatui platoon, he’d noticed many more. The other groups didn’t cross paths often, but it was easy to spot them patrolling along higher cliffs and hills. 

Diluc has long since noticed the Fatui’s interest in Stormterror’s lair, but he’s never seen this many in the area at once. So why are there so many of them now?

“Have you noticed anything else different?” Diluc probes.

Amber might be able to explain this situation. He doesn’t give her anything else to work with though. Amber is a Knight, and Diluc still hasn’t quite ruled out that she might be in cahoots with the men who attacked him earlier. It’s unlikely, but Diluc knows that it pays to be underprepared. 

“The ‘Knights’ seem to be attacking anything that moves,” Amber says as she positions the sticks into a firepit. “They arrested the entire Reconnaissance Team after we all fell into one of those red Ley Line Blossoms.”

“The entire team?” 

That doesn’t sound right. Diluc won’t claim to personally know any of the Knights in the 4th Company, but he knows of their reputation. Varka had personally trained a lot of them in being able to avoid detection and capture. How could they all have been arrested?

“It wasn’t really their fault. Eula thought she recognised some of the Knights who greeted us when we first woke up. By the time we realised something was wrong, it was too late.”

Diluc hums. That certainly sounds plausible. Even Diluc had been almost convinced of these ‘Knights’ authenticity, so he could understand why Eula would have as well. 

“And she didn’t let them get arrested on purpose,” Amber defends immediately, even though Diluc made no such mention of that. “She may be a Lawrence, but she’s not a traitor.”

“I never thought such,” Diluc offers quietly.

He’ll admit, he can’t help but admire Amber’s defence of her friend. Diluc doesn’t know Amber particularly well, and they only interact on occasion, but the Outrider girl’s reputation does precede her. She’s certainly as fiery as people say she is.

“How did you get away?” Diluc asks as Amber takes a thin stick and snaps it in two. 

Amber’s eyes narrow as she concentrates her elemental energy into the stick in her right hand, “I was able to glide off one of the cliff’s in Stormbearer Mountains but it was a close call. I barely got away and would have been caught if Eula hadn’t tackled the man who tried to grab me.”

“And Eula was arrested?”

“Yeah,” Amber says not looking up from the twig, “I tried to go back but-”

Amber drops the twig with a loud hiss, the twig combusting into ash almost instantly. She clutches her right hand with her left and protectively brings it to her chest.

Instinctively, Diluc lurches forward, “Are you alright?”

“I…” Amber trails off as she brings her gaze to her hand. 

The index and thumb of her glove have been burnt away—surely an annoyance but not immensely important in the grand scheme of things—but what catches Diluc’s eyes is the skin underneath.

“It’s burnt,” Amber says as she offers her hand out to show Diluc.

And sure enough, the tips of index finger and thumb are a raw red, small blisters forming on the pads of her fingers. 

How hot was that fire that she burnt her hand? Diluc knows that after you wield a Vision for so long, you tend to build a tolerance against that particular element. Amber’s had her Vision for at least a year, so she shouldn’t be burning her hands.

“Are you alright?” Diluc asks again, slowly.

Amber nods, but her gaze doesn’t leave her fingers, “Yeah, I’m alright.” She blinks a couple of times before moving to her pack—likely in search of some burn cream—before saying, “I don’t think I’ve ever lost control of my power like that. Even when I first received my Vision, I never burnt myself.”

Diluc doesn’t know what to say in response.

Amber pulls open a tin of burn cream and gently massages it into her fingers, “Sorry, I must not be concentrating properly. I’ve just had this terrible headache since I woke up here.”

“It’s alright,” Diluc says, “these things happen.”

He can’t even begin to count the number of times he’s lost control of his power. There are burn scars littered up his hands and forearms to prove it. And, if he recalls correctly, he thinks there might still be a mark on one of the Winery storehouses from when he and Kaeya would light firecrackers there.

“I can light the fire if you want,” he says after a short moment of silence. 

Amber offers a sheepish smile, “That might be for the best.”

Diluc doesn’t say anything else in acknowledgement, instead moving his attention to the pile of twigs. He hovers his hands over them and lets off a spark of pyro, the pile shooting up into flames. The fire dies down just a second later, the soft sound of crackling wood filling Amber and Diluc’s little enclosure. 

Silently, Diluc rubs his fingers together. That was certainly more pyro than he had intended on producing.

Amber, fortunately, seems none the wiser. “Wow,” she exclaims, “you have to show me how you do that!” 

Diluc isn’t sure what else to say other than, “It’s just a lot of practice.”

“I know that you’ve had your Vision for years, but how do you summon pyro from just your fingertips? I always have to be focusing the elemental energy through something.”

She sure does talk a lot, doesn’t she? He’d been like, once upon a time. In hindsight, he wonders if he had grated on other Knights’ nerves when he insisted on telling stories around a campfire instead of resting at night. What would they think of him now? What would his father think of him now?

Does anyone miss the Diluc that he used to be?

“I’ve gotten better over the years,” Amber continues despite Diluc’s silence, “but I could never imagine being able to concentrate it through my hands. Do you have any tips on how to do it?”

Diluc has to force himself not to stutter—years of etiquette training were still never able to drill that into him—as he thinks of what to say. He’s had his Vision so long that things like that are just second nature. 

“I can’t really think of anything in particular, sorry,” Diluc glances outside at the still pouring rain.

It hasn’t let up and by the sound of crackling thunder overhead, Diluc doesn’t think it will anytime soon. That’s fine though, surely he can entertain Amber for as long as this storm lasts.

“I wonder if there’s any training I can do,” Amber brings her hand to her chin, the pain in her fingers forgotten by the looks of it. “Oh, I know! I should ask Lisa. She knows lots about these types of things.”

Diluc offers another tight smile. He knows he could shut this conversation down if he really wanted to, but it’s not as if Amber’s done anything wrong. He’d hate to make her think that she’s done something to offend him—especially if they’re going to be working together for the foreseeable future. 

“Though she might make me read some old book. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind reading, but I’d rather be doing something physical if you know what I mean.”

Diluc offers a polite nod in response. He gets the feeling that this might be a long next couple of hours.

Chapter Text

The rain doesn’t stop, even as the sun starts rising. The downpour had eased, thankfully, but there was still a shower of mist layering the canyon. Their fire had long burned out, the handful of sticks and few logs they had on hand hardly enough to sustain the blaze for long, but Diluc supposes that was a good thing. By this point, the Fatui were likely to resume their patrols and now far more likely to spot Amber and himself in their not so hidden hideaway.

Diluc had already removed all evidence of their fire by the time Amber woke; the burnt out wood completely reduced to ash. It’s hard to tell if Amber’s sleep had been restful, but he hopes that it was better than the rest he had. It’s hard to sleep when you know that an attacker may creep up on you at any moment, and harder still when sprays of freezing rain is showering down on you. At least Diluc knows that Amber’s spot in the far corner is more shielded from the elements than his spot near the edge of the enclave. 

The Outrider wakes quickly and is full of energy just as fast. He shouldn’t be surprised—she is an Outrider after all—but Diluc can’t help but envy her a little. He’d never been able to wake up that easily, even when he was a child. Kaeya on the other hand was usually the one to wake him, desperate to go out a play with the crystalflies well before the sun was up.

“We should try to trail some Fatui today,” Diluc offers once they’ve both moved away from the cave. 

Unless they plan on chancing it with the ‘Knights’, their best bet is going to be trying to get information out of the Fatui. If they tail them for long enough, someone is bound to let something slip. 

Amber offers a nod of agreeance, “That seems like a good idea. But we’ll have to be careful not to be spotted.”

How long has it been since he’s worked with someone else? A few years, at least. Well, he supposes he worked with Jean and the Traveller during the Stormterror incident but that was different. He knows how to work with Jean—they grew up together so that shouldn’t be too surprising—and the Traveller did whatever Jean asked, but Amber is different. 

He doesn’t know her very well, and he doesn’t know how kindly she’ll take to his ideas. But it’s not as if he has any other option but to work with her. While he could technically leave her and investigate by himself, it would be a reckless move. In certain situations, there can be power in numbers, and this situation is one of those. With so many unknowns, Diluc would have to be an idiot to go off by himself.

And, he’d never be able to live with himself if Amber ended up injured because of his selfish desire.

Thankfully, Amber seems willing to follow his plan without too much resistance. He wonders how much longer that will last. Diluc is well aware that he’s far from the easiest person to work with. He doubts it will be much longer before he wears out her patience.

He pushes that thought to the side. He can’t afford to get distracted. There are Fatui around every corner, and Diluc has the feeling that they may no longer honour the protection he’s afforded in Mondstadt. If the Fatui really believe they’re in control of this area then they may decide that his Persona non Grata applies here as well. And for the Fatui, that may as well be a death warrant.

But of course, that’s only if they manage to recognise him and if they’re actually able to kill him. 

“Watch out,” Amber hisses, bringing Diluc back from his thoughts.

He follows her lead and immediately dives into the nearby shrubs. Amber is laid down on her stomach, facing towards the seldom worn path, with Diluc adjusting into the same position beside her. It’s hardly proper concealment, but between the fog, mist, and rain, they’ll only be spotted if one of the Fatui is actively on the lookout. 

Diluc spots what Amber had noticed just a moment later. He hears them first, actually, the shrill laughter of a Cicin Mage cutting through the air. There’s another ring of indiscernible speech growing ever closer. 

Amber adjusts her position beside Diluc, the shrubbery around them shaking dangerously. Instinctively, Diluc places his hand on the Outrider’s back, immediately stopping her movement. She takes in a sharp inhale as the band of Fatui finally walks into view.

It’s only a group of five—unless there’s another trailing some distance behind—and don’t seem to have noticed anything is amiss. A Geochanter leads from the front, with an Electro Cicin Mage, Cryogunner and Anemoboxer lagging behind by a few meters. Behind them, with his head buried in a stack of documents, is a single man. He’s dressed like the Fatui that have taken up post outside the Grand Goth Hotel.

Diluc narrows his eyes. That’s certainly… odd. In all the years he’s been around Fatui, he’s never seen a regular guard with the Skirmishers. At least not out on a patrol—assuming they are patrolling that is. The more he thinks about it, Diluc can only ever recall seeing Skirmishers and Fatui Guards together like this during an escort years ago in Natlan. But that was a diplomatic escort through what was essentially a war zone. And with the man being behind the Skirmishers, Diluc highly doubts that the man’s being escorted.

Or, if he is, then the Fatui are doing a very poor job.

Diluc forces his breath to remain even as the group passes Amber and Diluc’s hiding spot. They’re no more than two or three meters away, and if they were paying attention properly then the two would have been spotted already. 

Next to him, Amber still hasn’t resumed normal breathing—which is slightly concerning. Contrary to popular belief, you’re more likely to attract attention by holding your breath. Diluc’s seen far too many men and women almost killed because they held their breaths for too long while trying to hide only to gasp a breath when the enemy was too close. But Amber’s an Outrider who has spent a lot of time training with a bow, so shouldn’t she know how important breath control is?

Though, his hand is still stationary on her back which might be contributing to her breathing. Perhaps Diluc’s touch has made her uncomfortable. But if he has, it’s not as if he can risk moving with the Fatui so close. 

Diluc reminds himself to apologise later when they’re more free to talk. 

“Gods, this is so boring,” the Cicin Mage whines as she dances around on her feet. “How much longer do we have to do these useless patrols?”

There’s an audible sigh from the Fatus at the rear, perhaps having heard the same comment many times before, “For as long as we’re required. You’d do well to not question the orders of the Harbingers.”

There’s a threatening undertone to that last comment, implying that the man has some seniority over the Skirmishers. That’s another interesting thing, Diluc thinks. Usually, seniority in the Fatui comes down to combat experience. Though, there’s nothing to say that this man doesn’t have combat experience. Diluc is making assumptions based on appearance alone and, he reminds himself, looks can be deceiving. 

Diluc spent most of his life being deceived, so you’d think that he would have learnt that lesson by now.

The Cicin Mage grumbles something that Diluc can’t discern and continues moving forwards. As the group moves out of sight, Diluc counts to one hundred before daring to make another sound. 

Amber has the same idea as she moves to sit up just as Diluc says, “We should follow them for now.”

The Skirmishers can be informative, but their training makes it rather difficult to wring any information from them. In Diluc’s experience, many of them would rather die than hand over any intel. The Fatus guard, though, might be another story.

“Are you sure?” Amber asks, her hesitation not hidden. “Wouldn’t we be safer following a smaller group?”

Perhaps, but a smaller group might know less of what’s going on. Based on the Cicin Mage’s comment, not everyone is aware of why they’re patrolling the area. And, if this group of Skirmishers don’t know a lot, then it’s unlikely another group will. 

“No, I don’t think so,” Diluc explains. “I think that Fatus at the rear might know more about the situation than the rest of the Skirmishers.”

Amber purses her lips, still unsure by the looks of it, “If you say so.”

She’s just going to have to trust his judgement on this, Diluc decides. He has more experience with the Fatui than most. Of course, Amber can’t know this, but if she’s observant as an Outrider should be, then she should catch on soon enough.

“If you take the right side of the path, I can take the left,” Diluc says after Amber offers no more resistance to the plan.

However, Diluc finds himself having to completely abandon that plan. He and Amber look up simultaneously as a streaming flare is launched into the sky, exploding into an array of red and amber.

That’s a Fatui warning flare. Which means they’ve spotted something.

And, judging by the way the group that just passed is sprinting back the way they came, Diluc is going to guess they’ve spotted him and Amber.

But how? The Fatui were so far away that they shouldn’t have been able to spot them. And Diluc can’t see anyone else in the area that would have given away their position. 

A single shot of geo soaring between him and Amber interrupts Diluc's chance to try to figure out what’s happening.

Damnit!

Amber scatters into the nearby treeline and Diluc is just about to follow. But then he gets an idea.

The Fatui have already spotted them, and once the other teams in the area learn of the situation there will be a manhunt for the two of them. If Diluc retreats now, he’s going to have to contend with running from the Fatui while still having no information. The rest of the Fatui are already making their way over the verge and it shouldn’t be too hard to take them out. It would be stupid to miss this opportunity.

So, perhaps foolishly, Diluc decides to stand his ground. He’ll have to be extra cautious when fighting so many without his throwing knives, but Diluc knows he’s faced worse odds. 

The Geochanter reaches him first and sends out another burst of geo. The attack misses and the Fatus teleports away as Diluc summons his sword and takes a fruitless swing. He scowls but isn’t surprised. The Geochanters are always a pain to land a hit on.

The first priority will be taking out the Cicin Mage. Once she’s accumulated enough elemental energy she’ll summon an electro shield which can be frustratingly tedious to break through. That and he doesn’t feel like experiencing the brunt of an Overloaded reaction when his pyro inevitably interacts with the shield. 

The group is growing ever closer and Amber hasn’t reappeared. Hopefully, that means she got far enough away to be safe.

Diluc sidesteps the charging Anemoboxer, the man continues past Diluc unable to slow himself down quickly enough. Thankfully, it’s easy to use their brute strength and size against them. Next, he sprints past the Cryogunner and ducks under his weapon, barely missing being sprayed by a biting blast of cryo. He hears a cry of surprise from the two of the larger enemies, the men likely not expecting Diluc to know their moves so well.

Diluc has long since learnt that the Fatui’s teamwork is both their biggest strength and their greatest weakness. If you’re unfamiliar with their strategy then the winding punch of an Anemoboxer followed closely by the shock of a cryo can be deadly. Fortunately for Diluc, he’s faced enough of them to have noticed common patterns. 

For example, he knows that the Cicin Mage has likely noticed that she’s Diluc’s first target. She’s already summoned a group of Cicins—the pests buzzing protectively around her—indicating that she’s about to teleport out of the way. She’ll likely move to the right or left of Diluc but they tend to favour the left. 

And sure enough, she does. Diluc’s already in the process of swinging his sword out to the left of him, so when the Mage moves closer, her head almost immediately collides with the flat of his blade. She falls to the ground with an unceremonious cry of pain, her Cicins disappearing into stardust not even a second later. Hopefully, that means she’ll stay down.

Next on the list is the Geochanter. He’ll be due to summon a geo shield at any point which will strengthen his comrades, making their defenses much harder to break through. Diluc’s best bet will be hitting him hard enough before he has a chance to fully summon the shield.

That plan is promptly ruined, unfortunately, when the Fatui Guard who had immediately distanced himself from the fight cries out, “Don’t let him touch Igor!”

The Boxer is quick to move in, forcing Diluc to sidestep again and change his direction away from the Geochanter. That’s okay, Diluc tells himself, he knows how to be adaptable. 

His main advantage over the Fatui is knowing their tactics, and by the sounds of it, the Guard has noticed that. And he noticed very quickly. Perhaps he has recognised Diluc. That, or maybe he does have more combat experience than his uniform would imply.

Diluc will make sure to ask him when this is over.

For now, he needs to focus on dealing with this swiftly. 

The Geochanter is too far out of reach, and insisting on targeting him first will be a waste of energy—especially if he keeps teleporting out of the way. That means Diluc should focus on the Cryogunner for now. The Geochanter will be due to form a shield soon, so the more of them he can take out before then, the better.

Thankfully, the Cryogunner is currently the one charging towards Diluc. He’s met the brunt of one of those charges before and knows full well how dangerous it can be. The sheer size of the man makes it near impossible to avoid being winded, and when followed by a powerful blast of cryo, it quickly becomes deadly. 

That just means that Diluc has to dodge. He swings his foot out to the side and ducks under the Cryogunner’s arm. He swings his body around, sword posed to slice right through the cryo filled pack on the Gunner’s back.. The backpack fueling the gun is a weak spot in the armour, so if Diluc can land the strike in the right spot, it should immediately stun the man.

And it does. The Cryogunner falls backwards onto the ground, followed quickly by a pyro infused slash across his back. 

There’s another cry of shock from the Fatui Guard who is backing himself further and further from the fight. Diluc will have to keep an eye on him; he can’t let the man get away before he tells them what they need to know.

The Anemoboxer must have noticed Diluc’s gaze flicking towards the Guard, because not a moment later is he positioning himself between the two. If the Boxer is protecting the Guard then that must mean that the man is more important than he looks. Could he be a Fatui researcher perhaps?

Diluc forces himself to take a large leap back, just as the Boxer summons an anemo shield, the rushing air soon pulling anything not stuck to the ground towards the Fatus. It’s going to be hard to push through the shield and harder still if the Boxer punches his shield outwards. And there’s no easy weakness against it either. Slashing the shield with pyro will just create a swirl reaction, and slashing without pyro will do nothing but waste energy.

He could always-

That thought is immediately cut off, instead replaced with a sharp strike to Diluc’s lower back.

He forgot about the Geochanter. 

Diluc staggers forwards—far too close to the Boxer’s swirling shield—a blast of geo knocking the breath out of him. He can feel the shards of stone ripping through his shirt and sinking into the skin of his back. The sensation is quickly followed by another projectile, this time striking him in the left shoulder blade. 

He has fought an uncountable amount of Fatui in his life—far too many for someone his age—so how does Diluc forget something as simple as keeping track of all the enemies' locations? Did all those years away really teach him nothing?

And now his carelessness is going to make him stagger right into the Anemoboxer’s punch. 

The Geochanter teleports right behind the boxer just as the anemo shield drops. There’s another pull of air, and Diluc can’t steady himself against the gust. He can at least find comfort that the anemo hasn’t reacted with anything else. That should make the coming blow a little more tolerable.

Diluc’s bracing himself for the oncoming punch—knowing full well there’s no chance of dodging it now—but it never comes. Instead, there’s only the sound of a flying arrow followed shortly by a cry of pain from the Anemoboxer. 

He stumbles to the side, knocking into the Geochanter, and his anemo attack is all but abandoned. Diluc flicks his gaze over to the treeline and spots Amber. Her bow is drawn again, pyro already lighting the tip, and she once again lets the arrow fly.

She lands another good shot, the arrow sinking into the Boxer’s helmet, staggering him once again. There’s a cry from the Geochanter this time as he once again finds himself pushed by his comrade. 

Their close grouping is their final mistake, Diluc realises.

He swings his sword behind him, channelling all his energy into lighting the blade. If he times and aims this right, then he should be able to take both the Boxer and the Geochanter out at the same time. 

Diluc swings, the pyro releasing from his blade and soaring across the ground—setting ablaze any grass in its path—and straight into the two remaining Fatui. 

There’s a brief cry of pain before both collapse to the ground, unmoving. 

Now that the easy part is over, Diluc supposes he should move to get the information he really needs. 

He takes a deep breath, and vanishes his sword, choosing to ignore the way his fingers lightly burn from the heat of the handle. 

The Fatus Guard is stumbling backwards away from Diluc, seemingly unaware that there’s a hundred metre drop not far behind him. He’s dressed more like a diplomat than anything and visibly unarmed. His mask only covers his eyes and does little to shield the fear that grows with every slow step Diluc takes towards him.

It’s odd, Diluc thinks. With how quickly he’d been able to observe Diluc’s strategy, he’d expected the man to be more… resolute. 

“I’ll- I’ll-” he stammers as he scrambles backwards, his feet slipping out from under him on the soft ground. He falls onto his back with an unceremonious shout but continues to push himself away from Diluc, “I’ll never talk you- you- Favonius Scum!” 

The insult is entirely lost on Diluc with the man’s stammering and shivering far from conveying a cruel persona. Diluc takes another few deliberate steps forward and silently readjusts his left glove.

“I- I swear- I won’t tell you anything!” The Fatus continues to crawl backwards.

If he goes much further he’s going to go tumbling down the cliff face behind him, Diluc muses. 

“I’m not scared of you! You can’t make me say anything.”

Diluc lets out a gentle hum of acknowledgement. He briefly wonders if the Fatus has realised that Diluc hasn’t said a word so far. Though, sometimes others are so desperate to fill the silence that they fail to place themselves and their actions in the scene they’re currently living in. Well, that’s one of Varka’s many philosophies at least.

The man pushes himself back further and Diluc continues to move forwards. Not much longer and the man is going to realise that he’s backed himself into a corner—or onto a ledge in this case. Sure enough, his left hand slips from the edge of the cliff. He glances down, the mask doing little to hide the shock of how far the drop is.

“Now, I suggest you cooperate,” Diluc kneels onto his haunches, “unless you’d rather become nothing more than a mark of red on the ground below.”

The Fatus audibly swallows but offers no response.

“What are you doing in Mondstadt?” Diluc asks calmly.

He’s aware that a lot of the intimidation is lost when he’s not wearing his mask or cloak. However, in Diluc’s experience, acting nonchalant when you have someone else’s life on the line can be just as effective. Especially with Fatui who haven’t undergone the rigorous training regime designed for the Skirmishers.

“I- I’m not telling-” 

Diluc sighs, as the man continues to stammer. He may have pushed too hard too quickly. If this man really is nothing more than a diplomat or researcher with limited combat experience, then he’s more likely to freeze up in the face of danger.

How could he be so stupid to forget something as fundamental as that?

“If you cooperate, I’ll let you live,” Diluc says slowly.

He knows he’s still pushing too hard even as he says that. But it’s not as if he can back off now. If he does then the Fatus might take that as a sign of weakness and further double down.

Diluc really hopes he doesn’t have to kill the man. Especially not with Amber watching from just a few meters away. The Outrider had emerged from the tree line not long after the initial fight and is now likely trying to figure out what exactly Diluc’s going to do. 

He has to remind himself that Amber isn’t Kaeya. Though he can hardly claim to know Kaeya as well as he used to, at least the Cavalry Captain doesn’t bat an eyelid at the unadulterated violence Diluc can produce. Amber on the other hand probably only knows him as a former Knight and current Winery Master. He might have to be careful that he doesn’t scare her off. 

Though, Diluc thinks as he looks down at the quivering man below him, he wouldn’t be surprised if he already has.

Usually, Diluc would have no problem killing the man where he stands should he not cooperate. Once upon a time, he believed that all life deserved to flourish, but he’s matured since then. He’s seen the atrocities the Fatui have committed and he’s experienced the ones they continue to commit. Yet, he can’t help but pity the man before him.

By the looks of it, he’s not prepared for a fight. He was likely relying on the Skirmishers to protect him. And despite all that Diluc knows about what this man stands for and the wickedness that he allows to happen, years of chivalry prevent Diluc from killing the man where he stands.

“I- I don’t know why we’re here,” the man says after a stretch of silence.

His voice is choked and his chin continues to quiver even after he’s finished speaking. Unless he’s been trained in falsified terror, the man is likely telling the truth.

“Please- let me- let me go- I-”

There’s something so squirmishly familiar about those pleas for mercy. Something that reminds Diluc of a day he wishes he could fully erase from his mind.

Diluc sighs and, beyond his better judgement, stands.

“Go,” he bites out in a low voice, “before I change my mind.”

He only said that because Amber is watching, Diluc convinces himself. 

It takes a brief moment for the Fatus to comprehend the words, but then just as quickly, he’s scrambling onto his feet and sprinting away. His footing slips on the damp ground a few times, but he seems no the wiser—perhaps so caught up in shock that he can’t notice anything else but escape. 

He disappears over the verge not a moment later.

“What are you doing?” Amber exclaims, having finally decided to join back up with Diluc. “He’s going to give our position away!”

Diluc will admit, he hadn’t expected that sort of response from the Outrider. Aren’t the Knight’s supposed to be merciful?

“Did you expect me to kill him?” Diluc asks. He intends for it to be a genuine question but can still taste the scorn in his voice.

Amber stalls for a moment and rapidly blinks a few times as if having to seriously process Diluc’s question.

“No! Of course not!” She cries out, far too loudly given that there's likely Fatui all over searching for them. She places her hands on her hips her eyes narrowing into frustration, “But you could’ve tied him up or something. Now he’s going to give our position away.” 

“Only if we stay here,” Diluc replies. It’s times like these that remind him why he tends to work in solitude. 

He moves to extinguish the fire still burning the grass—it’s odd that it hasn’t burnt itself out yet—and starts picking up any other evidence of the fight. They really don’t have time to be arguing about such trivial things. It’s dangerous to stay in one spot especially now of all times. Neither Diluc nor Amber have any clue what’s going on besides the fact that they’re under threat from both the Fatui and the Knights. 

“If we’re going to work together I’d appreciate it if you’d let me have a say in the decisions,” Amber folds her arms, annoyance dripping into her tone.

Diluc sighs. Must she insist on continuing this? 

“If you have a better plan then you’re more than welcome to execute it,” he adds dryly.

“Am I? Because you obviously don’t trust me.”

“I don’t trust anyone.”

“Because I’m a Knight?”

Diluc elects not to respond. There are very few who have dared question Diluc’s opinions on the Knights over the years—something he’s been very grateful for so far. There are a lot of things he simply can’t explain.

Amber’s face scrunches into further frustration at Diluc’s lack of response. But then, it disappears and her expression softens.

“I…” She trails off causing Diluc to look up at her. “I know why you left the Knights.” 

“I’m sure you have your theories.” 

Everyone has their theories, some modest and others wilder than any logic could dictate. From the simple explanation of Diluc stepping down to take care of the Winery to others crafting some crazed conspiracy, Diluc’s heard them all over the past year. 

“I was in the office that day,” Amber finally says. “I was there when you, Eroch, and his…” Amber pauses, searching for the word, “...lackeys walked in.”

Diluc can feel his shoulders hike and his breath hitch. How could she know? Even Kaeya doesn’t know.

“I was hiding in the cupboard,” Amber further explains, her words slow and carefully selected. “I was trying to scare my grandpa but you all walked in instead.”

Diluc forces his breath to stay even. Maybe Amber is thinking of something else. 

“What they did was wrong,” Amber says, that fiery spirit of hers building in her voice, “but not all the Knights are like that. You can’t hate us all just because of the actions of some… some traitors!”

She really does know.

Diluc forces himself to look away and takes a deep breath. If she knows, how many more do? Amber was a child when Diluc left the Knights—maybe eleven or twelve years old—so had she spilt that secret to anyone else? Were there other Knights that knew of Eroch’s treachery yet didn’t say anything?

“I don’t hate all the Knights,” Diluc says after a tense silence—he wouldn’t even say he hates them at all. Critical, yes. But he doesn’t hate the Knights, “But I do know that they operate within far too much red tape.”

“Our protocols keep people safe.”

“And they result in unnecessary casualties too.”

Amber won’t understand that, Diluc knows, but he spent enough time in the Knights to see just how far and how quickly corruption can spread. There will always be some coverup and there will always be someone hurt as a result.

Diluc experienced that personally.

Amber looks at Diluc for a moment longer—an expression on her face that he quite decipher—before finally asking, “What should we do now?”

“I thought you wanted a say in the decisions.”

“I do,” Amber fires back, her brow narrowing in annoyance. “But that doesn’t mean I know exactly what our next step should be.”

“We need to move away from here,” Diluc tells her. Staying in the same spot for much longer will only lead to someone finding their whereabouts, especially with that Fatus loose. “Do you have any suggestions?”

Amber’s eyes light up as if she is genuinely surprised by that question.

“I might know of a place,” Amber says slowly, “but it might put us right in the middle of the Fatui camp.”

Diluc narrows his eyes. When he was asking her opinion he was under the impression that she’d at least offer something sensible.

“I know it sounds crazy,” Amber defends immediately. “But no one will be able to find us, I promise.”

Diluc brings his hand to his face, gently massaging the bridge of his nose. If he’s going to be stuck with Amber for the foreseeable future, he should at least try to be civil. 

“Alright then. Show the way.”

Chapter Text

“Are you alright?” Kaeya asks, not once bringing his gaze up from the book in his hands.

It’s the first volume of the Heart of Clear Springs series if Kaeya recalls correctly. Father had gifted him the book set for his eleventh birthday—the first birthday Kaeya had since coming to the Winery. And, the first birthday he ever really celebrated. There had been prior celebrations, probably, but Kaeya could never recall them too clearly. 

Diluc groans and brings his arm to cover his eyes, yet makes no move to pick himself off the floor, “I’m fine. Just had a weird dream.”

Diluc’s sleep had been fitful, ending abruptly when he rolled over and came tumbling off the couch—blanket and pillows falling in a heap beside him. Father had draped the blanket over him not long after Diluc fell asleep.

At least, Kaeya thinks so. His memory of that is a little foggy.

“What was the dream about?” Kaeya asks absentmindedly, flicking to the next page in the book.

Diluc hums and removes his arm from his face, “I don’t really know how to describe it. It was…” Diluc trails off, “...weird.”

Kaeya lowers his book and looks over to Diluc. He’s still lying on the floor, his legs tangled up in the thin blanket, and staring up at the ceiling. The fireplace off to the right crackles, illuminating the room with a warm, misty haze. 

That’s weird, Kaeya briefly thinks. Has the Manor foyer always looked this desaturated? Maybe he’ll ask Father about that later.

“I think I was in the ruins of Old Mondstadt,” Diluc continues, prompted despite Kaeya’s silence. “And the lead Outrider’s granddaughter was there. Except she was… different.”

Diluc dreaming about Amber? Now that could certainly be a scandalous rumour. Though, Amber is considerably younger than then both, so perhaps that’s something Kaeya should keep to himself. At least for another ten years or so. If Diluc’s still unmarried then perhaps he’ll offer the suggestion.

Gods, he can already imagine the horror on Diluc's face. Kaeya can’t wait for that.

There’s a teasing remark on his lips, yet Kaeya asks, “What type of different?”

“I don’t really know,” Diluc says, now turning his head to look at Kaeya. “I think she had a Vision,” he phrases it like a question, uncertain.

A Vision? Of course Amber has a Vision. She’s had it for years.

Keaya goes to remark this, ask how in the Gods names Diluc managed to miss something like that, but instead he asks, “What element?”

‘What element?’ 

Pyro, obviously. Kaeya’s worked with Amber for years; he was there the day she returned from a hunting expedition, proudly wearing a shining red gem. He knows what element the Gods gifted her with. Why would he ask something like that?

“I can’t really remember,” Diluc pushes himself up into a sitting position, adjusting himself so that he’s leaning against the edge of the couch. “I just remember hiding from something. From someone, maybe?” 

Diluc shuffles himself around and leans further into the couch, pulling the blanket up over his shoulders. He gazes off somewhere into the distance, his voice uncharacteristically low, “And then I just felt…” he trails off again—which is odd, he’s usually more articulate than this—before finally settling on, “scared. I felt scared.”

Kaeya narrows his brow, “So you’re getting scared of your dreams now?”

Diluc inhales sharply, the indignation so strong that Kaeya can practically hear it in his breathing, “I’m not scared of dreams.” He narrows his eyes—has he always been this easy to stir up?—before continuing, “I just had a weird dream.”

“So scary that it woke you up, apparently,” Kaeya adds with a dry laugh before bringing his attention back to his book.

Gods, it’s hilarious how easy it is to wind him up. Kaeya will need to remember this scary dream thing and make sure to bring it up at a later date.

Diluc goes on to say something—perhaps trying to justify himself again—but for some reason, Kaeya doesn’t quite catch what he says. The voice trickles away, then shortly after so does the crackling fireplace. And finally, the gentle beat of Kaeya’s own heart—he hadn’t even noticed he’d been able to hear that—fades to nothing. 

And then…

…he opens his eyes.

He has to blink a few times, just to confirm that he really is awake. But, sure enough, he is. Kaeya pushes himself up from his bed—though he’d argue it’s more a cot than anything—and gently wipes the sleep from his eye. He’s still stuck in the same cold cell and it’s terribly boring stone walls.

That was—to quote dream-Diluc—’weird’. Kaeya doesn’t usually remember these sorts of things. Actually, he can’t remember the last time he had a dream at all. And certainly not one that featured Diluc.

Perhaps odd dreams are a symptom of alcohol withdrawal. It has been days since he’s had a proper drink so that’s likely a contributing factor. 

“Welcome back to the land of the living,” Eula calls dryly from across the other side of the cell.

She’s made herself comfortable in a nest of blankets and pillows, and a single book held precariously in her right hand. 

A box of blankets, pillows, some snacks, and various other things to keep them entertained had been left at the cell door not long after Diluc left last night. A godsend, surely. Kaeya’s not sure he would have been able to survive otherwise. Though, he could always escape if he gets bored enough. There’s a lockpick still sitting untouched in his back pocket. Hopefully, Varka will let them out before that becomes a reality, but Kaeya isn’t keeping his hopes high.

There’s only so much even past-Diluc can say before Kaeya decides to play by his own rules. 

He might have been inclined to stay here longer had the box not been missing a few bottles of wine. Kaeya had remarked that to the pair of Knights that had brought the items to them but they hadn’t said much in kind, instead choosing to ignore Kaeya completely.

It had been quite rude.

“Enjoying your book?” Kaeya asks as he pushes himself off the bed and stretches his arms out. 

The lack of natural daylight makes it hard to gauge the time, but it feels like it should be morning. Or, it could be midday. Varka had brought Kaeya to the city well into the early hours of the morning and Kaeya hadn’t fallen asleep until some hours after that.

“It’s alright,” Eula responds as she resumes her attention to her book, “I’ve read it a few times before.”

“It’s the Heart of Clear Springs, right?” Kaeya asks as he peers to the cover. It’s the fourth volume by the looks of it.

Eula hums in agreement, “I heard you mutter something about it in your sleep, so I thought I’d give it a read.”

Oh, that’s right, he’d been reading that in his dream. 

“I sleep talked?”

He doesn’t usually do that. Well, he assumes so anyway, it’s hard to gather what goes on when you’re asleep. But Klee certainly hadn’t said anything and she tends to arrange sleepovers in his room quite regularly. 

Eula offers a light laugh, perhaps assuming that Kaeya will want this to be some safeguarded secret, “The whole time you were asleep.”

“Very funny,” Kaeya deadpans. 

If Eula’s trying to stir him up, she’s going to need to try a lot harder than that. 

He moves across the cell and places himself down next to Albedo, who’s silently studying a chess board—just one of the many things placed in that box. Kaeya had introduced the alchemist to the game a few months ago—in amongst astonishment that he’d never played the game a single time in his entire life somehow—and he’s caught on very quickly. It’s hard to gauge how much time Albedo’s spent playing the game but it could either be some godforsaken amount of hours or as few as two or three. Really, it would just depend if Albedo had found something more interesting to spend his time on.

“Are you winning?” Kaeya asks, examining the board.

It’s some complicated opening by the looks of it and not something that Kaeya can really be bothered spending too much time learning. He might have years ago, back when he and Diluc would play a game nearly every night.

There was a time when Diluc could tolerate Kaeya’s company but those days had long since passed.

Briefly, he wonders what Diluc is doing in the middle of this mess. Last he heard, Diluc and the rest of the Winery staff were doing what they could to provide a steady flow of foodstuff into the city. Was Diluc still at the Winery or had he too fallen into this ‘time travel’ mess? It’s not as if Kaeya would learn anytime soon. Even if he did manage to break out and find Diluc, there’s no guarantee that his ex-brother would tell him anything.

Kaeya had forgone that right the moment he opened his mouth the night of April 30 all those years ago.

“It’s impossible to win a two player game when you’re playing by yourself,” Albedo says, looking up from the board to Kaeya.

“It’s a turn of phrase,” Kaeya chuckles and places himself down on the opposite side of the board. “Would you care for a game or are you too focused on researching the ‘elemental properties of a chess board’?”

Albedo narrows his eyes, “I don’t appreciate it when you mock my work.”

“I kid, I kid,” Kaeya rolls his eyes. It’s easy to forget how serious Albedo can be sometimes.

“But yes,” Albedo starts picking the pieces from the board and moving them to their starting positions, “I’ll play a game.”

Kaeya doesn’t have much faith that he’ll win. Albedo may be hopelessly nonsocial but he’s got a mind much sharper than most; a true genius of alchemy and general strategy. He wonders how long those skills took to hone. Kaeya might have to ask him one day.

“So you’re certain that this is ‘time travel’?” Kaeya asks after a few moves.

Don’t get him wrong, Kaeya trusts Albedo’s judgements in most things, but this one seems a bit absurd. Wouldn’t it make more sense for this to be some convoluted Abyss plot? Unless it really is, and they just want Kaeya to believe this is time travel.

Gods, this paranoia is going to get tiring. Hasn’t he already established that he needs to treat Albedo and Eula as being who they say they are until they prove otherwise? But how can he do that realistically? In a situation as bizarre as this, at what point does Kaeya accept it as reality? 

“As certain as I can be, given the limited data I have access to,” Albedo says as he takes one of Kaeya’s pieces. “Nymph has more information than I do and she seems to agree with me.”

“Have you heard anything more from her?” Kaeya briefly scrunches his face into frustration as Albedo takes one of his rooks. That was an avoidable blunder if he’s ever seen one.

“No, but the last letter she sent me mentioned she wouldn’t be able to contact me for some time.”

Kaeya briefly pauses his next move and glances up at Albedo, “What do you mean?”

“Nymph didn’t mention specifics,” Albedo says as he continues to focus on the board, “but she believes that some of the senior Knights are trying to limit contact with us.”

Kaeya hums in contemplation—in part trying to analyse what Albedo said and in part trying to figure out what his next move should be, “Did she mention anything about the Inspector?”

If this really is the past then the Inspector will be a nightmare to deal with. It took months for him and Jean to prove Eroch’s treachery, and then weeks more to finally convince Varka to take their accusations seriously. Kaeya for one is not looking forward to dealing with that all over again.

“No, she didn’t. Should I advise her of what we know of Eroch when she writes to me next?”

Albedo had joined the Knights just weeks prior to Eroch’s expulsion if Kaeya recalls correctly. He probably won’t know all the specifics but he’ll know enough to know that Eroch should not be trusted under any circumstance.

“No,” Kaeya finally settles on, “that might make the senior knights trust us less than they already do.”

If Nymph is telling the truth and Eroch and his circle are calling some of the shots, then they’ll likely do everything in their power to keep the three of them trapped in this cell. And accusing them of outright treason will not doubt add even more fuel to that fire.

If they want to prove that Eroch is the traitor he really is, then they’ll need something more tangible than simple words. It will be an absolute pain, no doubt. But then again, maybe they’ll resolve this situation and go back home to where they belong before they even have a chance to speak with Eroch.

“I didn’t know you had a brother,” Albedo says as if that was the most logical step to take the conversation.

Kaeya raises his brow at the statement. If he were anyone else, he might have stalled. Thankfully, he’s not anyone else and he’d actually been expecting Albedo to bring this up.

“That’s because I don’t,” he says in reply, taking one of Albedo’s pawns in the process.

Though, in retrospect, that might not have been the best thing to say. Albedo is sure to see right past that statement. Diluc—past Diluc, that is—obviously still believes that he and Kaeya are on good terms. A fact which Kaeya is still trying to determine his standing on.

Actually, no he isn’t. He knows exactly how he feels about all this.

It’s a shame that their brotherhood is no more, but there’s not much Kaeya do about it. In all honesty, it’s probably for the best that Diluc hates him now. If Kaeya does turn on Mondstadt one day, it will be much easier for Diluc to kill him if necessary. 

There’s no point in trying to think about all the what-ifs and buts; Kaeya did the unforgivable and there’s no coming back from that. Diluc hates him and that’s all there is to it. The only real unfortunate part is that Kaeya is going to have to explain everything to this past-Diluc.

Gods, that’s going to be an uncomfortable conversation. He can already hear it now: ‘In about a year, Father dies, the Knights betray you, and I betray you. Don’t worry though, it’s all for the best. You’ll just come away a changed man who hates me and everyone else around you.’

Hmm, maybe he’ll need to think about a better way to word all that.

“But didn’t Master—no sorry, Sir —Diluc say that you two were brothers?” 

Kaeya forces himself to focus on the board in front of him. Now is not the time to be getting sentimental about a past he can never turn back to.

“Well, I suppose you say we used to be,” Kaeya takes another one of Albedo’s pawns—he really needs to start focusing on taking some more important pieces, “but Diluc hasn’t considered me his brother in a long time.” 

And sure, Kaeya does miss those days of companionship where he and Diluc were attached at the hip—the times they knew each other better than they knew themselves. And there are some nights when Kaeya loathes that he threw away the best thing he ever had. But he can’t change that now and it’s all in the past.

Except, it’s kind of in the present now, too.

“But that implies that-”

Bang!

The room around them shudders, the chess board on the floor shaking with the rest of the room. A few of Kaeya’s pieces fall over. He frowns, hopefully Albedo doesn’t consider those captured. 

Kaeya looks up as the shaking subsides, “What was that?”

He asks but he knows that neither Albedo nor Eula will have an answer. Maybe it was Klee? She’s been making bombs since she could crawl so if she’s here in this past world—memory?—then maybe she set off a Jumpty Dumpty too close to the building.

Bang!

Except, there’s another explosion somewhere above them. This one is louder, closer, and the room shakes more intensely. Kaeya glances over to Eula who’s brought her attention away from her book and to the ceiling above.

The shaking dies down slower this time, sprinklings of stone dust raining down on them as the bricks above shift.

“This cell used to be part of the old maintenance tunnels, right?” Eula asks slowly as the shaking subsides.

“Yes,” Kaeya replies as he glances up to the ceiling, “and that makes these walls over a millennium old.”

The main headquarters building is just above their heads too—some four stories—and Kaeya really doesn’t like their odds should the ceiling collapse in on itself. 

Bang!

The third explosion has Kaeya standing, his chess game momentarily forgotten. One or two might be an accident—it could be Klee or someone accidentally alighting pyro slime barrels—but the third one has him suspicious. This is more than just an accidental explosion. 

Bang!

45 seconds. That’s the time between the third and fourth explosion. 

There’s a growing sound of commotion outside. Kaeya can hear the distinct garble of voices, muted in part by distance and the steel door in between him and the corridor. But what would a group of Knights be doing this far down into the holding cells? Shouldn’t they be investigating what’s making the explosions?

Bang!

The ground shudders again, and Kaeya splays his arms out in an effort to balance himself.

That was another 45 seconds.

Nothing natural or accidental is ever that consistent. Does that mean someone is attacking the building? 

Kaeya forces himself to slow down. He has no clue what’s going on besides the sounds outside. He needs more tangible proof before he can jump to a conclusion like that.

Bang!

“We need to do something,” Kaeya says as moves to the cell door. 

If he can find a way to open the door, he might be able to get outside and figure out what’s going on.

Eula lets out a frustrated huff, “We’ve tried that door a million times. You’re not going to open it.”

“That may be so, my fair Lady, but I always have an extra trick up my sleeve.”

Kaeya fishes the lockpicks that’s been sitting in his back pocket for the past few days. He knew that it was going to come in handy. 

Bang!

If he can pick this lock, then the three of them should be able to sneak out and get to the surface. They can figure out their next move from there. The only barrier to that plan that Kaeya can see is the people on the other side of the door.

He presses his ear against the steel, the cold metal biting into his ear. It’s impossible to make out what’s being said and how many people are speaking but there’s certainly at least a few people behind the door. How are they going to get past them? Even without their Visions, the three of them should be able to push past, but it will be impossible to stop someone from sounding the alarm.

So what can they do?

“...worry… I’ll…”

Kaeya presses his ear firmer against the door, catching a few snippets of speech.

“But Sir… …you sure…”

Bang!

Kaeya reels back away from the door and instinctively clutches his right ear. There’s a high pitched ring resounding from somewhere in his head, likely from the explosion rocking through the wall and into his ears. 

“Ow,” Kaeya draws out the syllable as he takes a few steps back from the door.

Maybe pressing his head up against the door while the building is actively being rattled with explosions was a bad idea. He’ll have to remember that for next time.

“Are you alright?” Eula takes a few steps to Kaeya’s side, her arms outstretched. Her arms hover as if she’s unsure what to do next.

Kaeya opens his mouth to tell her that he’s fine. In all honesty that reaction was probably a bit unnecessary. He spends most weekends with Klee so some ringing in his ears is nothing new. He’ll just get a healer to look at it if it doesn’t fix itself in the coming days.

Except, Kaeya never voices any of this. Instead, he snaps his attention back to the door at the song of keys rattling against the metal. 

Someone’s opening the door.

Chapter Text

Diluc will admit, Amber’s suggestion was quite brilliant. She had led him to the western side of Stormterror’s Lair and into a small, hidden cave. Diluc had been frequenting this spot for years—in training sessions as a teenager and to hunt down Abyss Mages in his later life—yet had never come across this entrance once. 

Hidden by the surrounding ruins and greenery, the cave leads into a much more complex cave system, connecting to all sorts of ruins all over the area. 

“My Grandpa showed me this place when I was younger,” Amber had explained. “I’m pretty sure it connects most of the ruins to each other. Well, it used to anyway. But then Alice decided to blow up the place and a lot of the tunnels caved in on themselves.”

Diluc had heard a lot about that. Alice had decided to grace the old ruins with her explosions while he’d been travelling but news had travelled quickly. It’s all the Steambird seemed to write about for weeks. They were constantly interviewing researchers from the Akademiya trying to garner every possible reaction to the news. 

The opinion of the researchers was nearly unanimous: the loss of the ruins was an archaeological tragedy, but there probably isn’t a single person on the continent that would try and press charges against Alice. It’s a miracle that someone of her power isn’t actively destroying every ruin in sight, so perhaps it’s best if everyone cuts their losses and allows her leeway this once.

Though it’s not a sentiment Diluc entirely agreed with, he could understand where the researchers were coming from. He’d had the privilege of meeting with Alice a few times—she even wrote him a letter after Father died—and each time all he could think about was how lucky the Knights were to be in her good books. He’d hate to see what might happen should that change.

“Though,” Amber continues, despite Diluc’s silence, “it doesn’t look like that’s happened at all.”

Amber’s right, it doesn’t look like Alice came through here and dropped any of her bombs at all. The ruins look exactly how Diluc remembers them being before he left Mondstadt all those years ago.

“It might be that this is a domain,” Diluc voices, though he’s still not sure if he entirely agrees with that yet.

This entire ordeal being the result of some complicated domain would certainly make sense. It would explain the perceived time not matching the time on his timepiece, and it would explain why the Knights seemed to be attacking everything that moves—because they’re not actually Knights, they’re monster disguised as Knights. It would also explain why everyone who fell into a Unusal Ley Line Blossom seemingly disappeared. They weren’t disappearing, per se, but falling into a domain much how those stepping through domain doors seem to vanish from sight. 

Except, he’s been trapped in complicated domains before and has never seen something like this. He’s never seen a domain conjure entire people. If the Fatui did nothing but attack, that would be one thing, but they talk, they interact with each other, they think. And Diluc doesn’t know of any monsters that can act so human-like. 

“Lisa suggested the same back when this first started,” Amber replies. Then she brings her hand to her chin, “But she called them something else. What was it?”

Lisa will know more about this than either of them, Diluc is sure. Her reputation precedes her after all. Though Diluc will never claim to understand why a Spantamad researcher would settle down as a humble librarian, Diluc has no doubt her knowledge of the Ley Lines far exceeds his own.

“Complicated space?” Amber voices, still trying to search her memory for the word. “No, that’s not it. Convoluted space, maybe? It’s something along those lines.”

Briefly, Diluc wonders whether the Outrider is still paying attention to where they’re going. This tunnel system is well hidden but there’s no guarantee the Fatui also haven’t stumbled across it. 

“Oh, that’s it!” Amber exclaims, temporarily stopping in her tracks. Diluc almost walks straight into the back of her, barely stopping himself in time. The Outrider seems none the wiser, apparently, as she turns around to face Diluc, “A chaotic space. That’s what Lisa called it.”

A chaotic space? Where has he heard that term before?

“It’s like a domain,” Amber explains as she turns and continues walking through the tunnels, “except harder to escape from. And apparently, they’re notorious for messing with your sense of time.”

Why does that sound so familiar? Diluc racks his brain, certain that he’s heard about this before, but he can’t remember where from. He'll have to figure it out later, he decides. He's already got a headache as is, he doesn't need anything else to add on to that.

The two of them round a corner, and find another, dimly lit hallway leading off further west. This one is different though. Two tables line each wall, a collection of books, papers and researcher's instruments scattered on each one. 

This might be something useful. 

Diluc moves to the closest table and picks up one of many books. He assumes it must note any observations these researchers have made. They must be Fatui researchers if the Fatui insignia branded into every table is any reliable indicator.

Next, his attention is drawn to a single book laid in the middle of the table. It’s a research journal by the looks of it. Maybe this will have some information on what the Fatui are doing.

He flicks to the first page.

April 19
Current Ley Line readings are still unpredictable. The only constant is that readings in our current line (henceforth dubbed ‘Line B’) are a minimum ten-fold compared to the original line (Line A). Native occupants of Line B seem to have no ill effects from increased energy. Unclear whether this energy flow is abnormal when compared to Line B’s baseline readings

Diluc feels his eyes narrow. What do they mean by ‘Line’? And ‘ten-fold’ Ley Line readings? That much elemental energy could cause all sorts of devastation. The hydro concentration in drinking water would make it deadly to some animals and any ill people and plants would grow uncontrollably due to the increased dendro energy flowing through the ground—and that’s just the impact it would have on the natural world. 

When it comes to people—Vision wielders especially—it would make harnessing the elementals wild and unpredictable. Diluc’s experienced first hand what a small increase in Ley Line flow has done to his power, and he’d hate to imagine what would happen if the energy was increased ten-fold. He highly doubts he’d be able to control his pyro output at all. He’d likely set fire to something just by breathing. Not to mention the burns he’d induce on himself.

April 20
Further testing has failed to record accurate baseline readings for Line B. Current interference is unknown but is being actively investigated. 

April 22
Ley Line readings continue to be unpredictable and it is still impossible to record accurate baseline readings for Line B. It’s currently hypothesised that the secondary side effects of Project Anastasi may be causing fluctuations in Ley Line Energy dispersal. Currently seeking approval for deeper investigations.

Project Anastasi? Now that seems like some useful information. It’s not something Diluc’s heard of before, but might be the reason the Fatui are in Mondstadt.

April 29
Observations suggest that native occupants of Line A suffer ill effects from increased Elemental Energy intake. Known symptoms include headache, fever, nausea, vertigo. More research is required to determine if increased energy intake is the sole factor in these symptoms.

The mention of headaches seems to cause the pressure around Diluc’s temples to make itself known. The ring of pain has been constant since he woke up here, but it’s become more of an annoyance than anything. Akin to an annoying bug that won’t leave you alone but becomes easy to ignore after some time.

Actually, it’s like Kaeya in some ways. A real pain when it wants to make itself known but easy enough to push aside. There’s a twinge of guilt at that last thought. Diluc knows that the only reason Kaeya insists on being around him is some twisted form of revenge for all the pain that Diluc caused his once-brother. And it’s not as if Diluc can really blame Kaeya either.

He’s quite lucky that the only punishment Kaeya seems fit is making Diluc’s nights just a little bit harder. Honestly, he deserves far worse after all he did. Diluc’s surprised Kaeya can even look at Diluc with anything but disgust.

If the roles were flipped—if Diluc hadn’t been the one to ruin everything, if he hadn’t been the one to kill their Father—then he’s not sure how he’d ever face Kaeya ever again.

Diluc pushes that thought to the side and forces himself to continue reading. He also chooses to ignore how the next date tugs uncomfortably at his chest. 

April 30
Higher authority has granted further research on the condition that there is no interference with Project Anastasi and all gathered data is kept confidential. 

The notes stop there. Perhaps due to the confidentiality of whatever further research this researcher decided to pursue. Diluc isn’t sure what exactly he was expecting to garner from these notes, but he was hoping he would at least have some questions answer. Instead, he’s only come away with more.

What is ‘Line A’ and ‘Line B’? What is Project Anastasi? And why leave out notes that were recorded months ago? It’s coming to the end of June, so why would the researchers be leaving notes like this around, especially ones as vague as this?

It doesn’t make any sense. 'Line B' seems to be referring to this domain, so 'Line A' must be the world outside the domain, maybe? But if that's the case why not call it 'the domain' and 'the real world'? Fatui researchers are smart—some of the greatest in Teyvat—so why would they make such vague names for things? But, Diluc realises, this is all assuming that this is a domain. The researchers no doubt know much more about what's going on than Diluc does, so maybe his suspicions are right. Maybe this isn't a domain. But what else could it be?

“Did you find anything useful?” Amber asks, having moved away from the desk at the other side of the room.

Diluc hums, skimming the notes one more time, “I’m not sure. There might be some important information here but it’s nothing I can make sense of.”

“Yeah, it’s the same for me. This book has lots of data in it—I think it might be Ley Line readings—but it’s not anything I understand.”

“Hold on to that. It might come in handy later.”

Amber nods, the book soon disappearing into her pack. It might be the first of many, Diluc thinks. They can’t stay here for much longer; they’re bound to get caught if they’re not careful. This corridor, while poorly lit, doesn’t offer much in terms of hiding spots. If a Fatus happened to turn the corner, the two of them would be done for.

“You and Kaeya are brothers, right?” Amber asks slowly, drawing out each word as if she knows this is a topic seldom breached. 

The question seems to come out of nowhere—completely unrelated to the current situation. 

“Well-” Diluc finds himself stalling, momentarily forgetting his concerns about them getting caught. It’s been a long time since someone asked him that question.

“Because I remember you two being around each other a lot when I was younger,” Amber continues as if further explanation will get an honest answer from Diluc.

“We don’t get along as well as we used to.”

Amber offers a gentle hum in return, as if immediately sensing the true depth behind those words. “I understand that. Kaeya can be rather…” She trails off, perhaps realising that it’s a dangerous line to talk bad about one of her captains, “difficult to deal with.”

Diluc can’t help the bitten-off laugh that escapes him. ‘Difficult’ is an understatement if he’s ever heard one.

“But I think he means well,” Amber continues, “Even if his methods are… unconventional.”

Diluc isn’t entirely sure what Amber hopes to gain from this conversation. In all honesty, Diluc isn’t sure what Amber is trying to get out of any of this. She obviously has some sense of Diluc’s seniority, a factor which Diluc is really struggling to make sense of. Amber is a Knight and Diluc is a civilian, so by rights Amber should be taking charge. But she hasn’t made any indication that she wants that. Instead, she seems to go along with whatever Diluc suggests so long as he listens to all her suggestions. 

And how often does he run into people that aren’t put off by his silence? Diluc’s used to the conversations ending prematurely, people so disdained by his lack of involvement. It doesn’t seem to make a difference to Amber though. It’s an interesting development, that’s for sure. He’ll have to figure all that out later, Diluc thinks. They have more pressing concerns to worry about.

Somewhere further down the corridor, Diluc hears footsteps and the muted muffle of distant voices. Likely, it’s Fatui. Amber must have heard them as well, her head perking up from the documents she was reading.

“I think we might need to hide,” she says lowly.

“Yes, that might be a good idea.”

There’s not much place to hide, Diluc notes as he looks up and down the corridor. It was probably a bad idea to stick around for as long as they have. Amber takes the initiative, sliding herself under one of the tables and pushing herself as far back as possible. It’s far from proper concealment, but in Diluc’s experience, sometimes the most obvious hiding spots are the best. Seldom will someone spot you if they’re not searching for you. 

Diluc follows suit, slipping underneath a table on the opposite wall. There are a few instruments and books that he moves to in front of him. It’s a tight fit regardless, his neck hunched and uncomfortably pushing against the underside of the table. If the two of them are caught, he’s going to be at a disadvantage in terms of fighting.

But it’s not as if he has any other option, Diluc thinks as the footsteps draw closer. The voices are clearer now, despite Diluc not being able to see who exactly they are from his vantage point under the table.

“...and the Eighth Division is currently tracking the local wildlife and observing any side effects,” one of the two men says, a distinct fearful shake in his voice. 

The second of the two offers a low hum, “I see.” 

Diluc has to force himself from cursing as the two come to a stop at the table Amber’s hiding under. He hears them shuffle through the books on the table. Hopefully, they don’t notice that one of them is missing.

“What’s the progress on Project Anastasi?” The second man asks.

Diluc feels his stomach drop. He knows that voice. He's far too well acquainted with it, actually.

“So far on schedule, Lord Dottore. However…” the man trails off,  “we’re having some problems getting accurate Ley Line readings.” 

There’s a rush of adrenaline through Diluc’s head, and he can only hope that Amber doesn’t recognise the danger not even a metre away. If either of them makes a single sound then they’ll be dead. And, in Diluc’s experience, The Doctor isn’t fond of painless deaths.

“And why is that?” Dottore asks with an edge of annoyance.

He’s younger by the sounds of it. Which can be either a blessing or a curse, depending on the situation. His younger segments are technically inferior in combat—well, as inferior as a Harbinger can get—but they are more… unpredictable.

“We’re still unsure… but…” the other Fatus—a researcher perhaps—stumbles over his words, “it might be due to the uh… unintended side effects of the project.”

“I see…” Dottore offers another low hum. “Have you searched for any neutralising agents?”

“Not yet, Lord Harbinger,” the other man says immediately. “I understand that all troops are being mobilised so I wouldn’t dare arrange an escort.”

Troops are being mobilised? For what?

“It’s good to see that at least some of you researchers have a sensible head on your shoulders.” Diluc watches as Dottore’s feet spin on the ground—definitely a younger segment then. “Create a dispatch plan for tomorrow evening,” he orders, “I’ll see that you have all the resources you need for your expedition.”

The other man offers an audible sigh of relief, “Of course, Lord Harbinger. Thank you, Sir.”

There’s silence for a moment before Dottore offers a loud, shrillish laugh. “Relax,” he says, drawing out the syllables. “This is a great day. By this time tomorrow, the Knights of Favonius will be no more and there will be no barriers to our research.”

Diluc feels the colour drain from his face. The Fatui are going to attack Mondstadt; that’s why they’re in Stormterror’s Lair. That’s the reason for having so many troops present.

The other Fatus finally speaks, “I… look forward to it, Lord Harbinger.”

Chapter Text

As the door lock rattles there’s another explosion overhead. It shakes the room more violently than the last, a spray of brick dust once again showering down on their heads. This, Kaeya thinks, is probably not going to end well.

He eyes the lock, the familiar rattle of a key turning a lock is slow and drawn out. It’s almost as if whoever is unlocking the door is trying to stay quiet. But who are they staying quiet from? Surely it can’t be from himself, Eula, and Albedo.

Is someone coming to finally let them out of here? Or, is someone coming to attack them?  

Kaeya has to force himself from grinding his jaw. He just needs to think. It’s impossible to know what’s just beyond the door so the best the three of them can do is assume the worst. If it’s an enemy—an Abyssling, Fatui, Treasure Hoarders, Knights even—then they’ll have to fight. It will be difficult without their weapons and Visions, but surely they’ve faced more dire odds. Kaeya certainly knows he has.

Okay, so they fight. Then what? Kaeya glances between Eula and Albedo, the two have taken a step forward to stand next to him. The next step will be getting out of here. Which, Kaeya realises, might be near impossible. If someone is here to kill them then they’re unlikely to be alone. Somehow the three of them will have to push past this attacker and any of their friends that might be littering the hallway.

He’ll have to figure out something but for now, Kaeya needs to focus on the potential threat right in front of him.

The door silently swings open.\

Thankfully, it’s not a threat—at least not an immediate one anyway. Because there, fully clad in Favonian armour, is Diluc. His hair is tied up—something that the Diluc from Kaeya’s time has become particularly fond of—and his armour polished. He doesn’t usually wear Favonius armour, instead electing to dodge or in his words ‘just not get hit’. So, the fact that he’s wearing armour means that something serious is going on.

“What’s happening?” Eula demands.

Bang!

The building shakes again and Diluc doesn’t respond.

If this was the Diluc that Kaeya is now all too familiar with, that wouldn’t be a surprise. The man had developed quite the penchant for not responding to questions. But this isn't that Diluc. This is a younger one that hasn’t been scarred by the world quite yet. This is the man—boy, actually—that wears his heart on his sleeve and will do whatever he can to help. 

The silence is certainly out of character and in Kaeya’s experience people only change their demeanour with due reason. So something has happened and it’s something serious. It’s likely an attack of some sort, Kaeya realises. The Knights that should be guarding the hall have all but fled—maybe to defend the city?—leaving only Diluc. 

“I won’t ask again,” Eula demands again, growing tired of Diluc’s silence, “what is going on out there?”

Diluc shifts his glance between the three, a near blank expression on his face. It’s entirely forced, Kaeya notes, as if he’s desperately trying to hide whatever is going on inside that mind of his. There’s a hint of something in his eyes, Kaeya notes. It’s not exactly fear but it’s somewhere in that vicinity. It’s almost hard to read, which is certainly an interesting development.

What does Diluc have to hide? He obviously trusts Kaeya to some extent. Unless something has happened in the past few hours for that opinion to change.

Bang!

Another explosion rings overhead. It’s quickly followed by another somewhere off in the distance.

Eula raises her voice a level higher this time, “What is going on?”

Kaeya almost expects silence. But instead, Diluc finally speaks.

“The Fatui are attacking the city as we speak,” his voice is blank, dull even. 

The only hint of what he’s really feeling is the way he rolls his lower lip between his teeth. Diluc has done that for as long as Kaeya can remember and it’s the only consistent tell that Diluc’s really thinking his options over.

“So let us out and we can help,” Eula bites out every word with growing irritation.

“I can’t,” Diluc says slowly. 

He once again flicks his gaze across the room, his lips pressed into a firm line. Kaeya knows that look well—the expression Diluc makes when he’s contemplating something he knows might be disastrous. He used to wear that expression at least once a week, usually when he was commanding a mission of some sort and he knew he needed to make a decision that some other Knights might not agree with.

Diluc takes a breath, and then after another brief moment finally says, “The Grandmaster believes the three of you are Fatui spies, sent to attack us from the inside.”

He says it so matter-of-factly, like it’s an indisputable fact. Diluc’s comment is quickly followed by protest from Albedo and Eula and Kaeya almost joins them. But then he stops himself because, as much as he hates to admit it, it makes a lot of sense. 

The Fatui are attacking and Varka has likely known about that possibility for some time. It would explain why the Knights were so quick to arrest and detain anyone from ‘the future’. The patrolling Knights had been able to spot Kaeya and Huffman within minutes of them waking up, which implies that Varka has Knights searching and scanning every corner of Mondstadt. If even one of them managed to spot a Fatus that information would quickly work its way up to Varka.

With the possibility of an attack and a Ley Line disorder causing ‘time travel’ of all things, of course Varka would assume that Kaeya, Eula, and Albedo to be working with the enemy. If Kaeya were in his shoes, he’d probably do the same.

But, that doesn’t explain why Diluc is down here telling them about all this. If Varka thinks the three of them are spies, then Diluc would not have been authorised to come down here at all, let alone tell them what the Knights know so far.

“You don’t agree with Varka, do you?” Kaeya asks, but he knows it’s not really a question.

Though he’d only recently grown vocal about it, Diluc has always had his disagreements with his senior Knights. Whether it be the Knight’s over eagerly killing every Hilichurl in sight or placing training drills dangerously close to civilian roads, there were always things Diluc disagreed with. Once upon a time, Kaeya had thought that attitude to be a godsend. It meant that all the problems that plagued the organisation would be gone when Diluc became Grandmaster. 

But that future never came. Instead, the pain that is his former brother left the Ordo, leaving Jean and Kaeya to clean up the mess. And even after all the work that the pair of them had put in, it still wasn’t enough to satisfy Diluc. Though, after what happened, Kaeya would be surprised if Diluc ever was.

“No,” Diluc—the younger one, that is—says slowly. “No, I don’t.”

“So are you going to let us out or are you going to keep standing here and wasting time?” Eula bites as she folds her arms across her chest.

Diluc bites down on his lips again. Kaeya seriously contemplates telling him to spit it out. Better judgment decides against it, knowing that Diluc is putting a lot on the line right now. It’s one thing to disagree with the Grandmaster’s orders, but it’s another level of stupidity to violate them directly—something Diluc is certainly aware of.

“I’m not letting you out,” Diluc says after another short silence. “I came down here to inform you of the situation.”

Kaeya immediately senses the true meaning behind those words and by the looks of it, Eula does too. Albedo will catch on soon enough if he hasn’t already.

“The Fatui are attacking the South gate but the Grandmaster believes we can successfully defend against them,” Diluc continues. “The Cavalry are being dispatched to aid the infantry. Two Knights will be guarding Headquarters’ entrance and the city stables are empty for now.”

All hesitance is gone from Diluc’s voice, a certain certainty taking over instead.

“Anything else?” Eula asks.

Kaeya glances over to Albedo, whose expression is scrunched into contemplation. He’s probably on the right track to discerning what Diluc is telling them.

“That’s all,” Diluc says. He brings his arms up into a Favonius salute before turning back towards the door.

But then, he pauses and turns back to the three.

“Before I go, I’m going to make one thing very clear,” there’s a sternness in his eyes, something reminiscent of the Diluc that Kaeya is familiar with. “If you are Fatui, and if you take advantage of my trust, I will make you regret having ever stepped foot into Mondstadt.” His voice lowers another octave, “Do you understand?”

There’s a not-so-silent threat of violence, and Kaeya can’t help but be impressed. He never remembered Diluc being like that when he was younger. Kaeya had always known what Diluc was capable of—he’d seen how far that righteous anger could go—but never realised that Diluc himself had been aware of it. 

“Don’t worry,” Kaeya says firmly, “we understand.”

Diluc looks at Kaeya, that knowing look back in his eyes. Not for the first time, Kaeya isn’t sure whether the mind-reading is a good thing or not.

“I’m required on the front lines now, but I’ll see you soon.”

Kaeya nods in understanding, soon followed by Eula and Albedo.

Diluc turns for a final time and struts out the door, the solid iron shutting behind him. 

Kaeya waits a moment, but the sound he’s looking for never comes. Diluc never locked the door behind him.

Chapter Text

“I guess we don’t need to be warning the Knights,” Amber offers with a strained laugh.

If it’s supposed to be a joke, then the humour is entirely lost on him. He can’t agree that this is entirely a laughing matter.

He and Amber had finally managed to sneak out of Stormterror’s Lair. How they managed to get away without sounding an alarm will forever be a mystery to Diluc. They had waited about five minutes after Dottore moved away before even daring to take a breath and even then Diluc was certain that they’d get caught. Somehow they hadn’t, but the two had agreed they couldn’t afford to stay for any longer. They needed to warn the Knights about the attack.

They had avoided the main road leading out of the area, knowing full well that Fatui troops were likely mobilising along that path. The alternate path was longer and had them trekking through Brightcrown Mountains. However, perhaps this alternate path had worked out for the better. They likely wouldn’t be able to see the true extent of the Fatui army if it weren’t from the vantage point.

The two are currently standing atop one of the taller peaks of the Brightcrown Mountains. Below them is the western side of Cider Lake and from their vantage point they can see most of Springvale and most of the Western Wall of the City. The bridge crossing the channel is still out of view, but part of Diluc almost doesn’t want to see what’s on the other side of the city. He fears it might be worse than his current view.

The Fatui have lined themselves along the main road outside Springvale, their troops wrapping around the Lake’s bank. They don’t look to be in formation just yet, instead sticking to smaller groups containing various troops of different kinds. Once they’re called into position they’ll likely split off into their kind. The Vanguard and Legionnaires take up the sides, with the Mages and Bracers in the centre, providing protection and support to their main attackers.

At least, that’s just a guess based on the training exercises Diluc’s seen. He’s never seen Fatui in an outright war like this. Though he could argue that their training exercises are very close to that.

But at least Amber is right and they no longer have to focus on warning the Knights. Diluc may have little faith in the organisation but he can at least trust that they’ll notice an entire foreign army quite literally on their doorsteps. Well, he hopes so at least. He’s still not entirely sure if these even are the Knights.

“There’s so many of them,” Amber says after a long stretch of silence. “Are we actually going to be able to defeat them?”

If you’d asked Diluc that question five and a half years ago he would have confidently responded ‘yes’. He would have reasoned that the Knight’s tenacity would prevail despite the odds just as it did for the Rebellion against Decarabian, and the Rebellion against the Aristocracy. And, if all else failed then Barbatos himself would step in just as he has in times past.

But he’s matured since then. Diluc has seen the strength of the Fatui firsthand, he knows how inefficient the Knights are, and the Anemo Archon spends most nights passed out on his tavern floor. 

Even if these are the real Knights of Favonius, Diluc knows that they’ll spend so long tripping over their own ankles that by the time the Knights finally get into formation it will be too late. The Fatui’s greatest strength is their teamwork and coordination, something that the Knights of Favonius sorely lack in. Even though Varka is one of the greatest Grand Masters in recent history, he can’t fully control all his Captains. Some of whom insist on elevating their own reputations regardless of how their actions hurt those below.

“No,” Diluc says firmly, “I don’t think so.”

Amber inhales sharply and Diluc briefly wonders if he should have voiced his opinion at all. Sometimes it’s wiser to keep these sorts of things to yourself. That’s what Father had said at least. Though Diluc has long since learnt that he’s far from the man that Father had raised him to be. Perhaps that’s just another one of the lessons that were wasted on him.

“Jean will know what to do,” Amber says, as if she’s trying to prove Diluc wrong, but there’s a certain firmity missing from her voice. 

The Knights only hope is that the city is easily defended. The walls have been maintained for centuries and a lone bridge being the only entry and exit makes invasion near impossible. And yet, that may also be the city’s biggest weakness. If the Fatui manage to gain control of the bridge they’ll be able to stop supplies from getting in or out. That will mean they can siege the city for days until food supplies and morale reach so low that the Knights will have no choice but to surrender. 

And, it might also be near impossible to defend against a siege from the Fatui. The shield of a single Cicin Mage is strong, but when hundreds combine their power together it can create a near impenetrable shield. Even if the Knights have enough resources to constantly rain arrows down on the Fatui, it’s unlikely that any will breach the enemies defences. 

The only way that the Knights have any chance of succeeding is if they break the ranks of the Mages and Bracers—which will be impossible when they’re focusing on defending the city. Plus they’d have to figure out some way to weaken the Fatui ranks. They wouldn’t be able to do it from the outside—the Mage’s shields would stop any attempt—so they’d have to attack from the inside.

But then what? What could anyone do that would create enough of a dent that the rest of the Knights would have a chance to attack?

Diluc’s thoughts are interrupted by a squeal cutting through the air. He watches as a missile launches from somewhere on the other side of the lake, careens across the sky, before falling towards the city. 

He can hear Amber take a sharp breath as the weapon collides with one of the larger windmills, exploding on impact.

It’s from a Long-range Pyro Cannon by the looks of it. Over the years, Diluc has destroyed a couple factories specialising in those machines, so he thinks he has at least a fundamental idea on how they function. They’re powered by Pyro Slime Condensate which is then amplified by a Delusion or two. Destroying the machines themselves isn’t too hard—they’re not designed to be attacked up close—but the Fatui are usually high on alert and shielding the cannon if they think an attack might hit too close. 

If someone could get close enough to the cannon, they might be able to blow it up with an Overloaded reaction. The only problems would be one: getting close enough to the cannon, and two: figuring out a way to get enough electro energy to the cannon to set off a large enough reaction to destroy it completely. 

The winery does tend to have a lot of Slime Condensate laying around—it’s an additive for some wine blends—so maybe he could use that. And, if he can manage to sneak through the Fatui lines to the cannons, he might be able to get to the Mages and Bracers as well. If he laid out enough electro slime all it would take is one spark of Pyro to create an explosion big enough to break through their ranks.

The only issue is that there’s a lot of ‘ifs’ in that scenario. 

But, Diluc thinks as he watches another round of pyro missiles rain down on the city, it might be their best chance of winning this.

“I have an idea,” Diluc tells Amber, “but we need to go to the Winery first.” 

He’ll straighten out the kinks in his plan on the way.

The trek to the Winery takes much longer than Diluc would have liked. But, he reminds himself, it’s not as if they have much of a choice otherwise. The Fatui have littered all the main roads, meaning the two of them have to stick to seldom walked tracks to avoid being spotted. Diluc and Amber are only sighted once by the Fatui, but thankfully they manage to deal with that small group before they can set off an alarm.

Regardless, being spotted even once is already one too many. They’ll have to be more careful, especially once they grab what they need from the Winery and head back towards the city. 

By the time the Manor is visible on the horizon, any signs of Fatui have all but vanished. It appears that their main focus is on the city for now. Something which will quickly change if he and Amber aren’t able to do something about it.

So, they just need to get in and out of the Winery as fast as possible.

They’re able to raid one of the smaller storehouses quickly enough—grabbing as much slime concentrate as they can fit in their packs—and remain completely undetected. The Winery is uncannily empty, Diluc notes. He’s spotted only three people the entire time he’s been here. What is going on that the place is so empty? Even if this really is some twisted domain, surely they’d be able to spot some signs of life, right?

Once both Diluc and Amber have collected enough slime condensate, the next and final thing is to find two horses. Thankfully, Diluc finds some in the stables.

He’d almost been expecting the stables to be completely empty, given how the rest of the Winery was, so it was a pleasant surprise to find three familiar horses standing in their stalls. They all stand to attention as Diluc and Amber step into the stables, the gate silently swinging open. 

“Isn’t that Pear?” Amber asks, perhaps a bit too loudly, as she approaches the larger of the three horses.

Diluc narrows his eyes, “Yes, it is.”

Pear was one of the older Cavalry horses who developed a bit of a reputation for herself. Her tame nature made her the perfect beginner horse so anyone in Mondstadt who learnt to ride in the past ten years or so probably learnt with Pear.

But Pear was retired years ago, so should be in Springvale enjoying life with all the other retired Cavalry horses. What is she doing at the Winery? And why is there a Cavalry saddle hanging over her stall gate?

Diluc approaches Pear, the mare offering a huffed greeting. She recognises Diluc—which is nice, she was his first Cavalry horse after all—but there’s something that doesn’t look quite right about her. And Diluc can’t for the life of him pin exactly what that is.

“Who’s there?” A voice calls from just outside the stables.

He’ll have to figure out what’s different about Pear later, Diluc decides.

Amber spins around, summoning her bow in the same movement. Diluc is about to follow suit—it could be Fatui here to attack them—but instead finds himself stalling as a figure steps into the stables. 

“It’s Kaeya,” Amber says, “...but smaller.”

That is certainly one way to describe it. As ‘Kaeya’ steps further into the stables, Diluc gets a quick look at him. He’s shorter than what Diluc is used to—at least by a good head or so—and he’s not dressed in that ridiculous outfit that he insists on wearing everywhere regardless of the weather. ‘Kaeya’ looks… younger. Like the teenager that he used to be.

The ‘Kaeya’ in question narrows his eyes at Amber’s comment, and Diluc is expecting a sarcastic remark, but instead is left with silence. 

What in Teyvat is going on?

“So you’re future-Diluc?” ‘Kaeya’ offers slowly with nothing in his voice that hints at any sort of confusion.

This is some vivid fever dream, Diluc decides.

Amber glances between the two, “‘Future-Diluc?’”

‘Kaeya’ narrows his brow again before slowly asking, “You don’t have any clue what’s going on, do you?”

The glance of confusion that Diluc and Amber share must be telling enough.

“This Ley Line disorder has pulled memories from six years in the future,” ‘Kaeya’ explains, “and merged them with the current memories." Then as an afterthought, "if that makes any sense.” 

It certainly does not.

”I’m sorry but I’m still not really following,” Amber responds, bringing her arm up to scratch the back of her head.

‘Kaeya’ once again glances between the two, “Have you ever read the book about the girl who falls down a rabbit hole and meets her parents when they were children?”

Amber tilts her head, “The one where she has to get her parents to like each other so that she’d be born?”

“Yeah that one. That’s basically what this Ley Line disorder is.” 

“So…” Amber trails off before finally voicing what Diluc is thinking too, “time travel?” 

“I think that’s the best way to put it, but don’t let Nymph hear you say that. She got really mad when Diluc tried to simplify it like that.” ‘Kaeya’ glances up to Diluc, a sheepish expression taking over, “Well, my Diluc. Not you- Future Diluc- If you know what I mean…”

Gods, even his voice sounds younger.

“Right,” Diluc responds slowly. 

Time travel. Of course. Because that’s the most logical explanation for this.

But then, the more that Diluc thinks about it, the more sense it starts to make. 

A few years ago a strange Ley Line disorder he’d been investigating created visible ‘visions’ of the past. They were mostly menial things—hunters in Springvale hunting, hilichurls wandering around, Knight’s patrolling rounds—but they were all vestiges of things that had happened some four years ago. 

If what ‘Kaeya’ is saying is true, then this whole ordeal could be the result of a Ley Line disorder similar to that. Except it’s on a much larger scale and Diluc can interact with these past memories, apparently. 

“Hang on,” Diluc brings up his left hand to massage the bridge of his nose. “So you’re saying that the Ley Lines brought us six years into the… past?”

Because sure it’s technically a possibility, but for it to happen feels like a bit of a stretch. 

‘Kaeya’ flexes his fingers, glancing at the ground, “Well, that’s the running theory so far.”

He certainly looks, sounds, and acts like a younger Kaeya; the boy that Diluc knew before their brotherhood went up in flames. He’s tense, flexing his fingers and nervous when not in the immediate vicinity of someone familiar. This is the boy that Diluc once knew better than he knew himself. It’s almost nostalgic, the more that Diluc thinks about it.

But he doesn’t have time for any of this, Diluc reminds himself. The Fatui are attacking Mondstadt as they speak—they need to deal with that above all else.

“Can we borrow a couple of horses?” Diluc asks, perhaps too bluntly.

Kaeya’s brow knits into confusion, “Why?” 

Ambers butts in before Diluc can explain, ”Because the Fatui are attacking and we need to get to the city to help them.”

Kaeya blinks a few times in rapid succession, “The Fatui are doing what?” 

“I have a plan but I need two horses,” Diluc forces himself to take a breath, the passing seconds seeming to slip away.

“And what’s your plan exactly?” Kaeya asks, his brow raised.

“It’s complicated,” and far too complicated to explain given the limited time they're running on. 

“You only say that when you know your plan is stupid and might get someone killed.” 

Diluc lets out a sigh of frustration. They do not have time for this. “Can I borrow a couple of horses please?” 

“Only if you let me come with you.” 

“No way. This is going to be dangerous.” 

“You say that like you’ve never brought me along with one of your stupid ideas.” 

“It’s not stupid.” Again, they do not have time to be talking about this.

“So then you should have no problem bringing me along.”

Diluc has to force himself not to scowl. If this really is time travel and this is a sixteen year old Kaeya standing in front of him, then getting annoyed is not going to get them out of here any quicker. But it’s not as if Diluc can bring Kaeya along. It’ll be far too dangerous.

But, Diluc realises, a third person might be of help. It will add an extra element that Diluc can’t control—especially if that extra element is Kaeya of all people—but it might mean that Diluc is able to come out of this alive. And if Diluc doesn’t let Kaeya come with them then there'll be nothing to stop him from raising the alarm.

As much as he hates to admit it, bringing Kaeya along might be their best chance of this plan succeeding.

“Alright then,” Diluc finally decides with a sigh, “but we need to leave now.”

Chapter Text

There are a million thoughts racing through Kaeya’s head as he slowly opens the cell door and makes his way through the twisted hallways, but one in particular stands out: How the fuck did things manage to escalate this quickly? 

It’s been all of twenty-four hours—well he’s guessing it’s been that long anyway— since he woke up in ‘the past’, and somehow he’s managed to be arrested, detained, questioned by Varka, and then broken out by a teenage Diluc of all people. And now the Fatui are actively attacking the city because of course they are. 

Once again, Kaeya is reminding himself that all of this would make much more sense if it were some twisted dream. 

Dream or not, Kaeya’s main focus is getting the three of them out of here so they can get a better picture of the situation. The explosions overhead have stopped, thankfully, so it’s likely that Varka dispatched the infantry to shield the city from any future attacks. But that might not last for long if the Fatui are launching a full scale attack.

Though the City of Mondstadt is remarkably easy to defend, the full force of the Fatui is not something to be underestimated. Kaeya knows just how difficult it is to fight a small platoon of Fatui soldiers. He can’t even begin to imagine what going against a full army would be like. But, he’ll have to deal with that later. For now, he needs to get out of here.

Going through Headquarters will be too risky—especially if Diluc is telling the truth and there’s two Knights guarding the building—so they’ll have to find another way out. Thankfully, Kaeya had already thought this out the day before; they’ll escape through the vents.

A small part of him is proud that he’s actually going to get to use this plan—the one he’d come up with when Varka first brought him down into the holding cells. Usually, when he gets ideas like this he’s never in a position to actually use it. This will certainly be fun.

“Are you sure this is the best idea?” Eula asks, folding her arms. “Because this seems like a one way ticket to our deaths.”

“Relax,” Kaeya says as he continues fiddling with the storeroom lock. “This is the best way to get out of here undetected.”

The first part of the plan will be finding a screwdriver and there should be a box of them in this storeroom. Once they’ve got that they’ll be able to access the ventilation shafts. It’ll be a tight fit but Kaeya is almost certain he knows how to get to the surface through them.

Eula scoffs, “If there’s only two Knights guarding HQ, then we’ll have no problem dealing with them.”

“You’re free to go attack two innocent Knights if you want,” Kaeya offers with a smug smile as he finally picks the storeroom door lock, “I understand if you’re not the best at covert operations.”

Eula’s face shifts into irritation but, sadly, she doesn’t bite back. Maybe Kaeya’s tried to rile her up too many times now that the Reconniance Captain has developed some self control. It’s a shame really. Kaeya quite enjoys pushing Eula’s buttons. Though it’s probably for the best that he doesn’t cause too many arguments right now. Especially when they have more pressing matters to attend to.

“Whatever we do,” Albedo says, “it will be best if we stick together.”

Eula crosses her arms, her face scrunched up into a scowl. She’s obviously not happy with the plan so far but she must see it has at least some merit. Eula would never allow them to go along with any plan that she thought would no doubt end up a failure.

Kaeya swings the door to the storage room open and takes a step inside. It’s a small room—barely big enough to fit even a single person—and lined with shelves and drawers. Kaeya rummages through the drawers closer to the floor before finally finding what he needs: a screwdriver.

“Alright,” Kaeya says as he stands up, “let’s get out of here.”

Their next move once they get out of here will be heading towards the city stables. There’s likely something in there that’s going to be helpful—Diluc wouldn’t have mentioned the place without due reason—and there’s direct access into the city walls through the stables. 

They move further down the hall towards the cell Kaeya had managed to examine when Varka first led him down here. The hall is still without any sign of life bar the three of them—something which Kaeya doesn’t really understand. Even if the Grand Master needs all available hands to help, he should at least leave a couple down here to guard the prisoners. 

Unless of course, Varka had ordered as such but Diluc had pulled some strings to clear the lower levels for them.

“The one thing I still don’t understand,” Albedo says as Kaeya continues working at the grate screws, “is why Master Diluc let us out.”

Kaeya offers a hum of acknowledgement. It’s not necessarily a surprising development—Diluc has always had an affinity for going against orders if he felt it necessary—but it’s not something that makes a whole lot of sense. Varka isn’t the type of person to make non-sensible decisions, so there’s likely at least some compelling evidence saying that Kaeya, Eula, and Albedo are with the Fatui. And that should be evidence that Diluc is aware of. So what could possibly have convinced Diluc otherwise but not the Grand Master?

“There’s probably a good reason,” Kaeya says as he takes out the final screw and lifts the grate away from the wall, “but we’ll just have to ask him this when all this is over.”

Kaeya knows he’s being overly optimistic. There isn’t any guarantee that any of them will get out the other side of this alive. If the Fatui really are attacking, then they’ll be lucky to win at all. And luckier again if they manage to walk away without any major casualties.

Now that the grate is away, it’s time for the fun part. Kaeya slips his arms into the grate, the previously undisturbed dust and grime sticking to his skin, and pushes himself up. He slides the rest of his body in and starts crawling forward. It’s a tight fit, Kaeya’s shoulders rubbing against the side of the passage, but there’s enough room for him to move at a comfortable pace. 

Kaeya could almost convince himself he’s the star of some thriller novel, the tight, twisting passage reminding him of at least two or three books he’s read. He calls out to Eula and Albedo a few times just to make sure they’re still following.

“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Eula calls from behind. Her voice is hushed, but the sound echoes through the stone tunnels all the same.

“I know what I’m doing,” Kaeya replies with a roll of his eyes.

You’d think with how long Eula’s known him for, that she shouldn’t be surprised that Kaeya knows where to go. The first time he’d found Klee crawling through these vents he’d made a note to start mapping them out. He’s always thought Klee could use them to avoid being caught with her bombs. However, Kaeya eventually decided to give her the maps when she is a little older and less likely to set off a bomb accidentally. He’d never be able to live with himself if she set off a bomb and got herself trapped in the rubble. 

“Is Albedo still with us?” Kaeya asks as he stops his forward crawl and instead rolls himself onto his back. 

He peers up at the barely illuminated shaft above him. If he’s remembering right, then this shaft goes all the way up to the street level. Klee had been the first to discover it when she’d blown the grate off and fallen through. She hadn’t been injured—thankfully—but it had taken half the day to convince her to grab onto a rope so they could pull her back up.

“No, I’m still trapped in the cell,” Albedo calls back.

Was that- 

Surely not… 

Sarcasm? 

Kaeya’s impressed. He honestly thought it would be years more before Albedo started using that in everyday conversation. Kaeya makes a note to congratulate Albedo on a successful use of sarcasm later.

“Wait here,” Kaeya calls to the others. “I think this is the way out but I’ll need to double check.”

Kaeya shuffles himself into a sitting position and eventually is able to stand. He lets out a cough as he inhales a plume of dust but quickly silences himself. If this does go right up to the street level, then any noise they make now will echo off the walls and straight to the outside world. Being caught right now, inside a vent with no other way out, would completely ruin any chance they have of escape.

The vertical shaft is a bit wider, Kaeya notes when his shoulders don’t squeeze as tightly against the walls. This should make climbing up a bit easier. Even though Kaeya is standing straight up, the exit shaft is still a good two metres above him. He braces his forearms against the wall and starts climbing up. 

The stone walls bite uncomfortably into his skin, and he’s sure he’s going to come out of this with some scratches and grazes, but finally Kaeya reaches level with the grate. He slips a few times but finally gets to peer at the outside world. Kaeya guesses it’s either early in the morning or late in the afternoon but he won’t know for sure until he gets a view of where in the sky the sun is. That won’t be for much longer, thankfully, as Kaeya braces himself against the walls with his legs, and uses both hands to push against the grate. 

It pops off with a loud clatter.

Kaeya holds a bated breath, but after several moments and no sign of anyone coming to investigate the noise, he pulls himself up and out of the shaft. He signals for Eula to follow suit, and not long after she and Albedo join them on the surface. 

“We’ll have to take the long way to the stables,” Eula says as she helps Albedo lift himself out of the ventilation shaft. “We’ll risk being spotted if we go through the main street.”

Not that being spotted seems to be much of a risk right now, Kaeya thinks. He hasn’t spotted a single person—Knight or otherwise—since they escaped. That can only mean that the Fatui pose such a threat that the Grand Master has all able bodied Knights ready to fight, and all the civilians evacuated to the Cathedral.

That, or this really is an Abyss scheme and all three of them are about to be led into some trap.

Their trek through the city is uneventful, something that Kaeya can’t tell if he’s grateful for or not. Not being spotted should be celebrated, but Kaeya can’t help but wonder about the circumstances that have led the city to be so desolate. Even if the Grand Master ordered all the civilians to evacuate, it’s unlikely everyone would have obeyed. Kaeya can’t even begin to count the men and women he knows who would rather risk their lives to protect their own homes rather than flee to the Cathedral. So where are those people?

Though it takes much longer than Kaeya would have liked, the three of them manage to get to the stables completely undetected. The ‘long way around’ meant sticking close to the southern wall and scaling a few roofs and buildings, but the extra effort seems to have been worth it.

Just behind the stables, outside the wall, Kaeya can hear a commotion of voices and shouts. It’s hard to tell if it’s the Knights or the Fatui, but it doesn’t sound like anyone is fighting. At least, not yet. 

The stable’s door is unlocked—all the more reason to believe that Diluc did want the three of them to come here—but all the lights inside seem to be off. Hopefully, no one’s behind the door to ambush them.

As the door slowly swings open, there’s a flash of swift movement from the right and Keya realises his mistake just a moment too late. He moves his arm out to summon his sword in an attempt to parry whatever is about to attack him. Except, Kaeya realises when his hand remains empty, he doesn’t have his Vision on him.

Great.

Kaeya forces himself to take a step back as a blade swings up, stopping mere centimetres from his chest. He relaxes a moment later though. In any other circumstance, he might be concerned. But Kaeya knows this blade well. It’s Jean’s.

Kaeya offers a smile—a genuine one for once—and says, “And here I was thinking you were going to miss out on all the fun, Acting Grand Master.”

Jean lowers her sword and takes a step back, allowing the three of them into the stables.

“Thank the Gods you’re all safe,” she says with a relieved sigh.

Jean certainly looks like she’s seen better days. Her usually immaculate hair is starting to fall out of its ribbon and large, dark bags underline each eye. With three of her four captains missing, and more and more civilians seemingly disappearing, Jean’s probably had a rough time. And despite the tens of people who would drop everything to give Jean a helping hand, she’d probably insisted on dealing with everything alone. 

“How did you end up in the stables?” Kaeya asks as Eula gently closes the door to the stables.

“Master Diluc told me to wait here. Though,” Jean’s face shifts into a strained smile, “I suppose he’s ‘Sir Diluc’ right now.” 

“And I imagine he’s informed you of the situation,” Albedo adds.

Jean lets out a strained laugh, “Yeah, he did.” She brings her right hand up to massage the bridge of her nose, “Time travel and a Fatui invasion.”

“You sound like you don’t believe any of that,” Kaeya offers a wry smile.

“It’s quite a lot to take in all at once.”

That’s got to be the understatement of a century if Kaeya’s ever heard one. Between Jean’s visible exhaustion and the sheer madness of this situation, Kaeya’s surprised Jean hasn’t had a breakdown. Or an aneurysm. He can see both as being a possibility.

“Oh, before I forget. I have something for you all.”

With a flash of light, Jean summons a box from her pack. She opens it and pulls out its contents, offering it to everyone.

Their Visions.

“Where did you find these?” Eula asks as she takes her Vision and clips it to her cape.

Jean offers another strained smile, “Sir Diluc gave them to me but he wouldn’t tell me where he found them.”

Kaeya offers a chuckle. Most likely, Diluc took them from Varka’s personal safe. He is going to be in a world of trouble if the Grand Master ever finds out. 

“And,” Jean continues, “he mentioned to be careful with them. The Ley Line energy is much higher than usual, so it might be hard to control your own output.”

Albedo hums as he takes his Vision and clips it around his neck, “Though that does mean our capabilities will be increased.”

So that’s why Kaeya lost control of his power when he first arrived here. And, Kaeya thinks as he takes his own Vision and clips it to his belt, that might explain the near constant headache he’s had since waking up. The Ley Line energy is high enough that it’s starting to impact him physically.

Jean vanishes the box and stands to attention, “I believe the archers are manning the main gate but I’m not certain about the rest of the Knights. We’ll head to the top of the wall and survey the situation. We can make a decision on what to do from here.”

Kaeya offers a mock salute as Jean finishes and turns towards the door connecting the stables to the wall. They’ll have to be careful though. There will likely be some Knights or the Outriders patrolling both on top and inside the wall. The last thing they need right now is to be caught and thought to be Fatui spies.

Jean takes the lead, disappearing into the dark, narrow passage. Kaeya follows her lead, Eula and Albedo taking up the back. They move far slower than Kaeya would usually like, but this is just a necessary precaution to avoid being caught. Except, he notes, they don’t come across a single other soul. Not as they move through the main corridor inside the wall, nor as they climb the steps leading up to the top.

Jean opens the door at the top of the steps, slowly peering outside. Then, almost immediately, she pushes the rest of the door open. There’s still not a single person to be found. Jean sends Kaeya a concerned glance. It seems even she’s confused.

The four of them crouch down to make sure that no one from below sees them. Kaeya moved towards the edge of the wall, peering through the parapets. Finally, he can get a good look at the situation.

The Knights forces have been split in two. Below them, guarding the main gate, are the Archers, and across the lake, manning the road that leads into the Whispering Woods, is the Cavalry and Infantry. Though it’s far from a textbook formation, it is technically an official one. The only thing that seems out of place is that the Archers are completely undefended. In a situation like this, at least some infantry should be standing in between them and the bridge. If the Fatui choose to attack, the archers will have no chance of surviving.

Across the bridge, a large force of Fatui lines the road leading towards Windrise and Springvale. They’re not too close, thankfully, with few Fatuus any closer than the Temple of the Falcon. But there’s a lot of them. Kaeya can’t help but think how far the scales are tipped against them. But, he’ll keep that thought to himself for now. 

Kaeya glances across the lake to the rest of the Knights. Varka has separated himself from the rest of the Knights and is now standing in the middle of both armies. A Fatuus has joined him and hopefully, the Grand Master is trying to negotiate some kind of peace.

Keaya narrows his eyes as he glances at the rest of the wall, “Where are the Outriders?” 

They should be on the wall providing visual support for the archers and infantry. They’re the last line of defence should anyone manage to sneak past the rest of the Knights. But there’s not a single one in sight. 

Kaeya knows that while the Outrider Company has all but disappeared in this world—time?—but there should be about twelve or so of them now. So where are they? Unless there’s something else more important that requires their attention. But even then, some other Knights should be stationed up on the wall.

Kaeya glances back over to Varka and watches as the Fatuus he was talking to turns and stalks away. Though he can’t hear a word of what the Grand Master is saying, it looks like the presumed peace talks aren’t going as planned.

“And why are the archers not surrounded by the infantry?” Eula asks in a hushed voice.

Albedo offers his own observation, “The scaffolding hasn’t been removed either.”

Kaeya looks over to his left, noting the scaffolding that leads up from the ground to the top of the wall. It’s been there for years for maintenance works that have been delayed time and time again. But in times of crisis, it needs to be removed or destroyed. If the Fatui breached the lines, they’d easily be able to scale the walls.

Suddenly, Kaeya gets a sinking feeling as a realisation takes over him: Varka can’t see the wall from his position and he’ll be relying on another Knight to relay any observations to him. 

And, that Knight will be none other than the Inspector. 

Jean seems to be thinking the same thing, “We need to get over there and speak with Varka.”

Eula purses her lips, “And how are we going to do that without being shot by the archers?”

It’s going to be nigh impossible to get past them and all the way across the bridge undetected. The only chance they’d have is if they somehow managed to glide across. But, there’s no wind current to push them high enough, and Kaeya doesn’t trust their skills are good enough for that. 

Movement from across the lake brings Kaeya’s attention to the Fatui. The line of soldiers standing on the verge near Windrise splits down the middle, allowing four Ruin Machines to march straight through. 

Right towards the bridge.

Kaeya glances back over to Varka, but Kaeya can’t see him even from his vantage point. So, he’s likely joined up with the rest of the Knights. If they move quickly enough then they should be able to stop the machines before they even have a chance to touch the archers.

But none of the other Knights move.

What in Teyvat is going on?

There’s a flurry of fearful murmurs from the archers below.

“Jean…” Kaeya trails off, praying to the Gods that she’s starting to think of a plan.

“I know,” she responds immediately. “Just wait a moment.”

The Ruin Machines continue forward. The Knights across the lake don’t move to stop them.

Surely someone has seen them. Why aren’t they doing anything?

Then, suddenly, there’s a shout of alarm from across the lake. There’s a flurry of movement from the Knights across the river. But it’s too late. The ruin machines are too close.

“Acting Grand Master,” Albedo says in a low voice, “I think we need to do something.”

“Not yet,” she holds her hands out to either side of her and there’s not a hint of wavering in her voice.

Kaeya knows he trusts Jean more than he could ever trust anyone else. He knows that she’s taking every detail into account so she can get the timing right. But even he knows that the Ruin Machines are getting far too close for comfort.

The first machine in the line—a Ruin Grader—takes two, lunging steps onto the bridge. Closely behind, are three Ruin Hunters, following the lead.

In just another moment, all of them will be on the bridge at once. Can the bridge even hold that much weight?

There’s a shout from somewhere in the crows below, quickly followed by a shower of arrows soaring up into the air, before falling down onto the machines. Most miss, and the few that manage to land, bounce off the machine’s bodies harmlessly.

“Jean,” Kaeya urges again. 

“One more moment…”

The machines take another step. 

The Ruin Grader braces itself, the familiar whirl of its charging laser filling the air. Behind it, the Ruin Hunters spin and brace themselves against the ground, readying their own missiles.

Jean keeps her hands splayed out to the sides, a slight shake taking over them. And then she finally shouts, “Now!”

They don’t need much more motivation than that. 

Kaeya and Albedo push forwards first, scaling down the scaffolding and through the crowd of archers. Their poor formation makes it easy to push the crowd to the front of the line. 

Kaeya can feel his heart pounding in his ears as the sound of the charging laser grows higher and higher in pitch. Both he and Albedo reach the front of the lines just as the missiles and lasers are released and head straight for the archers.

They simultaneously summon their shields, Albedo’s screen of geo sitting just behind Kaeya’s wall of ice. It reaches about half the height of the city wall and stretches across most of the company. If it were any other situation Kaeya might sit back and marvel at his creation. Unfortunately, he has more pressing concerns.

The laser makes contact with Kaeya’s shield first, quickly dissolving the cryo into stardust. The missiles from the Ruin Guards strike shortly after, colliding with Albedo’s shield and exploding on impact. 

The geo shield doesn’t stay up for a second longer. Making a shield is draining enough, but making one to protect an entire company is another story. Kaeya takes a shaky breath—that took far more out of him than he thought it would.

Kaeya hears a short shout of warning as Jean and Eula rush up from behind, straight towards the Ruin Grader. Jean focuses a blast of anemo towards the machine’s legs while Eula spins and sends a blast of cryo from her sword towards the machine’s eyes. The attacks hit the weak spots simultaneously, the Ruin Grader falling to the ground as it’s temporarily disabled. 

There are cries of shock from the crows behind, but Kaeya doesn’t have much time to pay them any mind. He rushes forward to join the two women, knowing they don’t have long before the machine is back on its feet again. His attempt to completely disable the Grader is stopped though by the homing missiles of the Ruin Guards.

He almost forgot about those.

He stops his forward momentum and takes a leap back, the missiles exploding not even a metre away from his feet. That was a bit too close for comfort.

“Kaeya, Eula,” Jean calls. “Take out the Ruin Guards, I’ll focus on the Grader.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Kaeya calls back, mock enthusiasm lining his voice. 

Maybe he can convince himself that this is all in good fun.

There are only three Ruin Guards by Kaeya’s count so taking them out shouldn’t be too hard. The only problem he can see will be trying to dodge missiles from three different directions. And, if Varka really doesn’t trust them, then they might also have to contend with a shower of arrows from behind. 

But he can deal with that reality as it comes. For now, he just needs to focus on not dying. 

Another shower of missiles flies overhead, the machines still locked onto the archers by the looks of it. There’s a bright flash of amber light as Albedo summons another shield in front of the archers. 

That’s good, Kaeya thinks. If he can focus on keeping the otherwise defenceless archers safe, then he and Eula can focus on machines. 

The two run forwards in tandem, now edging closer to the edge of the bridge. Of all the years that Kaeya’s trekked across this bridge, it’s never felt so long.

“Eula, boost me up!” Kaeya calls.

They won’t have much chance of targeting the weak spot from this low on the ground without an archer. So their only option is going to be getting level with its eye. 

Eula nods in understanding of Kaeya’s plan, and swings her sword out to the side and low to the ground. Kaeya lurches forward and places one foot on the broad of Eula’s sword. At the same time, she pushes the blade upwards, launching Kaeya into the air. 

He pushes off the blade at its highest point and aims his sword towards the automation's weak spot. The light from the machine flickers off as Kaeya’s sword sinks into its eye and not even a moment later the machine falls backwards. 

It collides with its brother, sending both machines careening to the ground.

So you really can kill two birds with one stone. Kaeya will admit, he’s rather impressed that he managed to pull that off.

He pulls his sword out of the Ruin Guard before propelling himself off the falling beast and tumbling to the ground with a mostly controlled roll. He pushes himself off the ground, ignoring the stinging from his grazed hands, and looks towards Eula with a smile of victory.

For some reason, she doesn’t have a matching expression.

“Behind you!”

Kaeya turns his head to the side and realises his mistake. He forgot about the third Ruin Guard.

It had braced itself against the ground, and the unmistakable sound of its charging missiles now growing louder and higher in pitch. Not a moment later the projectiles fire, directly towards Kaeya.

“Oh, fuck,” Kaeya says under his breath. 

This might hurt a bit.

He sprints forward, only just avoiding the first four missiles. The explosion as they impact the ground at his feet throws Kaeya across the ground and he tumbles across the bridge until he comes to a stop at the stone barrier. He feels his back collide violently with the stone, a fiery pain erupting across his entire body.

With a flash of movement, Eula lurches forward. She takes a wide spin, the broad of her blade colliding with the remaining missiles. With one final spin, she sends the missiles back towards the machine. It collapses with the impact.

Kaeya pushes himself off the ground, impressed. He didn’t even know that those missiles could be deflected. He’ll have to make sure to ask Eula about that later.

“Kaeya!” Jean calls out as she rushes forward to join the two at the end of the bridge. 

She offers a round of anemo energy, the pain in Kaeya’s back quickly slipping away.

“Thanks,” Kaeya offers with a weak smile.

One that quickly disappears. 

There’s a shout from somewhere to the left of them, followed quickly by another one from behind them. Kaeya spins, his attention now towards the archers behind them. The same archers that now have their bows drawn and arrows aimed at the three of them. 

Off in the distance, Kaeya watches as Albedo takes a few steps back, followed by a Knight pointing a sword far too closely to the alchemist’s face.

“And now they think we’re the enemy,” Eula grinds her jaw. 

Kaeya can do nothing but offer a bitter laugh. Surely things can’t get much worse than this, right?

Chapter Text

“Grand Master, you have to trust us,” Jean implores.

She is obviously frustrated, which certainly speaks volumes of their current predicament. Jean has always been the levelheaded one; the rock of the Knights. But Varka doesn’t know that just yet. And there must be some level of mistrust still conflicting him because the Grand Master hasn’t ordered any of the Knights to stand down yet.

Albedo seems to be missing in action for Kaeya’s vantage point but he shouldn’t be dead at least. The archers may be hopelessly jumpy—only so much can be expected from a company composed mostly of hunters and some civilians trained in using a bow—but they shouldn’t outright murder Albedo. And even if they attempt to, Kaeya knows that Albedo is far more capable in combat than most give him credit for. So, he should be fine hopefully. 

Varka and four other horse mounted Knights had quickly moved across the bridge and stationed themselves between Kaeya, Eula, and Jean. It’s hardly a position that would prevent the three of them from attacking, but since Varka hasn’t drawn his sword, it looks like the Grand Master doesn’t see the three of them as too much of a threat. 

Kaeya recognises all of the other four Knights, each a Captain of their respective companies. The first and most obvious is Diluc who is, unsurprisingly, doing everything he can to avoid eye contact with Kaeya. As if the eye contact alone is somehow going to spill the fact that he facilitated their escape.

Next is Jean’s mother, Frederica. She’s mounted the same horse as Diluc, sitting in the back saddle seat. If this really is the past then Frederica will be Deputy Grand Master—a position which Jean didn’t take up until a year or so after Diluc left to travel. 

The other two Kaeya doesn’t know as well but he knows they’re both members of the Gunnhildr clan and neither of them are particularly easy people to get along with. 

“Don’t let her fool you, Varka,” Otto Gunnhildr calls from his seat up on his horse.

Kaeya has never really seen eye to eye with Jean’s uncle—especially since he’d been best buddies with Eroch—but usually, the man can at least offer sensible observations. He’s an accomplished Knight by most accounts, even if his demeanour would indicate otherwise. He certainly represents the pits of the Gunnhildr clan, his haughty nature and aloofness making him far from a likeable person. Which says a lot considering Kaeya considers himself quite tolerant of others.

Actually, Otto acts much like the older members of the Lawrence Clan, regardless of his protests otherwise. And, Kaeya’s fairly certain that he was only made Captain of the Second Company because of his status within the Gunnhildr Clan. Being the oldest and most influential member of one of the most influential clans can certainly get you places.

“She’s obviously Fatui,” another man—Sir Louis—calls from the left of Kaeya.

That’s another member of the Gunnhildr clan and previous captain of the Logistics Company. He looks to be just as intolerable as Kaeya remembers, that superior scorn permanently plastered on his face. He’d stepped down as a Captain years ago when his affairs with multiple different women came to light. After that, Louis had been shunned by the Gunnhildr’s and disappeared from the public eye.

“‘Obviously Fatui,’” Kaeya mocks, with a roll of his eye. “Because Fatui would save an entire division that none of you could be bothered focusing on.”

“Kaeya, enough,” Jean warns lowly.

But it’s not like she can blame him because something obviously isn’t right here. The Captains of old may be self-important and superior, but they’re not stupid. Varka never would have let them even hold a sword if he thought they could be anything close to incapable. So that begs the question of why the wall is unmanned, why the archers are undefended, and why they insist on believing them to be Fatui despite every detail proving otherwise. 

Unless this really isn’t Varka and the Knights.

Otto calls to Varka, “Grand Master, they can’t be trusted.”   

The other odd thing is how Varka is reacting to all of this. The Grand Master that Kaeya knows would never remain silent for so long. Yet, Varka is sitting on his horse, staring down the three of them and likely to the Fatui army behind them. There’s an expression on his face that even Kaeya can’t claim to fully read. His brow is kneaded as if he’s stuck in deep contemplation, but his eyes tell another story. It’s almost as if Varka has made up his mind already, yet won’t voice what that is just yet.

“We’re not Fatui,” there’s an edge of desperation seeping into Jean’s tone. “This may not be our time but Mondstadt is still our home. Let us help you defend it.”

This isn’t working. Nothing Jean seems to be saying is getting through to them, a fact that she’s no doubt growing more and more aware of. She’s clenching her left fist—a visible sign of her growing frustration—which Kaeya will admit is mildly concerning. In all the years he’s known her, Kaeya has never seen Jean truly desperate. Angry? Yes—especially given his track record with safety. Tired and frustrated? Quite regularly—there’s a reason she stresses herself sick at least once a month. But beyond that, Kaeya’s never seen her as desperate as this.

But then again, he can’t say they’ve ever been sandwiched between the full force of the Knights and a mobilising foreign army. Perhaps situations like this naturally end in desperation.

“See! She’s even touting that ridiculous theory,” Sir Otto calls again, but Varka still remains uncharacteristically silent.

Kaeya glances over to Jean, her jaw clenched tightly shut and lips pressed into a firm line. 

“Jean,” Kaeya says quietly, “they’re not going to listen and the longer they’re distracted,” Kaeya steals a glance behind him, “the more time the Fatui has to advance.”

It might be time that they cut their losses and try to escape with their lives while they still can. Because as much as Kaeya knows he is who he says he is, the others certainly don’t. Part of Kaeya doesn’t even really blame them. If he were in Varka’s shoes, Kaeya wouldn’t exactly be inclined to believe in time travel of all things. He still isn’t sure he believes it and he’s supposedly living through it.

“They’ve even got that Lawrence girl dressed as one of our Knights. Surely you can’t believe a single word that comes out of their mouths.”

Once upon a time, Sir Louis had been one of Kaeya and Diluc’s tutors. Well, Diluc’s tutor technically. Even after Kaeya started tagging along to Diluc’s training sessions, Sir Louis had never allowed Kaeya to even look at a sword. For years Kaeya had thought that it was because Father simply hadn’t allowed it. It wasn’t until well into his adult life that Adelinde finally admitted it was because Louis had told Father that ‘outlanders had no place in Knights’. 

Almost immediately, Father had found another tutor for Diluc. Thankfully one who was more than happy to teach Kaeya a thing or two. 

“Hey,” Keaya retorts, “ Lady Eula is a highly accomplished and trusted Knight. And I’d argue that her moral standards are leagues beyond yours, Sir Louis.”

Jean not-so-lightly nudges Kaeya’s boot with her foot, knowing full well what he’s about to say next.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” The man replies with a poorly hidden snide.

“Oh right, forgive me,” Kaeya places a hand on his chest with mock sincerity. “I’m sure you are very transparent with your wife about all of the other women you keep on the side.”

The comment is quickly followed by a much firmer kick to his ankle. 

“What?” Kaeya turns to Jean as if he hadn’t just crossed a glaring red line. “Now they’ve got irrefutable proof that we’re who we say we are. How else would I know that if I’m not from the future?”

The more that Kaeya thinks about it, the knowledge that time itself bestowed upon him might be very helpful in the future. Just think of all the free drinks that this dirty laundry could get him. He’d have to be careful that Jean doesn’t catch him. For some reason, he gets the feeling she wouldn’t appreciate him openly blackmailing people. Though, depending on how he spins it, it might not be blackmail at all.

But perhaps he should focus on surviving the next few hours before thinking about free alcohol.

“That’s-” Louis’s face scrunches into indignation, and a distinct red flush colouring his pale cheeks. “That’s utter nonsense!” He turns to Varka, “Grand Master, we should kill them where they stand before they have a chance to destroy us.

Hang on-

What? 

Kaeya understands not trusting them but it feels like a stretch to outright murder them all.

“They’re four people,” Diluc finally breaks his silence, “they hardly pose a threat that’s worth killing them over!”

“You’ve seen their power and they managed to escape confinement once already, we can’t afford to let them live any longer. I already told you my informant was reliable so we should trust their word and deal with these Fatui while we still can.”

Informant? They’ve been here for all of a day so what informant would have any information on them so far?

“Your informant also said the Fatui wouldn’t attack for another week,” Diluc touts and Kaeya gets the feeling that this is a conversation that’s been had many times before.

This time Otto chimes in, defending the other Gunnhildr, “They had one detail wrong. I’d hardly call that reason to distrust them entirely.”

The conversation—or more aptly, argument—continues to escalate. If this were happening behind closed doors, that would be one thing, but it’s not behind closed doors. They are arguing in the middle of what is moments away from being a warzone. And worse still, the entire Captaincy of the Ordo are arguing amongst themselves in front of both the Knights and the enemy army. All of them should know better than that. It’s as if they're trying to lower morale as far as possible before the first attack even strikes.

So what in Teyvat is going on?

There’s a brief glance shared between both Varka and Frederica—so brief in fact that Kaeya almost misses it entirely. It’s hard to discern what exactly they’re thinking but it seems like both of them realise that something needs to happen to de-escalate the argument immediately. Otto and Louis are proud and Diluc is infinitely stubborn. You’d have better luck using an immovable object to stop an unstoppable force than getting any three of them to back down on their own initiative. 

“And,” Louis continues, “they destroyed the ruin machines just as my informant said they would. This is a trap set by the Fatui and I will not allow us to blindly trust such obvious Fatui spies.”

“Hang on,” Eula finally speaks up, “what do you mean we ‘destroyed the ruin machines’ just as your informant said? Who is your informant?”

“As if I’d tell you Fatui scum,” Louis spits out. “All you need to know is that they foiled your plan before you’d even started.”

There’s a lot more information there than what Sir Louis had intended to give out. Whoever this informant is had to know two very important details. First, that the three of them would escape, and second, that they would arrive at the front gates just in time to see the four ruin machines advancing. Not only that, but this informant would also have to know that the archers would be undefended. 

Even if the informant had been correct about the ruin machines attacking, there was no feasible way to know that the four of them would defeat them. There are far too many different choices they could have made. Kaeya knows that he and the others could have been caught before they even managed to escape Headquarters, they could have chosen not to help the Knights and instead escape the city entirely. The only way for any informant to make an accurate prediction on what Kaeya was going to do was if they were following him and relaying information in real-time. But that doesn’t seem to be the case. By the sounds of it, this was a prediction made before even the Fatui attacked.

Unless, Kaeya realises, the informant is the one who helped them escape Headquarters in the first place. If Diluc was the one giving the information over it would make a bit more sense. He’d be able to make a good guess on when they would escape and could easily influence where they would go after. He certainly had done that at least. If it weren’t for Diluc the three of them might still be trying to escape HQ and they never would have gone to the Stables unless something or someone had pointed them there.

But besides that, Kaeya can’t see much else that would point to Diluc being this informant. It wouldn’t make any sense for him to simultaneously help them and paint them to be Fatui spies. So who or what else could it be?

“Grand Master, just give the order and I’ll dispose of these spies immediately.” 

Kaeya is no more than a moment away from drawing his sword because these two Gunnhildr men are getting far too violent for comfort. Kaeya has no doubt he’d be able to best them in a fight—especially if the Ley Lines are as out of control as he’s been told—but he’d really prefer to not get any of the horses caught in the crossfire. And then he’d also have to deal with Jean telling him off because he fought against both of her uncles and that would just be a mess.

“Enough!” Thankfully—and finally might Kaeya add—Varka speaks up before things have a chance to escalate much further. “We are not killing anyone.”

“Grand Master, listen for just-”

“Sir, Diluc,” Varka turns his attention away from Louis and Otto, “do you believe this to be Jean Gunnhildr and your brother?”

“Varka, Diluc is a child-”

“I’m seventeen-”

Varka cuts back, “He’s one of your fellow captains and will be treated as such. So, Sir Diluc, do you believe these people are who they say they are?”

There’s little hesitation in Diluc’s answer, “Yes I do, Grand Master.”

“And Lady Gunnhildr,” Varka turns his attention to Frederica now, “do you believe this woman to be your daughter?”

This time, there’s a brief stretch of silence before Jean’s mother answers. She shares a quick glance with Jean for only a moment and a look of contemplation donning her face. Kaeya sees that expression a lot of Jean and it’s quite striking just how similar the two of them look.

“Yes,” Frederica finally answers, “I believe so.”

“Then that settles it. We will trust these are the Knights they say they are until proven otherwise,” cries of outrage from both Otto and Louis quickly follow Varka’s order. “My orders stand firm, and unless you wish to be removed from your positions during this time of crisis then I expect you to follow them.” 

There’s a collective sigh of relief from both Jean and Eula and Kaeya wants to join them—he really does—but something still seems off. Why is Varka only speaking up now? Why did he let Otto, Louis, and Diluc argue for as long as they did? Who is this informant? And why in Teyvat were the archers not defended?

There are far too many loose threads that Kaeya is seriously starting to consider that this is some elaborate Abyss plot no matter how insane that conclusion is. And surely he isn’t the only one seeing all this, right? Jean must have also realised that something isn’t quite right. 

He catches Jean’s gaze for just a second, but that second is all he needs. Jean’s always been easy to read, so when Kaeya sees that hint of confusion he knows that she’s just as clueless as to what’s going on as Kaeya is. But, on the positive side, it means that he isn’t being overly paranoid for once; something really is wrong.

Kaeya can only hope that he can figure it out before things get worse.

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Kaeya asks as he finishes tying off one of the horses to a nearby tree. “Because this is risky even by your standards.”

It’s quite disconcerting to see Kaeya like this. He’s different in all the ways that Diluc remembers him being and yet so strikingly familiar. He’s donned in Cavalry daywear—not much more than a formal shirt and pair of long pants—which isn’t unusual. Kaeya used to wear his uniform at every chance he got, citing how practical it was. And, though that wasn’t a lie, Diluc knew the truth was deeper than that. Kaeya always wanted to be on duty and had Varka allowed, he probably would have all day every day. But that attitude seems to be a far cry from the one that Kaeya has now.

He had changed so much while Diluc was away. He became the Cavalry Captain that Diluc had once dreamed of being, and yet developed a reputation as one of the Knights' biggest slackers. Kaeya became Mondstadt’s beloved friend and drinking buddy but could kill an entire band of Treasure Hoarders with little more than a wry smile. 

Kaeya had become everything that Father had wanted Diluc to be—a fact that’s becoming more and more apparent the longer that Diluc examines this younger version of his once brother.

Brother .

Gods, this is the same person that was his brother. 

Somehow, the boy before Diluc is the same person that betrays him.  

“Are you alright?” Kaeya says after a stretch of silence. 

It’s almost nostalgic to hear a question like that. When was the last time Kaeya asked him that question without some ulterior motive? When was the last time that Kaeya actually cared about him?

“I’m fine,” Diluc has to force himself to look away knowing full well that even a younger Kaeya can read him like his thoughts are being said aloud. “I’m just thinking.”

Kaeya offers a huffed laugh, “That’s dangerous.”

It seems that Kaeya’s half-hearted petty jabs are just as ridiculous as Diluc remembers them being. 

“But I am being serious, are you sure this will work?”

Diluc can’t help but offer a gentle hum as he stares across the lake towards the city. The plan certainly has holes in it and the chances of him coming out alive do seem rather grim, but Diluc is certain he’s survived worse odds before. And, while Diluc may no longer be a Knight, it’s not as if he can stand by and not give Mondstadt’s so-called caretakers a fighting chance. 

“It should, so long as the Knights don’t overcomplicate things.”

Which, Diluc is aware, is a big assumption to make.

Amber had split off from the two of them just minutes before and is hopefully making her way towards the Knights stationed just outside the Whispering Woods. From Kaeya and Diluc’s position just outside Springvale, it might take Amber an hour or so to reach the Knights. With the Fatui having commandeered a good portion of the roads leading out of Springvale and those leading into Windrise, Amber will have to make quite the trek to avoid being spotted. And her not getting spotted is the first integral part of the plan. 

If she can’t get to the Knights in time and if she can’t convince the Knights to go along with the plan then Diluc may as well call this a suicide mission. 

But Amber had been adamant that she could not only get to the Knights in half the time but that she’d have no problem convincing her fellow Knights. Diluc, for one, can only pray that she’s right about both of those things.

“So,” Kaeya drags out the syllable for a second longer than necessary, “are you tired or do you just become the silent type when you get older?”

If this were the Kaeya that Diluc knows, then he’d have no problem ignoring such an obvious trap. Except this isn’t that Kaeya and Diluc can’t even tell if this is the setup for some deliberately painful jab.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Diluc eventually decides even though he knows it’s a lie.

It’s not lost on him that he’s far from the same person he was six years ago. Those years he’d spent away had changed him in so many ways that it’s almost hard to keep count. He’d been purged of all that childish immaturity he’d once desperately clung to and he’d been forced to fight, think, and act smarter than ever before. Diluc knows that he’s a different person now—for better or for worse—but he’d argue few are the same as they were years prior. 

Kaeya tilts his head to the side slightly, as if immediately seeing through Diluc’s lie, but surprisingly doesn’t push any further. Instead, he moves his attention to the horses tied to the nearby trees and scratches their muzzles. Kaeya had always been good with horses so it was no wonder that he’d taken up the position of Cavalry Captain after Diluc’s departure.

“You’re taking this whole situation in a lot more stride than I thought you would,” Kaeya says as he reaches into one of the saddlebags and pulls out a packet of horse kibble. 

Once again, Diluc isn’t sure if this is an elaborate setup for an insult or not. 

“Or at least you seem to be,” Kaeya finishes with a discerning look in his eyes.

It’s hard to gauge what exactly Kaeya is thinking right now. It hadn’t always been, Diluc reminds himself. There had once been a time when they could read each other’s thoughts as if it were second nature. Many times it felt like Kaeya knew him better than Diluc knew himself, and vice versa. Except, it hadn’t been mutual.

Because for all the years that they picked each other's thoughts apart, Diluc had never once thought that Kaeya could so easily betray him the way he did.   

Does the Kaeya in front of him know about his ‘mission’ now? Or, is it not revealed to him for some time? It truly speaks volumes to Diluc’s own faults that he never bothered to ask Kaeya such an important question as that.

“Let’s just say that this isn’t the most bizarre Ley Line disorder I’ve ever seen,” Diluc says in response to Kaeya’s observation.

It’s not entirely a lie. Diluc had witnessed some truly remarkable Ley Line disorders and even inadvertently caused a few. He’d seen deserts turned to tundra and otherwise passive creatures turn hostile. Diluc had seen—had touched—images of people who had long since passed and yet seemed to be tangible. He had long since learnt that the Ley Line impacts the world in more ways than he could even begin to imagine. So, if the presumed driving force of the world—the energy that carries memories of everything that has ever happened—can create physical images of memories, then he’s not going to assume that’s where its power stops.

The conversation seems to dwindle for a moment, and Diluc is torn on whether to continue or not. He knows that he’s hardly the easiest to make conversation with but it would be unfair to leave Kaeya in silence. It’s almost laughable how far the roles had swapped. Growing up Kaeya had been the quiet one and Diluc the boy who didn’t know how to shut up. If only Father could see how much the two of them had changed.

“How old are you again?” Diluc asks slowly as a realisation slowly washes over him.

Kaeya answers quickly though Diluc can hear an edge of confusion in his tone, “Sixteen.”

Diluc knows that it doesn’t really matter how old Kaeya is, all that matters is that the past version of himself isn’t eighteen. And, if this Kaeya is sixteen then that means the past version of himself is sixteen and a half at the youngest and seventeen at the oldest. 

So, Father is alive.

Father is breathing.

He’s probably talking with someone right at this very moment.

Walking.

Moving.

Alive.

“Are you…” Kaeya trails off for a moment. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Diluc has to force himself to take a deep breath and clench his shaking hands. He doesn’t have time to get caught up in this. If he’s not in the right mindset then this plan will have no chance to succeed.

“Because it’s alright if you’re not,” Kaeya continues despite Diluc’s lack of answer. “It is a whole lot to take in at once.”

Gods if only he knew just how much all this really is.

“I’m fine, really,” Diluc says as he brings his left hand up to massage the bridge of his nose. 

Kaeya stares back, that discerning expression having returned. He doesn’t believe a word that Diluc has said so far, but that can only be expected. Though Diluc has certainly gotten better at skirting the truth over the past few years, there’s still little that Kaeya won’t pick up on. He’s always been like that. Always picking up on subtle cues, and always able to pick a person apart piece by piece.

“So,” Kaeya once again drags the syllable out, “what’s life in the future like?”

Diluc can’t help but narrow his brow at the question. Since when was Kaeya one for small talk? Maybe he enjoys it more now—especially if he’s trying to pry information out of someone—but he never did when he was younger. Or maybe he did. Diluc knows that he never really knew Kaeya as well as he thought he did.

“Six years isn’t that long of a time,” Diluc says. “Things probably haven’t changed nearly as much as you’d think they have.”

“It feels like a pretty long time to me. That’s like almost half of my life.” Kaeya folds his arms and narrows his expression, “And I can name at least a few things that have changed.”

There’s no doubt about that. Kaeya probably knows more about this situation than he’s letting on.

“First of all,” Kaeya continues despite Diluc’s lack of response, “I get a Vision.”

“How do you know that?” The question slips out of Diluc’s mouth before he has a chance to think it over.

“My version of you told me a couple of days ago. It’s a Cryo Vision, right?”

“It is,” Diluc isn’t sure what else to say.

Kaeya could have come to that conclusion in a few different ways. A civilian or Knight from Diluc’s time could have said something or, the more likely scenario, the Kaeya from Diluc’s time fell through a Ley Line Blossom and ended up in this world. Given Kaeya’s safety record and insatiable curiosity, it’s a wonder that Kaeya wasn’t one of the first people to go missing when this whole crisis started. He was probably poking around the Blossoms despite the Acting Grand Master’s orders otherwise.

“How do I end up with a Vision? What happens?” 

There’s a hint of excitement in his questions which is almost a shock to Diluc. He can’t remember Kaeya expressing any sort of desire to be granted a Vision. But then again, he probably never expected any of The Seven to grant someone of his heritage with a gift of that magnitude. It had certainly been a shock to Diluc—and in hindsight a welcome one. If Kaeya hadn’t been bestowed that gift when he had, then he would probably be dead. And it would have been Diluc’s fault.

How is he supposed to explain that?

“You got it during a fight,” Diluc says instead.

It’s not a lie but it’s not the entire truth. And Kaeya, the one standing in front of him, probably knows that too.

“That’s another thing that’s different,” Kaeya says after a brief stretch of silence. “You.”

“I haven’t changed nearly as much as you’d think.”

Diluc doesn’t know why he feels the need to defend himself. He’s been speaking with this Kaeya for all of two or three hours. That’s hardly enough time to make any proper assumptions about someone’s character.

“Well for starters, you don’t talk nearly as much as my Diluc does.”

Diluc knows that’s an observation that many have made over the past few years. He also knows that he’s developed quite a reputation for being a hard person to talk with. But Diluc is a firm believer that development is for the best.

“I don’t think you really trust anybody.”

Diluc has to suppress the urge to roll his eyes, “I don’t see how you could have come to that conclusion. You’ve seen me speak to all of one other person besides you.”

“You didn’t tell Amber the whole plan, did you? I don’t even think you’ve told me the whole plan. Why would you do that unless you don’t trust us?”

Diluc didn’t think he’d have to defend that point at all. It should be obvious why he’s kept certain aspects of the plan to himself: the fewer details that are shared, the less likely the Fatui are to catch wind of the plan. He knows the Fatui are a formidable enemy and he’d be shocked if they weren’t prowling the area already. The chances of them being caught, no matter how concealed he and Kaeya think they are, are far too high to not be cautious. 

“And,” Kaeya continues before Diluc has a chance to respond, “I don’t think you’re a Knight anymore.”

Diluc can’t help but feel his thoughts stall at that last comment. How did he manage to figure that out already?

“I’m right, aren’t I?” Kaeya asks and after a brief moment with no response continues, “The first giveaway is that you’re not wearing anything with the Knight’s insignia on it. I swear even your pyjamas have it stitched in somewhere.”

It certainly didn’t. Diluc may have once dedicated everything he had to the Ordo, but he wasn’t so insane as to attach the organisation's insignia to everything.

“You’re also not dressed for combat at all. Varka has always been clear that a Favonius Captain needs to be ready for a fight at any moment. So the fact that you’re not wearing any sort of armour goes against that rule.”

Diluc would hardly call it a rule. It was technically in the Captain’s handbook and something that Varka touted quite frequently, but it was still rarely enforced. And besides, Diluc had always preferred dodging over wearing heavy and clunky armour. Kaeya should know that.

“And finally,” Kaeya continues, “whenever you were talking with Outrider Amber, you never addressed the other Knights by their titles as a Knight should. And you only ever referred to them as ‘the Knights’. You never used ‘we’ or ‘us’. That implies that you don’t consider yourself part of the Ordo anymore.”

It’s almost frightening how quickly Kaeya can make observations like that and more so that his observations are right.

“So am I correct?” Kaeya asks.

There’s no point in lying to him about this, “Yes, you are.”

Diluc knows what the next question is going to be but he still can’t help it when his shoulders hike as it’s asked.

“Why did you leave?”

There are a million ways to answer that question and a million different ways to justify it. He could explain how corruption ran so deeply through the Ordo that it would be nigh impossible to uproot it all. He could explain how Eroch was so untouchable in his position that he could steal credit and there was little even Varka could do to punish him. Or, he could explain how every high ranking Knight dragged Diluc’s loyalty through the mud to save face. 

But none of those explanations will be enough for Kaeya. He won’t see it no matter how hard Diluc tries to explain. Even the Kaeya who witnessed all of those events firsthand doesn’t seem to understand. Why else would he have stayed with the Knights amid everything falling apart?

There’s only one way to explain Diluc’s departure and somehow he thinks this might be the cruellest. 

“I had to start taking care of the Winery.”

The moment the words leave his mouth, Diluc immediately regrets them. He watches as the realisation quickly washes over Kaeya—the way his expression pales and his eye widens a touch. There was no doubt that Kaeya wouldn't immediately understand the true meaning behind those words and yet Diluc chose to say them all the same.

Kaeya was going to find out anyway, Diluc reasons. And besides, when was the last time he wasn’t doing or saying something that was hurting his once-brother in some way?

“Is it…” Kaeya trails off for a brief moment, “something that can be prevented?”

It’s almost laughable how quickly Kaeya is trying to circumvent what feels like the unavoidable. Where was this attitude the night that everything fell apart?

“If I manage to make it out of the next few hours alive, I’ll make sure nothing happens. I promise.”

He’ll destroy that Delusion and even kill the Drake if he has to. If this is his chance to prevent a catastrophe—if he gets a single opportunity to make sure his father lives—then he’ll do whatever it takes, consequences be damned.

Chapter Text

The position of Inspector is a unique one in that it is both one of the highest positions in the Ordo while technically not a part of the Knights at all. The role was first institutionalised by Lady Vannessa, who ordered that the Inspector be elected by representatives of the people of Mondstadt. In the present day, that means the Inspector must be unanimously endorsed by the Grand Master, the Church Cardinal, and two people representing the greater civilian population. 

It was supposed to be a role untouched by the authority of the Knights; someone who could openly speak against and criticise the Grand Master’s orders without fear of repercussion. The Inspector’s primary responsibility is to keep the Grand Master and the Knights in check. To vocalise when procedures aren’t followed and to blow the figurative whistle should need be. However, in order to protect that responsibility not only does the Inspector need unanimous approval from the people of Mondstadt, but they need a unanimous vote to be removed. 

And that is how Eroch was able to abuse his power for as long as he did.

To say that Kaeya and Jean had outed Eroch as a traitor is a slight exaggeration in Kaeya’s opinion. They had known he was working with the Fatui for months but finding evidence with Eroch’s name on it had been impossible. The only reason that Jean had finally been able to get her hands on the damning evidence was because they had managed to press bribery charges against Eroch. 

While the Inspector was locked up awaiting trial, Jean had been able to intercept a message from the Fatui addressed to Eroch. And from there, everything else had fallen into place. The mountain of letters, coded messages, and Fatui memorabilia that Jean and Kaeya had collected could finally be tied to Eroch. The representatives that the Inspector had bribed were brought to justice and Eroch was finally removed from his position.

And then Varka had finally given Jean all authority to punish the man as she saw fit.

To say that Jean had been merciful is an understatement. Treason carries the death penalty, after all. But instead, she chose to strip him of all his power, his contacts, and his wealth, before finally exiling Eroch from the nation of Mondstadt entirely. He’d been lucky that Kaeya wasn’t the one dealing with his punishment because he would not have been nearly as kind as Jean was.

But Kaeya knows that he can’t hold anything against Jean for her treatment of Eroch. Kaeya had been there as she poured herself over every history book she could find, searching for some precedent to help guide her decision. He watched as Jean kept herself awake for days on end as she weighed up her options. And in the end, Jean had likely made the right decision. Even the Anemo Archon hadn’t been so bloodthirsty as to execute the Aristocracy. 

That is something that Kaeya needs to remind himself as Eroch approaches.

“Inspector,” Sir Louise greets.

He’s accompanied by two senior Knights from Varka’s company and approaches slowly, his steps purposeful. He offers a nod of greeting to Louise and Otto before shifting his gaze to the rest of the group. There’s a discerning look in his eyes—those slender brows narrowed and his mouth pressed into a firm line. Kaeya had never been a fan of the Inspector largely thanks to his demeanour. Seldom did the man smile, and rarer more offer words of praise. Even as a child, Kaeya could sense the superiority that Eroch had donned himself in.

“Grand Master,” Eroch says with a deliberate tone, “I do hope you’re not considering that we trust these spies.”

The irony is almost laughable. If this were a different scenario, Kaeya might entertain Eroch just to see if he could make the man stumble on his words and spill something incriminating. But Kaeya knows that would be futile. Eroch had always been overly cautious and managed to avoid anyone detecting his treachery for almost a decade. Kaeya isn’t so proud to think that he could make the man slip up now of all times.  

Varka turns to face the Inspector, a wry smile lighting his face, “I was wondering when you were going to join us.” He offers a hearty laugh which is not reciprocated. “But yes I will be allowing this lot to help us. I don’t see any reason we shouldn’t trust these Knights.”

Varka motions towards Kaeya, Jean, and Eula, and Eroch’s gaze shifts towards them. His brow narrows further, “I would strongly advise against this Varka. The odds are already stacked against us. I see no reason to tip the scales any further than they already are.”

Next to him, Jean gently nudges Kaeya’s boot offering a warning—making sure Kaeya thinks very carefully about what he does and says next. It’s entirely unneeded in Kaeya’s opinion, but he appreciates the gesture all the same. Most of the senior Knights are still far too cautious of them for Kaeya to cause any problems, so, as much as he’d love to punch the Inspector’s nose in, now is not the time. 

Kaeya will just have to find time for that later. He’s honestly quite looking forward to satiating that thirst for vengeance that Eroch’s exile had never quite satisfied. It’s a terrible thing to think—to undermine Jean’s efforts like that—but she won’t ever fully understand just how much devastation Eroch had caused. 

Though, it’s probably unfair to call Eroch the root of all Kaeya’s problems. The Inspector may have been the catalyst for the chain events that occurred on April 30 six years ago, but he hadn’t been the cause of Father’s death. To say that Eroch had been the root cause of everything would be giving him far too much credit.

“We only wish to help protect our home,” Kaeya offers with forced whimsy.

Eroch locks eye contact with him for just a moment but that moment is very telling. Perhaps it’s the knowledge of everything that the Inspector had done, or maybe it’s just Kaeya’s natural intuition, but Kaeya immediately senses that Eroch knows far more about this situation than he’s letting on. He reacts to Kaeya’s words with nothing but indifference, as if trying to cover some other emotion or tell. He’s far too nonchalant for it to be natural.

But what could he be hiding exactly?

Perhaps he knows more about this Fatui invasion than Kaeya had thought. Initially, Kaeya had thought that Eroch would be just as surprised about this attack as everyone else is. The Fatui likely aren’t relaying everything to the man in case Eroch is caught or lets something slip—they can’t risk their invasion being thwarted. But maybe Eroch had known something about this. But what could that be? And why try to hide it so desperately when realistically no one knows about his treachery?

Unless…

Eroch knows that Kaeya sees him for the traitor he is.

“Grand Master, I hope you understand that you’re putting every one of your Knights at risk by trusting them,” Eroch doesn’t break eye contact with Kaeya as he speaks. There’s a knowing look in Eroch’s eyes, and Kaeya gets the sinking feeling that his guess is correct.

Varka offers another hearty laugh, seemingly oblivious to how serious Eroch is, “No more at risk than they already are.”

The Inspector turns his attention back to Varka, “Don’t be naive Varka, seriously consider the threat that they pose.”

Next to Kaeya, the younger version of his once brother has pressed his mouth into a tight line. Diluc had never been a fan of Eroch. It was hard to pin the exact reason—it could be the Inspector’s blatant disrespect of all the senior Knights, undermining all of Diluc’s efforts simply because of how young he was, or a mix of both—but regardless, Diluc always had to put in a bit of extra effort to hold his tongue around the Inspector. Kaeya had never really understood why Diluc drew the line at Eroch of all people—he had no qualms disagreeing with the other Knights—but perhaps Diluc had always felt something was off about the Inspector.

From the looks of it, Diluc wants to say something to Eroch but he's probably doing right in holding his tongue. If anyone finds out that Diluc was the one that helped Kaeya, Eula, and Albedo escape, and then one that returned their Visions, he might find himself in more trouble than he ever has before. And as entertaining as that would be to watch, Kaeya gets the sinking feeling that Eroch might try to spin the whole thing as Diluc committing treason.

Varka opens his mouth to say something in response to Eroch, but before he can, a call from behind grabs the Grand Master’s attention, “Sir, we found this one trying to sneak past our lines.”

Kaeya turns to face the two newly arrived Knights who are escorting a very familiar Outrider. Amber offers a smile of greeting as she approaches.

“Amber, are you alright?” Eula asks.

Kaeya almost offers a playful jab at Eula’s poorly hidden concern. He decides against it though. Amber and Eula have always been closer than most assume, and given how Amber only just managed to escape when she and Eula arrived in this world, Eula’s probably been worried about the Outrider this whole time. But Kaeya may have to point it out to Eula later if only to see how she reacts.

“I’m fine.” Then after a particularly scrutinising look from Eula, Amber adds, “I really am, I promise.”

“One of yours I suppose?” Varka turns to Jean.

Jean nods, “Yes, this is Outrider Amber. She’s one of the most trusted Knights I know.”

It’s almost laughable how Amber almost beams at that passing praise. Diluc had been like that once, Kaeya thinks. Never sure how to respond to honest praise yet loving the attention all the same. Briefly Kaeya wonders if that ever changed.

“Grand Master,” Amber’s expression falls a touch as she notices the Inspector standing next to Varka, “Master Diluc has a plan to break through the Fatui defences.”

There’s a sound of surprise from the younger version of Diluc, but surprisingly he doesn’t say anything. 

“And what exactly is this plan?” Kaeya asks.

It’s not that big of a surprise that Diluc has ended up in this world too, and even less of a surprise that he’s decided to take matters into his own hands. What is a surprise though is that Diluc is working with someone else. Kaeya had honestly thought that Diluc would rather throw himself into the Abyss than work with the Knights again. But then again, Kaeya can’t say that he ever imagined that they’d be fighting against a Fatui invasion. Maybe all things really are possible.

Amber opens her mouth to speak, but she hesitates for a moment. Perhaps she realised the traitor standing mere steps away from her might ruin this plan.

“Master Diluc says he can lay down some electro slime condensate along the Fatui lines,” Amber says after a nod of approval from Jean spurs her on. “All we have to do is release a volley of pyro tipped arrows towards the Fatui. It will react with the slime condensate and trigger an explosion big enough to blow a hole through the Fatui defences.”

Varka brings his hand to his chin, thinking, “And how does he plan to lay down the slime without being spotted?”

“He’ll trigger a separate explosion from behind the Fatui lines. Master Diluc says that should distract them for long enough.”

Diluc had never led a particularly safe lifestyle. Even as a teenager he took risks that were oftentimes more dangerous than the potential outcome warranted. Diluc would give his all to reach his goals—something that Kaeya had learnt time and time again. But despite that, Kaeya can’t help but think that Diluc has finally gone insane because this plan isn’t just reckless, it’s damn near suicidal. 

“There is no way that plan will work. If Diluc is spotted even by a single Fatus, he’ll be dead.”

Kaeya likes to think that he can trust Diluc with these sorts of things. His time away had taught Diluc a certain ferocity that Kaeya doesn’t see that often outside of a particularly vile Treasure Hoarder. He had come away from his sojourn far more critical of the Knights than someone his age should be, and yet despite that he would still give his life to aid Mondstadt’s protectors should he feel obliged to. 

And that is exactly what Kaeya fears has happened.

“He didn’t give me a whole heap of details,” Amber trails off for a moment as she glances between the group. “But,” her confidence returned not even a moment later, “he said that it might be our best shot at winning.”

“Make an explosion to distract them,” Varka glances over towards the Fatui army, his face scrunched up in contemplation. “Then blow a hole in their defences so wide that the Fatui have no chance of closing it,” Varka repeats Amber’s words slowly, likely mapping out Diluc’s bare-bones plan in his head. The Grand Master brings his attention back to Amber and briefly flicks his gaze to Kaeya, “Do you think Diluc will be able to pull it off?”

Amber offers a firm nod, “Yes, I do.”

Then Varka looks to the Inspector, “Eroch, your thoughts?”

Kaeya is half expecting some sarcastic quip or even outright opposition to the plan but instead, Eroch looks to Varka and says, “That might actually work. It’s certainly a better idea than our current plan.”

Well, that can’t be good. 

Varka hums in agreement, “Yes, I think you’re right.” The Grand Master turns back to Amber, “Has Diluc already made his way towards the Fatui?”

“He shouldn’t have. He said he’d wait on my signal before going ahead with the plan.”

“Send him the signal then.” Varka turns his attention to the younger Diluc and Otto, “You two take the Cavalry and continue on with the original plan in case this fails.”

“Of course, Sir,” Otto says with a salute.

Part of Kaeya wants to turn to Amber and tell her to not send that signal. If Eroch is agreeing to the plan then he either knows something that will prevent Diluc from pulling the plan off, or he has some way to warn the Fatui beforehand. Either option will spell disaster for all of them. But, Kaeya likes to think he’s known Diluc long enough to know that there’s no way that what Amber explained is his full plan.

Diluc is an incredibly smart person. Even when he takes unnecessary risks, it’s not for a lack of knowing. He is aware of almost every aspect of every situation he throws himself into. As it stands, what Amber had explained is more of a series of events than an actual plan. There was no mention of how Diluc was going to get enough slime condensate behind the Fatui lines nor how he’d make sure that the Knights arrows would be able to get past the Fatui shields. And most notably, no information on how exactly Diluc planned on sneaking past an entire army without being spotted.

Diluc may be incredibly reckless but he’s far too intelligent to have not seen all of those gaping holes. Kaeya can only hope that whatever Diluc is really planning actually works.

It doesn’t take long for Varka to assign everyone else stations after that. Amber is to meet up with Albedo to help protect the archers from any other attacks, Jean and Kaeya will stick with Varka, and Eula is to go with a handful of Knights to find the Outriders. When Jean had explained to Varka that the main gate and wall were entirely unmanned, he had been shocked. It was a slight relief in Kaeya’s eyes that the Outriders being missing wasn’t just a mass oversight, but less relieving in that it hinted at some sort of foul play. Kaeya can’t think of much else that would have meant the entire company had failed to follow Varka’s orders to man the wall.

He can only pray that whatever happened hasn’t caused too many casualties. He doesn’t think the Knight’s morale can take another hit. And that’s another thing that Kaeya’s starting to notice: just how seemingly little Varka is doing to keep spirits high. 

“Grand Master,” Kaeya starts as the three of them start moving towards Varka’s company near the Whispering Woods, “I think the Knights might need a morale boost.”

The people of Mondstadt are not stupid. In fact, Kaeya thinks that they’re far more observant than their reputation as drunkards gives them credit for. So, everyone has likely noticed just how little of a chance they stand. Even with the full force of the Knights protecting the city, they’re still outnumbered by at least two to one. And, with Varka having separated the infantry, archers, and cavalry, the army looks disjointed and ununified. With their current formation, the Fatui would be able to wipe them immediately should they choose to launch a direct attack. 

And yet, despite that, Varka doesn’t seem to be doing anything to lift morale. He has made no rousing speech and even allowed three of his captains to openly argue with each other. The rest of the Knights are likely realising that their odds of success are so low that surrendering is their best chance of surviving. Soldiers with that mind frame are skittish, and skittish soldiers lead to avoidable casualties.

“Sometimes there is strength in a weakened spirit,” Varka says.

Oxymoron aside, Kaeya narrows his brow into confusion. Why is Varka still being so cryptic? It made sense when Kaeya was being questioned—when Varka was likely still trying to figure out what was going on—but it doesn’t now. What is Varka hiding?

But before Kaeya has a chance to press any further, a lone, pyro infused arrow shoots up into the sky and explodes into stardust as it hits its peak. Kaeya is going to guess that was Amber’s signal to Diluc. 

All Kaeya can do now is hope that his estranged brother actually manages to pull this off and not get himself killed in the process. But Kaeya knows that is a very tall ask.

Chapter Text

Every course of action has its risks. This is something that Diluc knows well. It’s a lesson he learnt through his own blood and tears, through the deaths of others that took things too far. Every action, every plan, and each individual footstep has a cost and sometimes those costs outweigh any potential gain. Yet despite having learnt that lesson time and time again, despite the adrenaline rushing through his veins, and against every instinct telling him to run away, Diluc presses forward. 

Getting through the Fatui lines hadn’t been nearly as hard as it should have been. With so many soldiers and diplomats alike crammed into such a narrow road, someone should have spotted him at least once. But so far things have been smooth sailing. It’s hard to determine if that was the result of luck or if the simple Fatui mask and coat Diluc had pocketed from an unsuspecting soldier was working far better than intended. But regardless of the reason, Diluc knows that it’s best if he counts his blessings while he still can. His luck doesn’t tend to last long with these sorts of things.

Diluc had already split off from the past-Kaeya and the horses before Amber had sent her signal. Past-Kaeya had tried to protest it at first, arguing that they should wait until they could confirm that Amber had successfully met with the Knights before fully committing to the plan. But, as much as Diluc would like to play this safe, he knew that he couldn’t afford to waste any more time than he already had. Kaeya will just have to trust that he knows what he’s doing.

For now the Knights and Fatui have occupied themselves with a firefight of sorts. The Knights shoot a volley of arrows which are easily deflected by Fatui shields, then the Fatui let loose their own ammunition only for it to be blocked by the Knights’ shields. Diluc had asked Amber to advise the Knights against engaging the Fatui like this but it seemed that advice had been ignored. Unless the Fatui miraculously drop their shields, the Knights are going to achieve little other than wasting valuable resources by continually firing their arrows.

And on that note, Diluc snaps his head towards the front of the Fatui lines as a commander lets out a shout of warning. The Fatui raise their shields not a moment later, the combined efforts of the Mages and Skirmishers manifesting into an iridescent screen of light littered with purple and orange waves. It stretches up and across the Fatui lines and a mere moment later, is met with a shower of flaming Favonius arrows. 

Most of the arrows fall away harmlessly, others react with the faint electro energy infused into the shield, bouncing off with a small Overloaded reaction. Diluc has to force himself not to scowl at yet another round of wasted arrows, reminding himself that this firefight is at least providing a good distraction.

The more that the Fatui are focused on the fight in front of them, the less likely someone is to spot him. And, Diluc reminds himself once again, if he’s spotted by even a single Fatus, then all his efforts will have been for nothing.

There’s a shout of command from one of the Fatui commanders, and not a moment later their shields drop. The Fatui fire off another round of missiles and ammunition, and Diluc empties a small canister of electro slime condensate. Amongst the dirt, the condensate is almost unnoticeable, save for a faint purple tinge. It’s slightly slippery when stepped on, but hopefully, an oblivious Fatus will assume it to be the droppings of a Slime should they notice it all. But Diluc knows that it’s much more volatile than that. 

Processed slime condensate is a staple ingredient in most food and beverage manufacturing. It functions as an easy to procure preservative and depending on what element is most potent in the slime, it can bring out certain flavours in the wine fermenting process. Diluc has spent many years meddling with different quantities of the slime condensate, learnt how wild Slimes react to different potencies, and learnt personally why the ingredient is stored in triple lines barrels.

Even the slightest hint of elemental energy can set off a reaction. That’s why Diluc has had to be strategic about where and how much of the condensate he’s laying down. If he lays it down on the grass, the dendro energy will set off a Quickened reaction and if he sets it on damp soil, it could spark a bout of Electro-Charged. Even dropping the condensate on a patch of dirt too close to an ore vein could result in a Crystalised reaction.

But hopefully, he’s laid down enough of the condensate to not have to worry about a few stray reactions. With the amount that he’s been laying throughout the Fatui lines, a small spark of Pyro should by rights set off a chain of Overloaded reactions, hurting the Fatui from the inside. And, if Diluc plays his cards right, scatter enough of the front line to give the Knights a chance to properly breach the Fatui.

Though before Diluc can even hope to make that plan a reality, he has his main objective to focus on: disabling the Pyro Cannons.

It would be futile for the Knights to charge forwards with such a powerful weapon still in operation. A carefully aimed strike would wipe out an entire platoon of Knights. So before Diluc can even think about disrupting the Fatui’s main shields, he needs to focus on disabling the cannons.

If he’s judged his distance right, then he should be nearing the centre of the Fatui army located just beyond the Temple of the Falcon. Hopefully, the Pyro Cannons will be located somewhere around here. It would be the most strategic spot for the Fatui to place them anyway.

The Fatui have already given themselves a large advantage by placing themselves where they have. Windrise is mostly a flat plane, surrounded by a few higher hills and ridges. By stationing themselves in between the hills separating the plane from the city and cutting off the roads leading in and out of Springvale, the Fatui have effectively cut off any chance the Knights might have to flank them. The only place the Knights can move to is through the Whispering Woods and into Starfell Valley. But with the towering cliffs separating the Valley and Windrise, the Knights wouldn’t be able to advance any further towards the Fatui. That means the only option they have is a frontal attack. And, with the Fatui shields near impenetrable, even that option seems futile.

If Diluc had to guess, the only reason that the Fatui haven’t already started advancing and attacking the city directly is because they want to push the Knights’ morale as low as possible. The people of Mondstadt have ancestry in battle and rebellion and the Fatui know that. Even if the enemy does invade the city, the people of Mondstadt will fight tooth and nail to take their home back, no matter the consequences. It’s in the Fatui’s best interest to break the people’s spirit as quickly as possible. Diluc can only pray that Varka has realised that too. If the Grand Master can keep morale high through his boisterous charm, they may have at least some chance of surviving this.

And really, they need any chance they can get. The Fatui are a formidable enemy whose power vastly overshadows the Knights’. Diluc is very well aware that their chances of defeating the Fatui—or even delaying their attack by another day—are near zero, and his chances of making it out the other side alive are even slimmer. But Diluc forces himself not to think about that too much. He can’t do much to change that factor, and he isn’t so selfish as to put his own life above the lives of others.

Even if he doesn’t succeed, the only wasted effort is the one not taken at all.

He can only pray that Amber is able to convince the Knights to go along with the plan. It’s a tall ask, and an even taller one that they actually manage to do so in a timely manner. Diluc knows first hand how much the Ordo’s bureaucracy gets in the way of handling things efficiently. He can’t even begin to count how many times missions had failed simply because every senior knight insisted on handling paperwork before doing any actual work. How many unnecessary casualties had there been because the Ordo was so hung up on tradition?

At least Diluc can trust that Varka will discard the politics should he see it necessary. For all Diluc’s qualms and criticisms of the Knights, Varka’s ability to lead is not one of them. The Grand Master is boisterous, stubborn, and strong headed. He’s a natural public speaker and can boost morale with little more than a smile and hearty laugh. Varka truly is the legend that the entire continent knows him as; the type of leader found only once in every other generation. And on top of that, Varka is one of the smartest, most observant men that Diluc has ever met. 

No doubt Varka has realised how far the scales are tipped against them. He’ll be seeing the potential for the people of Mondstadt’s spirit to break and, hopefully, do everything in his power to hold that morale up. And if Varka truly believes that defeat is all but guaranteed, he’ll be mobilising and organising the Knights to ensure as few casualties as possible.

Or at least that’s what Diluc hopes Varka will be doing. April 30th six years ago taught Diluc that he had never really known the Grand Master nearly as well as he thought he had.

Before Diluc can spiral that line of thought, his attention snaps upwards as a lone, pyro-infused arrow streaks up into the sky—Amber’s signal. It’s far too obvious of a signal for the Fatui not to notice, so their commanders will likely be on alert for some time. That’s fine though. It just means that Diluc will need to move quickly.

By the time he is finally approaching the Temple of the Falcon, there are far fewer Fatui crammed into the one spot. It’s still cramped by most accounts, but most of the Fatui are concentrated along the front line now. It’s not ideal—the fewer people, the harder it is to blend in—but at least it makes it easier to get a lay of the land.

There’s a row of weapons tents set up along the path leading along the Temple of the Falcon, and what looks to be a commander's tent set up just a few more metres further down the road. And, just as Diluc had hoped, two proud Pyro Cannons standing between the tents and the Fatui front lines. 

The cannons are, unsurprisingly, heavily guarded. First by a low perimeter fence patrolled by four Agents, then a two or three metre wide radius of flat, open grass, and finally the cannons themselves are surrounded by ordinary Fatui guards and the men and women operating the cannons. Getting past all three layers of security will be impossible as is. The Agents will spot Diluc before he even has a chance to approach the perimeter fence, and even if he somehow manages to push past them without suffering a knife to his back, the open radius will offer no protection or cover. He’d be spotted immediately. 

So, Diluc will need to make some sort of distraction. Thankfully, he has the perfect one in mind.

Surely if he destroys the weapons tents, the Agents will be distracted long enough for Diluc to get in close. The only caveat is that the tents are farther away from the cannons than what Diluc would have liked. Moving away without being spotted might prove difficult, but he will just have to make do with what he’s got. 

He approaches the weapons tent completely undisturbed, the mask and Fatui coat no doubt helping him blend in far better than he should. There’s a handful of stray daggers and knives set up along the table, a few of which Diluc feigns interest in. He hears a laugh and footsteps as two Skirmishers approach from somewhere around the Temple. Diluc can’t help but curse under his breath. Those two might complicate things if they choose to stop and chat.

The voices are clearer as the Skirmishers get closer, one of whom lets out a deep, hearty laugh, “I’ve been training my whole life for a day like this.”

Diluc has to force himself to keep a neutral face as he continues to examine one of the knives. How can these people be so blind to all the destruction they cause? What could the Harbingers possibly offer that these men and women would give up not only their own lives for but the lives of their families and those of innocent bystanders? It’s something that Diluc tries to understand time and time again but fails every time.

The other of the pair of Skirmishers turns to his comrade, “I can’t wait to see what’s in that Cathedral’s vault. Just think of all the riches we can bring home.”

Bring home? Hadn’t past-Kaeya explained that this ley line disorder had cut Mondstadt off from the rest of the continent? If that’s the case how can these men be expecting to get home?

He doesn’t have time to think about that, Diluc reminds himself. If Amber has sent her signal it means that the Knights will be getting ready to execute their part of the plan. If he leaves this too long the Knights might think that something has happened to him and carry on with something else. And Diluc can’t have that.

The Skirmishers are well within earshot now and likely no more than a few steps away. If they plan on stopping and perusing the weapons tent then Diluc will have no chance of destroying this tent. So he has to act now.

Immediately, Diluc drops a full canister of electro slime condensate onto the ground, and gently kicks it under the table. At the same time, he feigns slipping and knocking a couple of knives off the table. They fall to the ground with a clatter, the sound having masked the noise of the canister rolling across the stone ground.

Unfortunately, the two Skirmishers seemed to have noticed Diluc’s ‘fumble’. They approach the weapons tent as Diluc leans down to pick up the knives.

“Hey, you,” the larger of the two men call. 

For a moment, Diluc is concerned that the men have realised he’s not supposed to be here. 

“Hurry up and move to your position. We advance in fifteen.”

Well, that certainly can’t be good.

At the very least, they haven’t noticed that he’s not Fatui. This disguise is definitely paying off. Diluc will have to remember this for the future.

He offers a curt nod of acknowledgment before turning back towards the table. He just needs to wait a few moments. The two Skirmishers don’t pay Diluc any more mind and, presumably, continue towards their own posts. That’s good, Diluc thinks. He can risk being stopped now of all times.

He picks up one of the knives on the table, if only to allay any possible suspicion, before turning back towards the cannons. Diluc pushes a small canister up the sleeve of his Fatui coat, the lid open just enough to allow a small amount of the slime condensate to trickle out and onto the ground. The trail follows behind him and some of the slime sticks to his right hand, but Diluc isn’t too worried about the quantity that makes it onto the ground. So long as the trail is just big enough to light from a distance, he should be able to destroy the weapons tent without getting himself caught in the crossfire.

As he continues on towards the cannons, Diluc knows that he’s moving too fast but time is no longer a luxury he owns. If the Fatui plan on advancing in a mere fifteen minutes, then it means Diluc has all of ten to destroy these cannons.

He’d almost enjoyed doing this once. He felt that every machine he destroyed, every life he took, was doing something good. But he has long since learnt just how childish that line of thought had been. The risks involved with operations like these are far too risky compared to any possible outcome. Too many lives have been lost and for every Fatuus that Diluc knocked down, another two would take their place. Diluc had witnessed the deaths of far too many. And for what? 

For all the years of torment and pain, Diluc had hardly been able to make a single dent in the Fatui. He’d been more of a particularly pesky fly than anything else.

Diluc shakes away that thought. He doesn’t have time to be doubting himself now. Even if he doesn’t survive this—which he’s very well aware he might not—he needs to do whatever he can to give the Knights a fighting chance.

He’s about twenty paces away from the tent when he decides that it should be far enough to not get caught in the explosion. He vanishes the canister into his pack and in its place summons a singular piece of paper. He scrunches it up into a ball before alighting it with pyro and then dropping it behind him. 

The ground around the paper sets alight a moment later, the grass spreading the Burning around and the light breeze helping bring the flames along further. Diluc is able to take another three paces before the fire finally reacts with the electro. The trail doesn’t light up with a line of explosions as he had hoped—the grass neutralising some of the electro with Quickened—but the sparks of Overloaded are still powerful enough to bounce past any break in the trail. 

It’s probably for the best that the reaction wasn’t nearly as powerful as he had been hoping. The smaller reaction will make it harder to pin the trail to Diluc.

A moment later the ground shakes and the sky rocks as the electro slime condensate filled canister finally explodes. Diluc snaps his attention towards the source of the explosion if only to abate any suspicion.

Behind him, the weapons tent has been reduced to little more than a pile of ashes. The canopy is all but gone, and the main wooden table has been upturned and now alight with flames. Weapons of all sorts have been strewn across the ground and all have various extents of damages. Some words and guns have been blown apart, others little more than singed. But regardless of the true extent of the damage, the explosion has served it’s purpose.

The Agents patrolling the cannons rush forwards to investigate the tent and Diluc has to force himself not to grin. That had certainly worked far better than he had been expecting.

But that aside, now he finally has a chance to deal with these cannons.

Destroying the cannons themselves won’t be too hard. For all the destruction they can cause, those machines are hopelessly weak to a direct attack. The pyro core that powers the missiles is completely exposed, meaning that a single, well placed elemental attack can take the entire thing down. And, with the cannons standing so close to each other, if Diluc plays this right, he should be able to bring down both with just one attack.

Timing that attack is going to be key.

If there were any other situation, Diluc would take his time, waiting for an opening. He’d note how the guards rotate their posts, and when the cannon operators take a break. But taking his time is not an option right now. The Agents will no doubt return to their posts soon. Which means that Diluc has exactly one chance to do this correctly.

Not even correctly, but perfectly. His best isn’t good enough. He must be perfect.

Diluc keeps his head tall as he passes the Agents that are rushing towards the now destroyed weapons tent. He makes no acknowledgement as one of them offers a rushed greeting.

He steps over the low perimeter fence. The cannons are drawing closer; their height amplifying with every step. 

Diluc’s heartbeat is in his ears, the rushing of adrenaline culminating in a chorus of sound in his head. He steps through the empty perimeter. The cannon operators raise their heads as they notice Diluc’s approach.

He summons another slime canister from his pack. He’s only got four left now, so he needs to get this right to first time.

One of the operators shouts out in alarm as Diluc swings his arm back, the lid of the canister discarded onto the ground. 

He doesn’t even need to get any closer than this. This is more than close enough.

Diluc swings his arm forwards, launching the canister from his hand. In the same movement, he summons pyro from his fingertips, sending a spark into the canister. 

It explodes, midair, a second later, knocking Diluc off his feet and sending him tumbling back a few metres. 

He stretches out his arms and slows the roll as the explosion knocks into the cannons, the poorly shielded pyro cores reacting with the electro and exploding themselves. The closer of the two cannons falls backwards and into its twin before both machines come careening into the ground.

This time Diluc can’t help but offer a celebratory smile.

What’s left is a perimeter of charred machine parts and flaming grass. He chooses to ignore the scattered remains of the cannon operators and the few unfortunate enough to be close enough to the cannons when they explode. He pushes the guilt away reminding himself that a few guilty lives lost are nothing compared to the innocent ones he can save.

At least, he convinces himself that’s the case.

But before Diluc can consider that any further, there’s a shout from behind followed by the distinct swish as a knife cuts through the air. Diluc barely has enough time to react, and the Agent’s knife slices a shallow cut across his left forearm. 

It seems that he’s been spotted already.

That’s fine, Diluc convinces himself. He had been expecting that to happen eventually.

The Agents take chase as Diluc sprints away. He pushes right through the back of the Fatui lines discarding the Fatui coat and mask as he goes. Shouts of shock follow him in. A few arms reach out to grab him but whether it’s the pure adrenaline rushing through Diluc’s veins or the persistent shock of the cannons being destroyed none find purchase.

And then in a moment that feels like both a fraction of a second and an eternity, Diluc pushes past the mages along the front of the line and out into the open.

He takes the first two bounding steps.

There are cries of shock from behind him as the Fatui realises that he’s broken through their lines.

Diluc takes a third step. Then a fourth.

Behind him the sound of Agents loading their guns. Off to the side is the bounding sound of hoofbeats.

A fifth and sixth leap.

And then finally…

One more step.

…Diluc pulls himself up onto the horse.

The world comes rushing back with clarity of thought and sound as Diluc properly hoists himself up into the saddle. To his right, the line of Fatui is little more than a blur of colour as the horses rush past at a full gallop. In front of him, riding Pear—the faster of the two horses—is the younger version of Kaeya.

Kaeya throws a glance over his back and yells over the wind, “You are actually insane!” 

Diluc can’t help the bitten off laugh that escapes him, “It’s working is it not?”

Kaeya leans over in his saddle and opens a canister of slime condensate before tipping it upside down and dumping it onto the ground. That’s good, Diluc thinks. It means that he’s holding up his part of the plan.

He can feel the unease from the horse under him as the Fatui aim their fire on him and Kaeya. It had certainly taken a moment longer than Diluc had expected it would, but regardless, the attacks bounce off them harmlessly and instead crystallise into geo shields. It had been Kaeya’s idea to drench the horses in geo slime condensate and it appears it’s working well. Though geo shields produced by a crystallise reaction aren’t particularly strong, they are very easy to produce. And so long as the two of them ride fast enough to avoid most of the fire, the shields should last long enough to get the two of them to the end of the line.

Diluc gives himself only a moment to glance towards the Knights guarding the main gate and even though this situation has been explained time and time again, he’ll admit it’s rather disconcerting to see so many Knights in the one spot. It’s been so long since Varka left for his expedition that it’s almost easy to forget just how massive the Ordo’s forces truly are. Diluc briefly wonders if the Knights truly understand the power that they’re up against. Do they realise just how little of a chance they have at winning?

There must be some semblance of self awareness, Diluc realises, because the Grand Master allowed Amber to send her signal. If nothing else, it’s a relief that Varka was humble enough to realise that the Knights have no chance of pushing the Fatui back unless they can break through the shields.

So far the Knights' attempts at firing arrows at the Fatui have been useless because the shields created by the Fatui Mages are simply too strong. All the Knights have been able to accomplish so far is wasting valuable resources and energy. They’ll only have a chance at landing a hit if the shields can come down. And that is where Diluc’s plan comes into play. 

He was able to lay out about five and a half canisters worth of electro slime condensate while behind the Fatui lines and if Kaeya had kept to his part of the plan he should have dumped about six or seven canisters worth while riding towards Diluc. It’s hard to see exactly from so far away, but Diluc is certain he spots flickers of pyro from the archers. Hopefully, that means that they saw the explosion from the Cannons and are awaiting the final signal from Diluc. 

Diluc pulls a final, smaller canister of electro slime condensate from his pack. This will be the final signal. Once he lights this and throws it into the air it should explode and signal the archers to fire a volley of pyro lighted arrows. The arrows won’t do much themselves, but even if just a handful can react with the slime condensate along the front of the line then the reaction should be strong enough to push the Fatui backwards and react with the rest of the slime condensate behind them.

If all things go according to the plan, they should be able to blow a hole right through the middle of the Fatui lines. The only caveat will be timing the final signal right. If Diluc lets the canister explode too early then he and Kaeya won’t have enough time to move out of the way of the explosion.

Diluc realises his mistake as he finally throws the signal into the air: the Fatui already anticipated what he was going to do.

Before the Favonian arrows have even reached their peak, the Fatui have already shifted their attention away from Diluc and Kaeya and summoned their shields.

The screaming of the arrows draws closer and Diluc watches as they stream down like heavy rain. He can’t help but curse as each and every one bounces off the shield, the pyro immediately extinguished.

“Damnit!” Kaeya yells out. “I thought you said that was going to work.”

“It was supposed to,” Diluc bites back, far too harshly.

And it was. How could he have possibly fumbled so badly? How could the Fatui have reacted so quickly? They should have been distracted by him and Kaeya riding along their lines. Had the plan somehow been leaked? Diluc shifts his gaze across the lake towards Varka’s flag, standing tall and proud. And then the realisation sinks in like a heavy stone. 

If this really is the past—if this is six years ago—then Eroch will no doubt be standing by Varka’s side. And if Amber had explained the plan to the Grand Master, then the Inspector no doubt heard it too.

“I think we should go meet up with the rest of the Knights,” Kaeya offers as he glances towards Cider Lake. “It looks like Varka’s company over there.”

It’s perhaps some of the Seventh Company too. They’re stationed only a few hundred metres away, manning the edge of the Lake and the path leading into the Whispering Woods.

Diluc knows the next logical step would be to meet up with the rest of the Knights and discuss what to do next. But by the time they come up with a different plan, the Fatui likely would have neutralised the slime condensate making all Diluc and Kaeya’s efforts to waste. 

“I have another idea,” Diluc calls as he redirects his horse back towards the Fatui. “Follow me.”

Diluc chooses to ignore Kaeya’s protests. He’s just going to have to trust him on this one.

They’ve only got another canister or two of electro slime condensate left which is hardly enough to do what Diluc wants to. So that means that they’ll have to get this right the first time. 

That’s also what he told himself about the first plan, Diluc crudely reminds himself, but this time there’s no traitor to warn the Fatui ahead of time. 

Kaeya doesn’t take much longer to catch up, and Pear quickly matches the canter of Diluc’s horse. They’re getting closer to running along the Fatui front lines and will need to pick up the pace soon if they don’t want to be met with a shower of Fatui bullets. The horses are still drenched in the geo slime condensate, so the Crystalise shields will help, but they’re not particularly strong.

“Here, take these,” Diluc says as he throws Kaeya both of the canisters. “Open them and dump them on the ground on my signal.”

Kaeya catches them with ease and ties them to the side of his saddle, “And what are you planning on doing exactly?”

“We’re going to ride out another ten paces from the Fatui lines. On my signal, you empty the canisters and I’ll light it.”

Kaeya is now riding directly alongside Diluc and Pear, “And how do you plan on doing that without us getting caught in the cross fire?”

“Don’t worry about that,” Diluc responds as he grabs the reigns of his horse tighter, “just follow my lead.”

With that signal, both horses take off into a full gallop. Pear naturally pulls forward once Diluc has set the distance. Kaeya glances back over his shoulder a few times—a risky move if nothing else—but Diluc forces himself not to pay too much attention to that. Instead, he’s focussing on how close the two of them are getting to the centre of the Fatui’s formation. 

Pear pulls ahead further. Kaeya must be anxious, he’s usually more in control of his horses than this. 

If this is to work then the horses need to stay together. Diluc isn’t willing to risk any of these horses' lives for a plan that might not even work. But with Pear being the faster of the two, there's little Diluc can do to control her speed. 

Unless…

He just has to make his horse faster.

If this were the him six years ago, Diluc might pale at the idea of destroying a cavalry saddle. All of them are hand made, with unique engravings and stitchings a signature of each artisan. And not to mention that the cost of each saddle is oftentimes more than an average worker's entire months’ wage. But thankfully, Diluc has since learnt that there’s never as much value in material things as someone might think.

Diluc unclips the stirrups and their straps, the metal and leather falling to the ground abandoned. He can feel the nerves from the horse underneath him. Unsurprisingly, she’s not used to being unsaddled while running at a full gallop. Next, Diluc reaches over to untie the rest of the saddle straps, the seat of the saddle becoming more and more unstable.

“What are you doing?” Kaeya calls over the wind as the bulk of the saddle falls away.

It took a bit of manoeuvring, but Diluc was able to slip the seat off the horse and onto the ground without bringing himself down with it. It’s been years since he’s ridden a horse bareback and it’s just as uncomfortable as he remembers. 

“Tie this to your saddle horn,” Diluc calls as he lengths the reigns as long as they’ll go. He throws them in front of him, and Kaeya just manages to catch them.

Already can Diluc feel his horse picking up speed and gaining distance on Pear. The only thing that Diluc can hope for now is that neither of the horses spook.

There’s a flurry of noise off to the left before a round of Fatui fire rains down on them. The elementally infused bullets harmlessly bounce off the crystalised shields but Diluc can see that both horses are getting nervous. 

Diluc pushes his horse to ride alongside Pear and Kaeya, being cautious not to tangle the reigns connecting the two horses, “I need you to ride as fast as you can. And promise me you won’t stop under any circumstance.”

“That doesn’t explain what in Teyvat you’re doing.”

There’s a look of shock and concern littered across Kaeya’s face—a look that Diluc doesn’t have time to discern.

Diluc pulls his feet up onto the horse’s back and uses her mane as leverage to balance himself. It’s not quite standing on a horse, but it certainly feels close enough. Beneath him, the horse whinnies, likely not appreciating having her mane tugged at. But it won’t be for much longer.

“I’m giving the Knights an opening.”

“Wait!” Kaeya instinctively stands up in his saddle, “Don’t you dare do what I think you’re going to do!”

“I’ve survived worse odds,” Diluc retorts as he readjusts his position on the horse.

He really doesn’t have time to be wasting on this. He needs to get this timing right.

“That is not the comforting statement you think it is!”

“Kaeya,” Diluc yells, “empty the canisters now.”

Kaeya doesn’t hesitate and opens the lids of each canister. Most of the slime is spilt in the first second, but a comparatively small amount trickles out after it.

Kaeya yells out something else, but Diluc doesn’t catch it. Instead, he pushes himself from the horse, landing on the ground with a controlled roll. His shoulder takes the brunt of the fall but it still aches all the same. And now of all times do the injuries he sustained fighting the Skirmishers the other day decide to make themselves known. But he forces himself not to pay them too much mind. Especially given that what he’s about to do is going to hurt more than all those injuries combined.

It’s been about three seconds since he jumped. That means that the Fatui commanders have noted his location and the Skirmishers will soon focus their fire on him. That’s good because it means that Kaeya will have enough time to get himself and the horses out of the way. 

It also means that Diluc has to do this quickly. He summons his sword, the blade alighting with flames. 

He takes a breath.

It’s been seven seconds now.

Diluc swings his arm backwards.

Nine seconds.

He swings his arm forward, fully committing to the swing.

Ten seconds.

The flames launch from his sword at the peak of the swing, the electro at his feet immediately sparking into an explosion. 

Diluc knew that he was too close. He knew that without a shield or distance to protect him, the blast would knock him back. He also knew that he would be knocked back again by the secondary explosion caused by the Overloaded jumping to the first trail of electro that Kaeya laid down. 

What Diluc hadn’t been expecting was the shower of flaming Favonian arrows.

As the shockwave knocks him off his feet, and the heat singes his hair, Diluc can’t help but wonder how the Knights managed to pull that timing off so well. He tumbles across the ground a few times before a third wave of explosions forces him back even further. He tries to flail his arms out to slow himself, but a fiery pain shoots up his body at the movement. 

Then the side of Diluc’s head violently collides with a rock lodged into the ground. He rolls over again two more times before finally coming to a stop, lying on his back.

He stares up at the pastel coloured sky for a moment, the world suddenly still.

Diluc can feel the deep shudders of breath rattling his ribcage. His heart beating powerfully in his ears. Somehow his entire body is both raging with fiery pain and numb all at the same time.

And then all at once, the world turns black.

Chapter Text

“Grand Master, you can’t seriously expect that to work,” Roman Emmerich, previous captain—though Kaeya supposes he’s also the current captain—of the Reconnaissance Company brings his hand up to massage his temples as Varka finishes recounting Diluc’s ‘plan’. “I understand that Sir Diluc is capable, but we can’t place our faith in mere whims and good luck. We need something more concrete than that.”

Roman retired not long after Eroch was expelled. His retirement, in the man’s own words, had been long overdue. His hair had already completely greyed when Kaeya first met him, and that had been not long after Kaeya had first arrived in Mondstadt. If Kaeya recalls it correctly, Sir Roman had some fifty years of service under his belt before he eventually retired.

Roman most likely hadn’t known of the Inspector’s treachery but had also fought against every single accusation that Jean and Kaeya presented during that time. He certainly hadn’t been an enemy in their investigations, but he hadn’t been an ally either.

“I understand that,” Varka reassures, “which is why I’ve ordered that we carry on with the original plan in case this fails.”

Unlike Jean’s uncles, Sir Roman is a consistent voice of reason. He hadn’t opposed the accusations that Jean and Kaeya placed on Eroch out of respect for the Inspector, but because they had accused Eroch of committing the most grave crime possible.

“You mean in case Diluc dies,” Roman responds bluntly.

And that bluntness has to be what Kaeya respects the most. Because in a time of crisis like this, and during the time of upheaving all of the Inspector’s treachery, Sir Roman would be the one to state the facts as they are. He never had much regard for sugarcoating his words in hopes of sparing feelings.

“He knows his limits. If Diluc believes his life is in imminent danger, then he’ll retreat.”

There’s so much confidence in Varka’s voice that Kaeya doesn’t have the heart to correct him.

Diluc may know his limits, but Kaeya has observed that he’ll often ignore them. It’s not entirely a new development—Diluc had always pushed himself—but it’s most certainly to a new extreme. Kaeya’s heard the reports of the Darknight Hero suffering from what should be life changing injuries. And yet, the very next morning, Master Diluc will be tending to the Winery without so much as stilted movement.

“Master Diluc wouldn’t have offered his help in this matter if he didn’t have confidence that it would succeed,” Jean adds. “I see no reason we shouldn’t at least give him a chance.”

Roman eyes Jean for a moment, likely having noted the change in Diluc’s title. Sir Roman had been Jean’s tutor when she was younger, and much of her sword work still reflects Roman’s form. Hopefully, that means that the previous Reconnaissance Captain will trust Jean’s word in this.

Roman lets out an exasperated sigh, “Very well then. But do not expect me to be surprised when this fails.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything to surprise you,” Varka says with that hearty laugh of his.

Next to Varka, Eroch lets out a poorly hidden sigh, “Let’s just pray that this doesn’t backfire and end with any more casualties than necessary.”

“Lighten up, Inspector,” Varka jokes with a playful nudge—an action that Eroch clearly does not appreciate. “You yourself agreed that this was better than the other option.”

Eroch brings his hand up to massage the bridge of his nose, “At this point, anything is better than your original plan.”

“What is the original plan?” Jean asks. “The one that you asked Sir Otto and Diluc to carry on with.”

There’s a sudden shift in Varka’s demeanour, his shoulders hiking a touch and the playful expression on his face wavering. The change vanishes almost immediately, but Kaeya notes it all the same.

“Something that we hopefully won’t have to worry about,” Varka says and doesn’t elaborate further.

“I assume this means you are convinced that these ones are who they say they are,” Roman glances between Jean and Kaeya, seeming to ignore Varka’s last statement. “That seems to be a sudden change of heart from yesterday.”

Kaeya can’t help but agree with that sentiment. Varka has likely believed them not to be Fatui spies for some time, but there must have been some reason to have kept them contained in the jail cells. It could be that informant that Sir Louis had mentioned, or it could be that there is still little confirmation that this Ley Line Disorder is in fact time travel. And yet, none of those options fully explain it.

Even now, there must be something that’s stopping Varka from trusting them entirely. He wouldn’t be so hesitant to explain what this ‘original plan’ is otherwise. And Jean must have noticed that too since she hasn’t pressed any further.

Before Varka can respond to Roman’s last statement, Kaeya chimes in with a wry smile, “Well he wouldn’t be the Grand Master we all know and love if he wasn’t jumping between extremes like this.”

Roman raises his brow—the closest thing to an expression other than deadpan that Kaeya has ever seen—before shaking his head and sighing again, “Yes, I suppose that’s true.”

Next to them, Varka smiles and laughs.

Kaeya is glad that the Grand Master has never been partial to statements like that. In fact, he almost seems to revel in the fact that his Knights feel free enough to speak that way. It’s an intricate balance that Varka has achieved. He can be seemingly indecisive and confident in his decisions all at once. And yet, even at times like these, when he’s backflipping between trust on what seems to be nothing more than a whim, everyone in the Ordo would trust Varka with their lives.

Varka has always had his reasons for doing things, and those reasons will eventually surface for one reason or another.

“It’s Kaeya, correct?” Roman asks. “Crepus’ youngest.”

“That’s me,” Kaeya confirms.

Gods, being referred to as Crepus’ son again might take some getting used to.

“Do we have any idea how long this will take?” Eroch presses Varka as if the Grand Master somehow knows more about this than the rest of them. “The Fatui are likely to advance any moment.”

Varka hums but doesn’t offer a reply.

Amber had released her signal arrow just a few minutes ago, so it might be a little while longer for Diluc to execute his part of the plan. The Outrider had clarified sometime after she sent her signal, that there should be two separate explosions of some sort from behind the Fatui lines, and shortly after that another from in front. Only after that third signal should the Knights fire a volley of Pyro tipped arrows.

“Do you have any idea what he’s going to do?” Varka probes Kaeya, not taking his attention away from the seemingly impenetrable Fatui force that opposes them.

From their vantage just northwest of the Whispering Woods, the full force of the Fatui is on display. Kaeya can spy both the general movement of soldiers just beyond the main front and the tips of what he can only assume are the two cannons that were firing earlier. The vantage from the wall would no doubt be better, but Varka likely chose to station himself and the First Company here as a show of strength. Kaeya can’t imagine it would be good for morale to have the Grand Master standing and watching from the back.

“Something stupid, probably,” Kaeya answers, choosing to ignore the pointed glare that Jean sends him.

Don’t get him wrong, Kaeya trusts that Diluc will only attempt something that he’s certain he’ll survive, but there’s a fine line between survival and avoiding injury. The Traveller’s recount of how Diluc managed to distract Huffman and the other patrolling Knights all those months ago certainly proved that Diluc is hopelessly reckless. Distracting the Knights by luring in tens of large slimes into the city gates had not only put the Knights on duty at risk but any civilians that happened to be in the area too. Granted, it had been a small risk compared to their stumbling into a fight with the Abyss, but Kaeya’s point still remains.

For now, Kaeya’s greatest concern is that without the risk of Knights or civilians getting caught in the crossfire, Diluc might end up putting himself at greater risk than this is worth. And if Eroch is communicating with the Fatui somehow, then Diluc might be caught before he even steps foot behind the Fatui lines.

“Try to be at least a bit optimistic,” Jean chides.

“Kaeya is being realistic by the sounds of it,” Roman responds dryly. “Diluc has always been reckless, and I imagine six years hasn’t changed that.”

Kaeya can’t help the laugh that escapes him. He doesn’t think he’s heard anyone speak about the esteemed Master Diluc like that in years. Maybe this whole time travel thing won’t be too bad.

Varka opens his mouth to say something, perhaps to defend Diluc—he always seemed to have more faith in Diluc than the other senior knights—but is interrupted by a ground shaking explosion. From somewhere off behind the Fatui, a plume of smoke littered with a few bright embers filters up into the air. Another explosion quickly follows, this one more intense than the other.

Kaeya steals a glance at Eroch, the Inspector's brows slightly knitted together. It disappears almost instantly, replaced by indifference. It could mean nothing—Eroch could simply be intrigued by whatever Diluc is doing—or it could mean that the Inspector had been expecting someone to have already stopped Diluc.

“Ready the Archers,” Varker calls over his shoulder.

The Knights behind Varka react immediately, and Kaeya hears the distinct sound of murmurs as the message is passed down towards the back of the 1st Company. If everyone follows protocol then the message should reach the Archers in no more than two minutes.

“Those explosions came rather quickly,” Roman observes.

And Kaeya has to agree. Amber had sent her signal ten—maybe fifteen—minutes ago. For Diluc to have caused those explosions so quickly means that he would have started moving through the Fatui lines well before Amber had sent her signal, and probably before the Outrider had even met up with everyone and explained the plan.

It's not surprising in the slightest but it’s only proving just how damn reckless Diluc is being.

But before Kaeya can think about that any further, there are a few shouts of surprise from the Knights behind him followed by a loud laugh from Varka.

Eroch scowls, “You shouldn't be encouraging this, Varka.”

Kaeya draws his attention to his right, trying to figure out what exactly Varka is finding so entertaining. He spots the movement first, then followed by the sound of hoofbeats as two horses ride up and over the verge that the Fatui are lined along. But it's not the horses that Kaeya's focussed on.

It's who the rider is.

Next to him, Jean covers her mouth in a poor attempt to hide her smile. “Why am I not surprised?” she says with a laugh.

The real question that Jean should be asking is why Kaeya himself is surprised.

Roman narrows her expression, “That's-”

“Me?” Kaeya interjects. “It would appear so.”

Kaeya isn't too surprised—he probably should have seen this coming in all honesty—he’s mostly just confused as to why Amber didn't mention it. Unless of course, Diluc had purposely left Amber in the dark to avoid the plan being leaked.

The other, younger version of himself keeps riding along the Fatui, probably no more than twenty paces away from the front row of Mages and Skirmishers. He leans over the left of the saddle, one hand tipping some kind of liquid onto the ground, and the other performing a hand signal for the second horse. It's likely the ‘close follow’ signal given to riderless horses and giving the signal continuously should lessen the likelihood of the horse spooking.

Though a spooked horse will be the least worrying thing if the Fatui chooses to fire. Hopefully, Diluc thought about that and did something to protect the horses, himself, and the younger version of Kaeya. Applying Geo to the horses would probably work, Kaeya thinks, since most Fatui ammunition is infused with elements.

As the horses gallop further along, more and more liquid is tipped onto the ground. It's got a slight purple tinge to it, which makes Kaeya think that it's Electro slime condensate. It would make sense since the Winery usually has an entire storehouse filled with barrels of it, and it's extremely volatile to reactions–

Kaeya suddenly gets a feeling that he knows what Diluc is planning.

Which isn't a great thing, because that means that Eroch and the rest of the Fatui have probably realised that too.

“Make sure the Archers wait for the final signal,” Eroch calls to the Knights behind him. “That's Electro slime. If they fire too early it will kill Kaeya and the horses.”

Kaeya forces himself to ignore the welling concern. Diluc is smart so he probably already knew this would happen. He'll have a contingency plan. Probably.

But that hope is immediately dashed when Diluc breaks through the centre of the Fatui line just a moment later. What in Teyvat is this plan? How has Diluc not been caught already?

The next few moments seem to slow. Just as quickly as Diluc appeared, he is pulling himself up onto the previously riderless horse. More Electro slime is dumped on the ground. The Fatui opens fire, but every shot bounces off the Crystalized shields harmlessly.

Kaeya’s not concerned about whether Diluc gets hurt or not. He’s not, really—if that idiot ends up dead then that’s on him—but he can’t ignore the tension growing in his chest. If this doesn’t work then Diluc might die for nothing.

Both horses reach the end of the Fatui line, a single, smaller explosion lighting up the air above both horses. It’s a miracle that neither of them spook.

And then a shower of flaming Favonian arrows falls from the sky.

But before the arrows had even reached their peak the Fatui shields go up. Each flaming arrow falls to the ground, harmlessly bouncing off the shields.

How did they manage to react so quickly?

Eroch lets out a defeated sigh as he turns to face Varka, “It was a good effort but ultimately a failure. I think it’s best if we carry on with the original plan.”

There’s a part of Kaeya that wants to ask what exactly this other plan is. It must truly be a last resort if what Diluc just attempted was a better option. And yet, despite that internal voice telling him that he needs to figure out exactly what’s going on, Kaeya can’t take his eyes off Diluc.

It’s hard to see details from the distance, but Diluc is staring out at the line of slime condensate that’s sitting idly along the front of the Fatui lines. Kaeya can’t help but acknowledge the sinking feeling in his stomach because if Diluc isn’t immediately turning to join up with the Knights, then it means that he’s thinking about doing something else.

That intuition is proved immediately correct when Diluc redirects his horse back towards the Fatui, the past version of Kaeya immediately following suit.

“What is he doing?” Varka asks no one in particular, his brow narrowing.

“Something really, really stupid,” Kaeya responds, taking a slow step backwards.

Varka snaps his attention back towards Kaeya, perhaps also realising what Diluc’s about to attempt to do.

“Kaeya, wait,” The Grand Master calls as Kaeya takes a few more steps backwards, each faster and wider than the last. “Where are you going?”

“If he dies it is not my fault!” Kaeya answers in lieu of responding to the question.

He takes off sprinting back towards the city gate, his pulse in his ears. If Kaeya doesn’t do this quickly, then Diluc is actually going to end up dead this time.

Diluc can’t be this stupid, surely. Even if he does manage to distract the Fatui for long enough, there’s no guarantee that it will stop their shields. The Fatui commanders already know what Diluc is planning, so they’ll be doing everything in their power to neutralise the Electro.

So what could Diluc possibly hope to accomplish right now other than dying as a martyr? And since when does Diluc trust the Knights enough to read between the lines and send out another round of arrows?

“Albedo!” Kaeya yells out from the end of the bridge, his pace not slowing once. “Ready another round of arrows. And do it now!”

The Investigations Captain snaps to attention, and Kaeya doesn’t miss the flash of confusion across his face. But, thankfully, he doesn’t question the orders.

“What is he doing?” Albedo asks as Kaeya finally reaches the end of the bridge.

“Going to get himself killed,” Kaeya pants out between breaths. He turns to the crowd of archers, each holding a lit arrow, “Fire on my order. We have to get this timing perfect.”

Diluc is currently heading back towards Springvale, and there’s not nearly as much open space as there is surrounding the Whispering Woods. If the Archers shoot too early then Diluc, the horses, and the other Kaeya will get caught in the crossfire. Too late, and they’ll have the same problem they did the first time Diluc attempted this.

Diluc might not send out another signal, either. It’s possible that the final mid-air explosion was what gave the Fatui enough time to form their shields. Diluc should know that, so he might be relying on the Knights to fire the arrows at the right time. It’s a big gamble, but it might be the only chance they have at breaking through the shields.

Kaeya casts his gaze towards the two horses as they cross the expanse. He can’t help but narrow his brow as the saddle of Diluc’s horse falls away.

And then the realisation of what’s about to happen dawns on Kaeya all at once.

Diluc balances himself on the back of the horse, holding her mane for some stability.

Diluc isn’t expecting another volley of arrows or for anyone to back him up. Diluc is going to light the reaction himself and get caught in the crossfire. But how can he guarantee that his flames will be enough to set off a reaction large enough to push past the Fatui lines? Does he actually believe that he’ll be able to destroy the Fatui defences? Or, does Diluc know that the Fatui are planning to advance any moment now and he’s simply trying to buy the Knights more time?

Diluc launches himself from the horse.

If Kaeya orders to let loose the arrows, Diluc will die. Whether it be the force of the Overloaded or a stray arrow, Diluc’s chance of survival is near zero. But if Kaeya doesn’t fire the arrows, then the Fatui may still recover from the blast and press forward. If that happens then the Knights will be overrun and the city taken. There will be hundreds of casualties.

“Kaeya?” Albedo probes.

One casualty or hundreds. It’s the life of Diluc or the lives of every man and woman standing behind Kaeya.

Diluc draws his sword alighting it with flame.

Damnit!

How does he choose? How does he live with either consequence?

Diluc draws his arms back, the flames dripping from his blade like molten rock.

It doesn’t matter what Kaeya chooses, someone will die. But how does he sacrifice a life that isn’t his own?

Diluc commits the swing, the flames launching from his sword and immediately reacting with the Electro at his feet.

And then, with a decision that Kaeya isn’t even sure he’s made, he orders, “Fire!”

The archers react instantly. There's a distinctive thwip as the arrows are loosed, joined by the hiss of each one cutting the air. The arrows soar through the sky, like a wave of fire, before falling to the ground as deadly rain.

All at once, the sky is set alight. The rumble of the explosion rocks the ground. A low, guttural growl rolls across the clearing, dust and dirt spraying up into the air. The first explosion is followed by another and then another. The earth shakes, rattling everything in sight.

And then the world pauses and takes a breath.

No voices. No chirping from distant birds. Not even the rustle of leaves from a gentle evening breeze. An oppressive silence fills the void, speaking only with the low-pitched ring in Kaeya’s ears. The residual smoke, dirt, and dust fall away like theatre curtains being drawn, and in its wake reveal a perimeter of burnt grass and charred stone.

For the Fatui, the destruction is more prominent. For a line stretching at least one hundred metres across, is a breach in their ranks. A gaping hole that displays a grand view of Windwise and the nearby coast. By some miracle, Diluc’s ridiculous plan worked.

And yet, Kaeya can’t bring himself to celebrate.

Unlike some other reactions, Overloaded doesn’t produce any more Electro or Pyro. It’s a final reaction of sorts; cutting off any chain reactions and preventing further destruction from the already powerful explosion. And that simple fact—that indisputable law of reactions—has Kaeya paling. Because that means that the handful of burning patches of grass were not caused by the explosion, but by arrows that did not reach their target. There are at least fifteen by Kaeya’s count, all at varying degrees of distance. Some didn’t even make it much past the bridge, but the vast majority of the stray arrows landed just shy of the Fatui lines—where Diluc had been standing.

It’s easy to spot Diluc once the dust has fully settled—his red hair is splayed out along the ground like a signal marker. He had been pushed back at least fifty metres or so from where he was standing, his sword knocked from his hands and strewn across the ground nearby.

Diluc did it. He managed to give the Knights an opening to push through.

But he doesn’t get up.

He lays on his back, one arm spread out along the ground, the other across his chest.

Motionless.

Kaeya counts the seconds.

Diluc still doesn’t move.

And then, just as Kaeya takes a hesitant step forward—he doesn't even know where to—Diluc rolls over.

He’s facing towards the Fatui lines, perhaps marvelling at his work, before pushing himself up off the ground. Or, he tries to anyway. Whether it’s from pain, weakness, exhaustion, or a combination of them all, Diluc’s arms slip out from under him. He crashes back down to the ground, and before Kaeya has a chance to run forward and help him up, hoofbeats fill the otherwise silent air.

The other Kaeya—the teenage version of himself—gallops across the expanse, leaning over the side of his saddle. In a single, swift movement, he grabs Diluc by the arm and pulls him up onto the horse before riding straight towards Varka and his company.

The world breathes again.

With a rushing clarity of sound and sensation, Kaeya lets out a breath he hadn’t even realised he’d been holding.

There’s movement from the Fatui lines as they scramble to refortify, but they’ll have no chance to close the gaping hole in their ranks. There are far too many injured Fatui soldiers strewn across the ground. Some are attempting to pick themselves and their comrades off the ground, while others lay motionless.

Kaeya spots a flurry of movement from the First Company, but before Varka can call to advance, a lone, white flare shoots up into the sky. There’s a shout of command that Kaeya can’t quite understand from this distance, but the First Company immediately stills.

And then the Fatui fall back.

Just like that… they retreat.

Did they actually manage to beat the Fatui?

There are cries of celebration from behind, and Kaeya vaguely acknowledges someone next to him patting his shoulder with far more force than strictly necessary.

Holy shit.

They actually did it. Diluc actually managed to pull off that ridiculous stunt.

But dammit, if that idiot is dead-

Kaeya immediately sprints back towards the First Company, ignoring the shouts of the other Knights who are telling him to slow down. If Diluc isn’t already dead then Kaeya is about to kill him himself. Diluc does not get to act so damn reckless and make his death Kaeya’s fault in the process.

It’s easy to spot Diluc once Kaeya finally meets back up with the First Company. There’s a small crowd of Knights standing in a circle and a handful of healers filtering in and out of the area. Kaeya pushes through the crowd and finds Diluc sitting on the ground, Jean and two other healers tending to him. Kaeya goes to take another step forward but halts when his attention is drawn to someone standing just a few steps off to the side.

It’s him, but younger.

The two lock eyes for just a moment, and Kaeya once again finds himself debating if this is a fever dream. It’s almost like looking in a mirror, except the mirror is reflecting someone so different and yet so similar. The other him doesn’t look too surprised, except for the way his eye opens a touch wider than usual.

Kaeya, decidedly, does not like this in the slightest.

But he doesn’t have time to deal with that. He first needs to make sure that Diluc isn’t going to die, and then tear him a new one for everything he’s done in the past fifteen minutes.

Kaeya takes another step closer, finally getting a proper look at Diluc. His eyes are blown wide, and he doesn’t seem to be fully aware of what’s going on around him. His once white shirt has been stained by both dirt and blood, and the right sleeve has been sliced open. But perhaps the most concerning is his arms and hands.

Diluc is not new to burn scars. Even before receiving his Vision, the young Ragnvindr always had an affinity for flames. Whether it was burning himself while tending to the fireplace, or charring his fingers when setting off firecrackers, Diluc has had his fair share of burns. But Kaeya doesn’t think Diluc’s ever experienced anything close to his current burns.

His arms are a sickening mix of red and pink, littered with small dots of white blisters. His hands are suffering the most, with the few non blistered sections peeling away. The two other healers are each tending to an arm each, lathering Diluc’s skin with salve and expertly wrapping them with gauze.

“He’ll live,” Jean says as Kaeya kneels next to her. “I’ve already healed most of his injuries but he’s definitely concussed.”

Thankfully Jean was able to start tending to that already. Concussions can be deadly if not treated quickly enough. Though, Diluc likely won’t be feeling too great for a bit. Even magic can only heal so much. The greatest concern will be making sure that his arms and hands don’t get infected. Kaeya’s seen first hand how devastating infected burns can be.

“Any broken bones?” Kaeya asks as Jean continues checking over Diluc, delivering healing Anemo energy whenever necessary.

“A few ribs, but I’ve already healed those,” Jean responds, now focussing on Diluc’s head—most likely checking if she’s missed anything. She falls silent for a moment before cursing under her breath.

“What is it?” Kaeya—except it’s not himself, it’s the other him—asks, taking a startled step forward.

Jean draws back Diluc’s hair to reveal both of his ears. Each is marred red, a mixture of dried and fresh blood dripping from inside his ears and down his neck. Diluc seems to have brought his gaze back to the present, though there’s little recognition in his eyes. He’s flitting his attention between Kaeya and the… other Kaeya, Diluc’s brows knitted together in confusion.

“Kaeya, hold him down,” Jean commands. “I’m going to heal his ears but he might start panicking when I do.”

Kaeya nods in understanding and moves to grab both of Diluc’s shoulders, “I’m ready when you are.”

Immediately, Jean holds her hands to the sides of Diluc’s head, healing energy flowing through her and emitting a cool, turquoise glow. And, just as Jean predicted, Diluc starts panicking—the sudden rush of sound too much for his already confused state. He cries out in pain, before ripping his arms out of the hold of the two healers and pushing Kaeya back in the process. Pyro escapes from Diluc’s hands, lighting the gauze wrapped around his arms.

“Someone grab him!” Kaeya calls as Diluc pushes himself further away, trying and failing to gain his footing.

Jean surges forward, reaching for Diluc’s arm, but that contact only spurs the panic further.

Diluc finally finds his footing, pushing himself further away. And then just as quickly as the panic set in, it vanishes with Diluc’s eyes rolling into the back of his head. He comes crashing forward, and Kaeya goes out to break the fall but is beaten to it by the other version of himself.

“Gods, when do you get so heavy?” The other Kaeya says as he lowers the now passed out Diluc onto the ground.

Fuck, he even sounds younger. Jean’s never going to let him live this down.

The two healers come forward again and resume tending to Diluc’s arms, removing the burnt gauze to reveal even further burns.

Kaeya lets out a slow breath.

Gods, he could really do with a drink right about now.

Chapter Text

Kaeya isn’t surprised that Varka calls for a Captain’s meeting the day after the thwarted Fatui invasion. He had been expecting it, honestly. In fact, he had been so convinced of an impromptu meeting, that Kaeya only drank a single bottle of wine last night. He can’t show up to something as important as this hungover, after all. First impressions are always the most important.

“I still can’t believe that you expect us to trust them,” Otto Gunnhildr scoffs as he makes his way into the meeting room, sitting next to Louis near the head of the long, oval table.

“And I can’t believe that you insist on bringing this up again,” Fredrica responds flatly, her gaze only flitting away from the document in front of her for half a second. “Especially given that Varka threatened to demote you if you continue making an issue of it.”

This issue of ‘trust’ has been a sore spot for the past for the past twenty four hours, Kaeya has noticed. And it’s not just from Jean’s uncle. It seems to be every Knight in their general sphere of influence. Even just passing Knights in the halls gives Kaeya the distinct feeling of prying eyes, listening ears, and murmuring rumours. It’s the type of chaos that Kaeya loves instilling in groups of Teasure Hoarders and other low lives, but it might prove rather dangerous within the Ordo.

If the whispers of mistrust grow into shouts, the Fatui will take advantage of the disunity and attack again.

But Varka will make sure that doesn’t happen. Once he puts his foot down, the rest of the Ordo will follow suit. Eventually.

Louis Gunnhildr opens his mouth to retort Fredrica but snaps it closed when Varka enters the meeting room, followed closely by Diluc. Well, the younger version of Diluc.

The other, older version that Kaeya’s familiar with is probably still passed out at the Cathedral. Between the concussion and painkillers for his burns, Kaeya wouldn’t be surprised if Diluc stays like that for the next week. But that’s what that idiot gets when he triggers an Overloaded reaction with electro slime on his hands. He’s lucky that the explosion hadn’t completely blown his arms off.

The younger Diluc sends an unimpressed glare towards Kaeya. Rude, his eyes say.

Right, the mind reading thing. Kaeya had almost started missing that. Right up until Diluc could actually read his mind again, that is.

The room is almost full, Kaeya notes as Varka makes himself comfortable at the head of the table. Next to him is Fredrica, who is currently Deputy and also serving as the Captain for the 10th Company of Maintenance and Everyday Living. It’s by far the largest of the ten companies, with Knights in that division responsible for everyday patrols and repairing and maintaining any infrastructure that isn’t owned privately or operated by the Church.

Varka fishes a folded piece of paper from inside his breast pocket, and passes it to Fredrica on his left. The woman unfolds the paper and sends Varka a flat glare. Likely the paper is an agenda that Fredrica should have received last night. But Varka had never been known to keep on top of things like this, even during times of crisis.

Eroch enters the room next, glancing around the almost full table. His slender brows turn down a bit more than what is natural as his gaze shifts to Kaeya and Jean. Kaeya forces himself to maintain a pleasant smile, reminding himself that he’ll have a chance to punch the Inspector’s nose in eventually.

He and Jean still haven’t had a chance to discuss what exactly they’re going to do about the Inspector, but they’re going to have to act quickly. Though the true extent of his treachery is mostly under wraps, it’s no secret that Eroch was exiled for conspiring against the Knights. Once enough civilians start moving about, the news will spread. Which means that Jean and Kaeya don’t have much time to gather evidence to present to Varka.

It should be easier to find evidence this time since they know where to look, but getting the rest of the Ordo to believe might prove to be an extra challenge. There’s still a level of mistrust in the air, and accusing one of the most senior Knights of treason won’t help abate that. It also doesn’t help that Eroch will be acting overly cautious since he likely knows that Kaeya sees the Inspector as the traitor he is.

If Kaeya wants any chance of proving the Inspector’s guilt, then he can’t do anything too rash.

The dwindling conversions die down completely as Eroch takes a seat to Varka’s right, the Inspector’s stone cold gaze not wavering once. Across the table, Diluc sends Kaeya a questioning glance.

“Right,” Fredrica starts, “I imagine you all know why this meeting has been called this morning.”

By rights, Varka should be the one leading the meeting, but Kaeya can’t remember ever attending a Captain’s meeting where Varka was taking charge. He usually passes it off to Jean, or in this instance, her mother. And actually the more that Kaeya thinks about it, he doesn’t think he’s ever even seen a Captain’s meeting this full.

Historically, the number of captains in the Ordo has been restricted to ten, and seldom have all ten been present at once. So seeing twelve men and women in the room at once is quite the sight. In fact, it’s been so long since the room was full, that Varka had to bring in extra chairs. All of which don’t quite fit around the table

Off to the Grand Masters right, is Eroch, followed by Louis and Otto Gunnhildr, Captains of the Armament and Logistics companies respectively. The 2nd and 6th Companies pale in comparison to the 10th, but are still vital to the Ordo all the same. The companies are intertwined in many ways, with both Gunnhildr men making sure that resources are distributed as needed across all companies while also ensuring that the Knights as a whole have all the armour and weaponry they could ever need.

Next is Nymph, who Kaeya assumes is currently the Field Officer of the 8th Company. She wasn’t appointed Captain until after Lisa joined the Knights, but from what Kaeya had seen she had been Captain in everything but title. More often than not she was the one attending meetings and coordinating the Mystic Arts Company in lieu of the actual Captain, Sir Reagan, who was either sick or attending some scholarly event in Sumeru. The woman in question turns her attention away from Albedo, who is sitting next to her. The two had been discussing something about the Ley Lines but the discussion had been too technical for Kaeya to have any hope of discerning what they were talking about.

Besides those two is the younger version of Diluc. Who is, well, Diluc. He’s lazily spinning a pen between his fingers, his attention drawn towards Varka. And besides the scattered glances, he hasn’t said anything since entering the room, which strikes Kaeya as odd. But then again, Kaeya had never sat in on these meetings with Diluc before.

Finally, there’s Sir Roman Emmerich, Captain of the Reconnaissance Company, who’s remained just as silent as Diluc since entering the room, before Jean, Eula, and Kaeya himself.

There are only two notable absences. Firstly is Hertha, which Kaeya has only seen a couple of times over the past few days. Kaeya will admit that it’s odd seeing her. Hertha had always been a few years older than Kaeya, but he thinks they might be closer to the same age now. She’s Captain of the 9th Company which deals with the Ordo’s and the Church’s financials, and wouldn’t become Captain of the Logistics Company until after Sir Louis resigned.

The second absence is the younger version of Jean who should be Acting Captain of the 7th Company. It’s quite a shame, in Kaeya’s opinion. He was quite looking forward to seeing a younger version of Jean just to see the older one’s reaction.

“These documents here record everything we know so far about this Ley Line Disorder,” Fredrica says, gesturing at the pile of books and paper in the centre of the table. “We ask that you read through it all if you haven’t already. Once everyone is caught up to speed we’ll be able to formulate a plan.”

Kaeya has read most of it already. So far the stack of documents includes eyewitness accounts, notes from various interviews and interrogations, small lists of civilians from Kaeya’s time, and notes and theories from the Investigations Team. There’s very little that explains what exactly is going on, or even why the Ley Line Disorder started in the first place.

“On the topic of plans,” Jean says, “I’d like to run an idea past everyone on how to handle the civilians from our time.”

Fredrica nods, “Of course.”

“I’d like to speak with all of the civilians you’ve located so far. Hopefully, we’ll be able to compile a list of who hasn’t been found yet.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Jean’s mother says. “How many Knights will you need for that?”

“Not many. Maybe nine or ten at most.”

“And it might be helpful if they’re Knights from our time,” Kaeya chimes in. “There’s still a lot of distrust between everyone so they might be more comfortable if it’s people they’re familiar with.”

“Yes, that's a good point,” Jean agrees with a nod. “Would you be able to help, Kaeya?”

“Of course.”

Next Roman speaks up, “And in the meantime, I can have the Reconnaissance Team patrolling the main roads and as much of the countryside as possible. We’ll continue noting where people seem to be appearing and, hopefully, we’ll be able to find some sort of pattern.”

“It might help to take some of my team with you,” Eula adds. “People might be more willing to cooperate if they see familiar faces.”

“I see no issue with that so long as Varka agrees. And the extra Knights will mean we can do a proper land survey.”

Fredrica nods in agreeance, her face drawn into contemplation, “I have no problem with that. All I ask is that everyone avoids the ruins of Old Mondstadt for now. The Fatui seem to have stationed themselves there and I don’t want to risk provoking them.”

“We could try and force them out,” Roman suggests. “If we stay at the top of the cliffs we might be able to throw enough ammunition at them that they surrender.”

Next to Varka, Eroch sighs and shakes his head, “That’s unlikely to work because the Fatui have used the geography to their advantage. Even if they did surrender, the only way into Old Mondstadt is the road west of Wolvendom. We would have to use that road to escort the Fatui out and it’s a choke point with very little cover. The moment we send Knights down there the Fatui would ambush them.”

It’s hard to determine if Eroch is saying that just to keep the Knights away from the Fatui, or if he does honestly believe that trying to force the Fatui to surrender will be a wasted effort. If this were anyone else, Kaeya would be impressed with this traitor's skill. Not only is Eroch helping serve the Fatui’s interests, but he’s also doing so in a way that benefits the Knights. No wonder the man was able to get away with her treachery for almost a decade before finally being caught.

“And,” Louis adds, “we simply don’t have anywhere to contain them all. We’re stretched thin enough as is in terms of food and housing, adding the entire Fatui army would only make that problem worse.”

“What is the current food situation?” Jean asks. “Are we rationing?”

“Not yet,” Fredrica responds. “Between Springvale and the Dawn Winery, we have enough fruit and vegetables, but we’ll need to start rationing meat and most of our main imports if this situation isn’t resolved soon.”

Eroch continues, “For now we should be directing all our efforts on understanding what exactly this Ley Line Disorder is, and what we can do to resolve this time travel mess.”

“It’s not time travel,” Nymph interrupts, rolling her jaw. “And you can’t keep complaining about not understanding the Ley Line Disorder when it’s been explained to you time and time again.”

Nymph has always been a character that Kaeya has never been able to truly pin. She is by far one of the best mages that the Ordo has ever had in its ranks, and yet she seems to fight and bicker with every single Knight she comes across. Nymph was promoted to the 8th Company’s Field Officer within a year of joining said company, but still openly talks against her Captain. For someone so desperate to prove her worth in the Ordo, her actions had never quite lined up with her goals.

Otto Gunnhildr sighs and leans in his hands, “Nymph I understand that your theory holds some merit, but even your Captain says that it’s nearly impossible.”

“And may I remind you that my Captain is a Vahumana academic who specialises in Ancient Sociology. He knows no more of the Ley Lines than a first year Akademiya student does.”

Across the table, Fredrica sends Nymph a pointed glare, “But he is still your Captain, and should be respected as such.”

Nymph offers little but a scoff in response.

“With all due respect,” Albedo starts hesitantly after the silence stretches on for a moment too long, “I do believe that Nymph has a valid point. Sir Reagan’s speciality is not in the Ley Lines and from what I've seen his reasons for disagreeing with Nymph’s theory have some major flaws.”

Varka leans back in his chair, his brow raised, “Such as?”

“Well, to begin with, Sir Reagan seems to be seeing time as linear. Though it’s debated to some extent, the general consensus within the Akademiya is that the shape of time is far more complex than that.”

“Which,” Nymph continues, “is what I have said from the start. Reagan sees time as a simple, linear line that you can only travel forwards through.”

“I’m not sure I’m following,” Varka says slowly.

Which, Kaeya thinks, is a sentiment that most of the table seems to share. Albedo had already explained that this Ley Line Disorder was far more complex than just ‘time travel’ would imply but what he’s saying now is feeling far more technical than this discussion warrants.

Albedo gently rolls his lower lip between his teeth, “Think of time like a glass of water. If you take a single drop out of the glass and put it back in, it will likely never return to the same spot. Time is the same. If we take a single moment out of the figurative glass and drop it back in, it will simply float around with every other moment.”

Nymph further clarifies, “Which is why thinking of this as ‘time travel’ isn’t helpful. This Ley Line Disorder has taken two moments—two drops of water—and combined them. It’s not as if those from future memories have moved backwards on a line. There is no line for them to move along.”

“Even if that is the case, does it change how we approach this situation?” Fredrica asks, her expression neutral.

“It does because by merging two memories, the Ley Lines have effectively merged every memory. Take Kaeya for example,” Albedo says as she looks towards Kaeya. “You have memories of becoming the Cavalry Captain but the past version of you does not. If you want to return to our version of Mondstadt, you would need to find a way to remove not only yourself but the memories that you introduced to this memory.”

“So,” Kaeya drags out the syllable as he tries to confirm that he actually understands what Albedo is saying, “to undo the time travel, we need to forget about the time travel?”

Albedo lets out an exasperated sigh, “Again, it’s not time travel. But yes, that’s probably the simplest way of putting it.”

“So how do we do that? How do we ‘separate memories’?” Roman asks.

“We would need to first find out why the Ley Lines combined the memories in the first place,” Nymph bites out her answer, obviously furious that it took Albedo backing her up for anyone to actually listen to her.

“And unless there is someone who can read the Ley Lines directly, discovering the root of this problem may take quite some time,” Albedo continues, seemingly oblivious to the fury seeping out of the woman next to him.

Then, Jean opens her mouth and slowly asks, “What type of person would be able to read the Ley Lines?”

Albedo snaps his attention towards Jean, whose face is drawn into a type of contemplation that Kaeya doesn’t see all that often.

“Elemental spirits, some Gods, and maybe a particularly skilled mage,” Albedo clarifies. “Do you know of someone like that?”

Jean is silent for a moment before finally saying, “Possibly. Leave that with me and I’ll see what I can do.”

Kaeya sends Jean a confused glance when she doesn’t clarify any further. She’s usually more transparent than that. But, Kaeya realises as he glances across the table towards Eroch, she’s likely keeping some things closer to her chest. They know that Eroch is in contact with the Fatui but they don’t know to what extent. For all they know, Eroch could walk out of this room and immediately update the enemy. Jean is right in being cautious so Kaeya will just have to ask what she’s planning later.

Varka drums his fingers against the table and lets out a low hum, “Is this something that the Investigations Team can handle?”

“I can’t see it being out of their area of expertise,” Eroch responds. “Though without a Captain it might be difficult for them to coordinate themselves.”

That’s right, Kaeya remembers, the Investigation Team had been captainless before Albedo arrived in Mondstadt. Varka had been trying to fill the role for years, but it seemed that every time someone stepped up to the role they were recruited for another job somewhere across the continent.

“Albedo, you’re Captain of the 3rd Company in the future, right? Would you be able to lead the team?”

“Of course, Grand Master. Though I’d like to request that Nymph work with me. Her knowledge of the Ley Lines far exceeds my own.”

Varka nods and the way that Nymph’s eyes light up is unmissable.

“That’s fine by me,” Varka says, “and let me know if you need any additional resources. Now,” Varka claps his hands together after Albedo and Nymph offer a nod of acknowledgement, “I believe that’s almost everything that I needed to cover today. I want us to meet at least every two or three days, and I’ll be scheduling you all for patrols throughout the week. We need the people to see that we have things under control.”

“Before we go, Grand Master,” Louis chimes in, “I think we need to have a discussion about seniority.”

Fredrica rolls her eyes and lets out an unimpressed sigh, “Must we have this discussion again, Louis? Varka has already made himself very clear that we are to treat these men and women as the Knights they are.”

“Even if that is the case, we can’t have more than ten Captains at any given time,” Otto defends. “Think of the logistics of all of this. It may be easy to split the workload between us, but we all have different approaches. We need to determine who has the final say in things.”

“Don’t be so sly, Otto,” Roman says, his expression flat. “We all know the only reason you two insist on bringing this up is because you can’t accept that your informant was unreliable.”

“And you only insist on saying that because your company failed to alert us that we were being invaded.”

“No, my company gave you all plenty of warning. It was your companies that spent so long dragging their feet that by the time you managed to mobilise the Fatui were on our doorsteps.”

Kaeya leans back in his chair as the argument continues to escalate. He’s almost disappointed that the Captain’s meetings he’s used to aren’t nearly as entertaining as this.

Louis turns his attention to Varka, “Just listen to us, Grand Master.”

“I’m listening,” Varka responds, unimpressed.

“Take the Cavalry, for example,” Louis gestures towards Diluc. “Diluc, you already know that you and your brother are very different people. How can you expect to command the Cavalry together without arguing over menial things?”

“Hey, don’t drag me into this,” Diluc retorts and Kaeya thinks that might be the first time he’s spoken this entire meeting. “And I can’t see ‘menial arguments’ being an issue, because I know how to communicate with my fellow Knights.”

“This is more than just communication-”

“Are you sure? Because it’s starting to sound like you just have no conflict resolution skills.”

“Watch your tongue when speaking with your elders.”

Kaeya has to suppress the urge to let out a sigh. He had almost forgotten how much Otto, Louis, and most of the Senior Knights actually, love using that phrase. He occasionally hears it now, even though Kaeya is well into his adult life by this point.

“And that’s my point right there,” Diluc readjusts himself to sit up straight in his seat. “The moment someone disagrees with you, you try to shut down the entire conversation. That’s the only reason you don’t want more than ten Captains because you know you can’t work with someone else unless you feel like you’re in charge.”

Otto scowls, “We’re insisting on only having ten Captains because for some reason we’re the only two who can see the danger that they all pose.”

Ah, so that’s the real problem here.

At the head of the table, Fredrica sighs and leans back in his seat.

“Just think about it, Varka,” Louis continues. “The supposed future Captains consist of a man whose only record we have is from a recommendation letter from Alice, a Lawrence, and an Outlander. You can’t seriously expect us to believe that any of them hold the values of the Ordo.”

Before Kaeya gets a chance to defend against that, Diluc says, “So I guess infidelity must be one of the Ordo’s key values.”

Kaeya chokes on his breath.

“Alright-” Varka starts, trying to placate what is about to become a very tense argument.

“Those are nothing but baseless rumours,” Louis says, standing from his seat.

Diluc does nothing but further back in his chair, his expression neutral, “Oh, so is there some other reason you’ve spent the past two nights sleeping in your office?”

Kaeya really needs to get this version of Diluc to sit in on more Captain’s meetings. They’re usually so dull, but Kaeya thinks that this is the most fun he’s ever had. Varka seems to share the same sentiment, the edges of his lips turned up in a slight smile.

“Enough!” Fredrica interjects, finally bringing everyone to silence. “You are all acting like children. Otto and Louis,” she turns to the two men in question, “bringing this up time and time again is not going to get you anywhere. If you insist on there only being ten captains, then I’ll step you both down and hand your positions to Sir Kaeya and Lady Eula.” Otto and Louis try to argue again, but Fredrica ignores them, turning her attention across the table. “And Diluc, stop antagonising them.”

“They started it,” Diluc defends. “And I didn’t say anything that’s not true.”

Varka sends a hard glare across the table, forcing Diluc to immediately snap his mouth shut. He sinks back down into his chair.

“Now,” Varka continues after taking a calming breath, but Kaeya can hear a slight hint of laughter in his breath “is there anything else that we need to discuss before we move on?”

“Besides a general warning regarding the irregular Ley Line energy levels, I think that’s everything,” Fredrica says, as she skims across the piece of paper in front of her. “The Investigation Team is regularly reading the levels and will alert us of any spikes, but the readings have been unpredictable for weeks so everyone needs to be cautious.”

Varka nods before continuing, “If that’s all, then we’ll reconvene in a few days. Everyone is dismissed except for our guests from the future and Diluc.” He pauses and smiles, “I have a couple of burning questions for you all.”

Kaeya doesn’t miss the way that Diluc sinks further into his seat. If Varka’s getting theatrical all of a sudden then it means something exciting is about to happen. And given who he’s asked to stay behind, Kaeya has a feeling he knows what about.

Nymph, Otto, and Louis file out of the room immediately. The Inspector stays put for a little longer, whispering something to Varka before leaving the room himself. Kaeya doesn’t miss the glance that Varka offers Eroch. The expression hadn’t quite been neutral, with Varka’s lips forming into a firm line for only half a moment. It’s an expression akin to something that Adelinde would offer Father when he and Dilcu were younger and getting into trouble. Which doesn’t bode too well for Kaeya, because that all but confirms what this conversation is going to be about.

“Firstly,” Varka starts once the meeting room door shuts with a quiet click, “how did you all manage to escape Headquarters? I had ordered for your cell to be guarded, and yet not a single one of the on duty Knights saw you leave.”

The way that Varka poses the questions means that he probably already knows the answer. It’s hard to determine which on duty Knights the Grand Master is referring to—it could be the ones guarding the main entrance to HQ, or the Knights who were supposed to be patrolling the halls outside the cell—which he likely did on purpose. By the sounds of it, Varka is testing them.

“I had a lock pick in my back pocket,” Kaeya says before anyone else can answer. “Once we were out of the cell we used a screwdriver from the supply room to open one of the ventilation grates. Then we climbed through the vents and up to the street level.”

Next to him, Jean sighs, “Please don’t tell me that’s actually what you did.”

“I tell nothing but the truth, Acting Grand Master,” Kaeya says with mock sincerity, his hand placed across his chest. “And it’s all thanks to Klee. I never would have known that we could fit through the shafts if it weren’t for her always getting lost in them.”

Eula and Albedo, thankfully, don’t add anything more. They’ve also likely realised that if the truth slips then Diluc will be done for. By facilitating their escape, he not only directly violated the Grand Master’s orders, but he put the entirety of Mondstadt in danger. If Eula, Albedo, and Kaeya had in fact been Fatui spies, they would have been able to directly target the Archers who were manning the main gate.

Fredrica, who, along with Roman, had opted to stay in the room, says, “That doesn’t explain how you got your Visions back. They were being stored in a secure location.”

Kaeya was hoping that no one would bring that up. By rights, Jean should be the one who answers that but Kaeya knows that she won’t lie about who gave her the Visions. Not to Varka and definitely not to her mother.

So, that means that Kaeya needs to be the one dealing the saving blow, “That secure location is a place that not many know about. I imagine you wouldn’t want us sharing that with everyone.”

Kaeya doesn’t know if any of that is even remotely true. There are several secure locations that he knows of—at least two of which are in Varka’s office—but that doesn’t mean that the Visions were stored in any of them. For all Kaeya knows they could have been kept in the Cathedral vaults which is impossible to get into without the Church Seneschal's key.

It also doesn’t help that Albedo immediately turned to Jean when the Visions were mentioned. Varka most certainly saw that, and Fredrica probably did too. It’s hard to gauge what Roman’s thinking—he’s hard to read on a good day, let alone when he’s not talking—and Kaeya is still yet to determine why he chose to stay in the room after dismissal. Could all three of them already know what happened?

“That’s true,” Varka says, “but I still need to know of any security flaws we have.”

Well, that doesn’t help. He can’t directly lie to Varka—Kaeya doesn’t need to give Otto, Louis, or the Inspector any more reason to not trust them—but he also needs to act quick enough that Jean, Eula, or Albedo don’t say anything incriminating. Kaeya also can’t stall since there likely won’t be any way out of this conversation without answering the question. So that means all he can do is try to back Varka into a corner. But how can he do that?

“Since you all seem a bit hesitant, I’ll ask you directly,” Varka says before Kaeya has a chance to reply. “Who gave you your Visions?”

Diluc sinks further down into his chair.

Is there anything that Kaeya can do except lie to Varka’s face? It doesn’t even feel like he can do that. Varka probably already knows that it was Diluc and likely has some concrete evidence to back up that accusation. If Kaeya does anything except tell the absolute truth, then he’ll go down with Diluc. And Kaeya, at the very least, is not particularly partial to being arrested again.

The silence must stretch for a moment too long because Varka sighs and pulls a folded envelope from his inner breast pocket. “Initially,” the Grand Master says, “I thought that you all managed to sneak your way into my office and somehow opened my safe to retrieve your Visions. However, a few little details didn’t quite add up.”

The fact that Varka isn’t getting straight to the point means that he’s still giving Diluc a chance to confess. And Diluc must know that too. And yet, the young Cavalry Captain doesn’t so much as look up from the pen he’s spinning between his fingers.

“Firstly, not a single Knight guarding Headquarters saw you. And given the fact that you all escaped through the ventilation shafts and didn’t even go through the main building, I found it a bit difficult to believe that you snuck back in through the main door." Varka stands and opens the unsealed envelope in his hand, “But perhaps the thing that tipped me off the most was this little thing that I found caught in the hinges of the safe door.”

Varka pulls his hand out of the envelope, and in between his fingers is a single strand of long, bright red hair.

Diluc stops spinning the pen but remains silent.

Varka slowly struts around the room, first towards Eula where he holds the strand up next to her head, “That doesn’t quite match.” Then he moves to Kaeya and Jean, repeating the action, “It doesn’t seem to be from you two either.” He turns his attention to Albedo next, “How about you, Captain Albedo? Would you say this matches your hair?” Varka asks with a placid smile.

“No,” Albedo answers hesitantly, “I wouldn’t, Grand Master.”

“Which I guess only leaves one other person,” Varka finally moves towards Diluc, holding the strand of hair up against his head. “Yes, that does look like it matches. Would everyone else agree?”

The question is met with silence.

“Sir Diluc,” Varka probes as he moves back to his seat, that placid smile not wavering for even a moment, “do you have anything to say?”

Diluc makes a sharp inhale, still hunched down in his chair, his arms folded tightly across his chest, “I-” He cuts himself off, glancing up at Varka but not straightening his posture. “It was me,” Diluc finally admits. “I was the one that gave them their Visions back.”

Varka doesn’t miss a beat, “Obviously. What I want to know is how you found them.”

“They were in your personal safe,” Diluc mumbles.

“And you just guessed the sixteen digit passcode?” Fredrica prompts.

Diluc licks his lips before answering, “Not exactly.”

“Well, what was it then?” Varka asks, returning to his seat.

Diluc lets out a low sigh, “I already knew the passcode. It’s the first sixteen digits of the invoice number that the Winery sends the Knights.”

“That still doesn’t explain why you thought that breaking into the safe was a good decision,” Fredrica chides.

“I thought it was the best decision given the circumstances,” Diluc says but there’s no conviction behind his voice.

“A decision that could have resulted in hundreds of casualties,” Fredrica says. “You not only disobeyed direct orders, but you put the entirety of Mondstadt in danger.”

“I don’t see why this matters. The risk paid off and we won.”

Varka narrows his eyes, “I understand that you tend to take unnecessary risks, but you can’t do that when the entire nation is at stake.”

“All I did was make a decision that I thought was best,” Diluc says again, this time he sits up straight.

“No, you made a decision that wasn’t yours to make. And on top of that, you directly violated my orders.”

“Well-” Diluc stalls.

“Well?” Varka probes and when Diluc fails to respond, “Please don’t make this harder than it-”

“I’m not going to follow your orders if they’re stupid.” Diluc snaps his mouth shut, immediately realising what he just blurted out.

The silence that takes over the room is palpable, and Kaeya can feel the tension on his skin.

He had always known that Diluc often disagreed with his Senior Knights, and even blatantly disobeyed their instructions on occasion. Kaeya also knows that Varka, to some extent, allowed Diluc that freedom. But that aside, Diluc never would have so blatantly disrespected Varka’s order like that. So what happened for that to change?

A look around the table demonstrates a range of reactions. Roman has nothing more than his eyebrows raised a touch higher than usual, Albedo is trying to look everywhere except at the Grand Master, Eula almost looks impressed, Jean is glancing between Varka and Diluc with nothing but concern in her eyes, and Fredrica’s expression is completely neutral.

Diluc’s reaction is perhaps the most interesting. His eyes are blown wide, perhaps still shocked with himself, but the way he's tensed his jaw hints at some amount of resolve. He’s stopped fiddling with his pen entirely, the expensive quill clenched tightly in his left hand.

Vark’s expression, on the other hand, darkens into a cold stare. “If you are going to call my orders ‘stupid’,” he says, “then I expect you to at least have the decency to defend yourself.”

Diluc takes a breath, “We weren’t going to win.”

“You don’t know that-” Fredrica starts but Diluc cuts her off.

“Yes, I do. Our best plan was sending the Cavalry through Starfell Valley and then wading every single Knight and horse through the waters below Starsnatch Cliff.” Diluc stands up in his seat, his hands punctuating every point, “By the time we would be in a position to flank the Fatui, assuming we didn’t drown on the way, the Fatui would already have taken over the city.”

So was that the other plan that Varka ordered Diluc and Otto to continue with? But that can’t possibly be it. In no reality would that even have a sliver of a chance of succeeding.

“So I’m sorry that I disobeyed your orders, Grand Master,” Diluc continues, “but I wasn’t about to hinge my entire Company’s lives on a plan that had no chance of working.”

There’s no way that was Varka’s real plan. There were far too many risks involved. Not only would it take far too long to trek around Starsnatch Cliff, but there was a good chance that the horses would have spooked at best and drowned at worst. And Varka knows that, surely.

“I told you this would happen, Varka,” Roman says with a sigh. “You should have told him.”

Hang on-

Varka sighs, a sombre expression taking over his face.

So that means-

Diluc must have already read Varka's expression, his shoulders suddenly deflating, “That wasn’t your real plan, was it?”

“No,” Varka shakes his head as Diluc sits back down.

“And you knew that we weren’t going to win.”

Varka responds slowly, any signs of anger gone, “Our best option was getting as many Knights as possible out of the city. And the Cavalry was the top priority. If the Fatui had taken over they would have immediately killed every one of our horses and likely anyone who knew how to ride them.”

“You knew we weren’t going to win,” Diluc repeats, slower this time.

Varka grimaces, “If the future you hadn’t managed to pull off that ridiculous stunt, the Fatui would have immediately overrun us.”

“You knew we weren’t going to win,” Diluc says again, firmer this time. “And instead of evacuating everyone you choose to stand and fight.”

And suddenly things start clicking into place. All the ‘oversights’ that Kaeya saw—the archer’s being undefended, the scaffolding along the wall not being torn down, the way that the formation made the Knights’ forces look disjointed—had been decisions consciously made by Varka to give them the best chance of retreat for when the Fatui inevitably pushed forward.

“It was the best option,” Varka confirms Kaeya’s thoughts. “Immediately evacuating would have destroyed morale and then taking the city back would have been impossible.”

“But you risked hundreds of lives!” Diluc feeds his fingers through his hair, “And why didn’t any of you tell me? Was I supposed to just guess your plan?”

Roman sighs again, drawing Diluc’s attention towards him, “We didn’t tell you because we knew you’d react exactly like this. You’re young so we don’t expect you to fully understand-”

“I’m still a Captain-”

Roman continues, ignoring Diluc’s interjection, “-but sometimes you have to sacrifice a pawn to win a game.”

“People aren’t chess pieces! You can’t just throw away a life because it’s more convenient!”

“These aren’t sacrifices we take lightly,” Fredrica placates, “but sometimes it’s necessary.”

Diluc glances around the table, his eyes fleeting across the room before finally landing on Kaeya, “Kaeya, surely you agree with me.”

Kaeya hesitates, and he doesn’t miss the flash of hurt across Diluc’s face. “‘Sometimes there’s strength in a weakened spirit,’” Kaeya settles on, Varka's words from the other day suddenly making sense. “To defeat the Fatui, the people of Mondstadt needed to believe that they actually had a chance.”

Even if Varka had the Knights fight tooth and nail from the beginning, they still would have lost. If people realised that even their strongest fight was futile, they would never make a second attempt. To give them even a single chance at winning, they first needed to lose.

Diluc remains silent for a moment, likely trying to organise his thoughts. He clutches the pen in his hand even tighter than he already was before opening his mouth and asking, “What’s my disciplinary action?”

Varka takes an audible breath, “Diluc, just-”

“I disobeyed your orders, so what’s my punishment?”

“I’ll need time to think it over,” Varka says.

“Then am I free to go?”

The Grand Master’s face scrunches up into a form of pity, but Diluc likely doesn’t notice it. Instead, he keeps his gaze downcast.

“Yes, you are dismissed.”

Wordlessly, Diluc stands from his seat and exits the meeting room.

Kaeya has to suppress a flinch as the door slams shut.

Chapter Text

It’s approaching eight in the evening before Kaeya manages to get into the Inspector’s office. It had taken some time to come up with a reasonable excuse to be here, and longer still to avoid most of the Knights patrolling the upper HQ floors, but alas, Kaeya finally slips into Eroch’s office.

The room is almost exactly how Kaeya remembers it. Large bookshelves line three of the four walls, with a single window centred on the back wall the only source of natural light. Moonlight filters through the half drawn blinds, illuminating the Inspector’s desk with cool, blue light. The desk is bare, save for a cup of pens and pencils and a stack of blank paper, and the three side drawers shut.

It’s disconcerting to see the room like this, Kaeya will admit. After Eroch had been expelled his office had been emptied—revealing even more incriminating documents—and turned into a regular meeting room. To see the office transformed once again almost feels like all of his and Jean’s hard work has been undone.

Though, Kaeya supposes it has in some ways.

Kaeya forces himself to shake that thought away. He has to see if he can find anything useful in here, and he has to do it quickly. Kaeya had told the Knight patrolling the third floor hallways that Varka had sent him to grab a report from Eroch’s desk. Of course, that isn’t true, but the little white lie seems to have worked well enough. Regardless, Kaeya will need to be quick lest someone comes knocking and starts asking questions.

Thankfully, Kaeya knows where to look this time so finding something should be a bit easier than it was in the past.

The first place Kaeya checks is the bookcase on the left hand side of the room. When emptying the room, Jean had discovered several books with hollowed out centres. Inside had been an array of documents detailing many of Mondstadt’s security measures and otherwise confidential information. No one had been able to prove if the Fatui ever received the information, but the fact that it was written down had been worrying enough.

Which is almost as worrying as those documents now being nowhere to be found. Kaeya opens six of the hollowed out books, but each one is empty. Has Eroch already cleared his office of anything incriminating?

The next Kaeya thinks to look is behind a large, framed map of Mondstadt that’s hanging on the far wall. When Kaeya had first started investigating Eroch’s corruption, he hadn’t known that the man had any ties to the Fatui. At least that was until Kaeya had snuck into the Inspector’s office and found an envelope attached to the back of this map. Inside had been a letter addressed directly to Eroch and signed by someone that Kaeya now knows to be a Fatui commander.

To say the letter had proved Eroch’s treason would be the understatement of the millennia. The letter detailed various points of weakness in the city's defences and even outlined how to target and attack some of the senior Knights. But—as with almost every bit of evidence that they found—Kaeya hadn’t been able to present the letter to Varka. It was still far too early in their investigation for Jean and Kaeya to make any accusations, and removing the letter from the office might have made Eroch realise that he was being investigated.

The best Jean and Kaeya could do at the time was wait to gather more evidence and hope that the letter would still be accessible when they finally pressed charges. It hadn’t, unfortunately, and of all the myriads of letters and documents that he and Jean had found, that letter was one of four to have Eroch’s name on it.

Kaeya is still kicking himself that he hadn’t taken the letter when he had the chance. A sentiment that returns as Kaeya pulls the map off the wall and finds the back of the frame empty. He lets out a quiet hum as he hooks the frame back onto the wall, noting the various coloured thumb pins pressed into the map.

Most of the pins are blue and scattered throughout the map. They might be where people from his time have appeared, Kaeya thinks, since they seem to line up with a map in Varka’s office. In amongst the blue are some yellow pins, and given that most are around Dadaupa Gorge, they probably mark known Hillichurl camps. The only pins that Kaeya can’t make sense of are the few red ones. There doesn’t seem to be any logic to their placement with one placed in the city’s market street, another on the church, two in Springvale, and a final on the Winery. Could it be areas where the Ordo could procure food supplies?

He’ll have to figure that out later, Kaeya decides. He’s already spent too long in here, so he’ll need to move quicker. If there’s nothing in the books or behind the map, then there’s only one other place that Kaeya can think to check.

He moves towards the Inspector’s desk and opens the bottom most drawer. Inside is a messy array of stationary and scrap paper. There’s no order to the mess, and the loose pens rattle around no matter how slowly Kaeya pulls the drawer open. He had hoped he wouldn’t have to check the drawer for a few reasons. Firstly being just how noisy it is. If the Knight outside the room has decided to start eavesdropping, they’ll certainly hear Kaeya going through the drawer.

The second reason is just how messy the drawer is. There’s a hidden compartment underneath it, but to remove the bottom of the drawer Kaeya first has to remove all its contents. Not only does that add to the noise, but it also makes putting everything back in the same spot impossible. No matter how disorganised the drawer is, Eroch is bound to notice that things have been moved. And although Kaeya now has a level of seniority that provides some protection, if the Inspector realises that he’s actively being investigated then Kaeya might find himself the target of an attack.

But hopefully that won’t come to pass, Kaeya thinks with a glint of satisfaction, as he removes the bottom of the drawer and reveals the hidden compartment. Inside are three manilla folders, all of which Kaeya immediately grabs before putting the drawer back together.

He flicks through the folders, each one neatly labelled with a different name. The first Jean Gunnhildr, the second Diluc Ragnvindr, and the final one Kaeya ‘Alberich’ Ragnvindr.

Well, this can’t be good.

He flicks open the first folder and the first page reads:

Jean Gunnhildr

Target Category: 2

Current Acting Grand Master. Eldest daughter of Lady Fredrica Gunnhildr. Close ties to Grand Master Varka.

Likely to respond to usual tactics. Avoid physical confrontation

The next folder is similar, with its first page reading:

Diluc Ragnvindr

Target Category: 2

Current master of Dawn Winery. Likely tied to the Red Dead of Night. Ties to Grand Master Varka are tenuous.

Will not respond to usual tactics. Do not engage physical confrontation unless lethal force is obtainable

The final folder follows the same format, reading:

Kaeya ‘Alberich’ Ragnvindr

Target Category: 2

Current Cavalry Captain. Adopted brother of Diluc Ragnvindr. Close ties to Grand Master Varka

Likely to respond to usual tactics. Avoid physical confrontation

Each folder contains pages upon pages with uncomfortably accurate information on the three of them. They list things as menial as Jean’s routines and Kaeya’s favourite drinks to information far more damning such as Diluc’s vigilante activities and whatever this 'Red Dead of Night' is supposed to mean. There are photographs of each of them in their own homes and, most notably, most of the information gathered in the folders is from well before this time travel mess started.

So how in Teyvat did Eroch manage to get all this? And how would he have managed to get it so quickly?

Kaeya lets out a low hum as he slides the drawer closed. He’ll need to show Jean these as soon as possible, and probably to Diluc as well.

He can’t help but curse under his breath. If the three of them are being actively targeted then it’s going to make exposing Eroch all the more dangerous.

But that’s something to worry about later. For now, he just needs to focus on getting all of this to Jean. Kaeya stands up and heads towards the office door. Hopefully, the three folders will pass as a report and the Knight guarding the hall won’t suspect anything is amis.

But as Kaeya approaches the door, a cloud of black smoke appears, stopping Kaeya in his tracks. The smoke melts away into the air, revealing an unwelcome face. Eroch leans against the door, arms crossed against his chest, and in one hand a single paper folder.

Shit.

“Forgetting something?” Eroch says with a snide and knowing smile. He offers the folder out to Kaeya, “When the Grand Master asks you to fetch him a report, it’s rather rude to disobey his request.”

The Inspector’s expression doesn’t waver as Kaeya flits his gaze up and down. How long has Eroch been watching? And if he knew Kaeya was in here why not stop him before he found the three folders?

“Thanks,” Kaeya says slowly, snatching the folder out of the Inspector’s hand.

He flicks through the folder, glancing up at Eroch as he does so. Inside is a legitimate report on the current food stocks which is something Kaeya imagines Varka actually asked for. But how does Eroch know that’s the excuse Kaeya used to get into the office? It was a little white lie that Kaeya came up with on the spot.

Had the Inspector been listening in the whole time?

When Eroch doesn’t offer anything more, Kaeya says, “I’ll be leaving then.”

“Of course, Sir Kaeya.” The Inspector’s expression smile falls away, replaced with a stern line. “And feel free to take those other folders with you,” Eroch gestures to the three manilla folders clutched in Kaeya’s other hand, “I imagine those will be rather useful in your investigations.”

Kaeya raises his brow, forcing the rest of his expression to remain neutral, “I’m not sure what you mean.”

He has to be careful with what he says next, Kaeya realises, or he might actually end up dead.

“Don’t try to kid me,” Eroch responds dryly, moving away from the door and towards his desk. “I’m acutely aware that you tend to stick your nose in places in doesn’t belong.”

Kaeya forces his breath to remain regular. What can he do right now to maximise his chance of getting out of this conversation alive? If he sprints for the door, the Knight guarding the hallway might sense something is wrong and sound the alarm. And, more importantly, Eroch could accuse Kaeya of snooping.

But if that happens, then another Knight is bound to see the three folders. And though they won’t prove Eroch’s treachery, it would definitely put the man in some hot water.

Which means that Eroch won’t kill him right now, lest he sound the alarm and risk being exposed.

“Why not kill me then?” Kaeya turns to face the Inspector.

The man shrugs and lights a candle before sitting down at his desk, “Death is…” he trails off before finding the right word, “messy. And in my experience, it’s one of the greatest motivators in the world. If I kill you now, then Miss Jean will no doubt make my job harder than it already is.”

“For someone who’s about to be exposed as a traitor, you’re acting quite confident,” Kaeya keeps his tone light, sprinkled in with hints of curiosity.

If Kaeya can convince Eroch that he’s not seen as the threat he is, then the Inspector might let something helpful slip.

Instead, Eroch lets out a quiet chuckle, “Perhaps I gave you too much credit, Sir Kaeya. I was beginning to believe that you have already figured everything out.”

“And what’s the supposed to mean?” Kaeya lowers his voice an octave, his Vision snapping the air cold.

A tactic that usually sends terror through Treasure Hoarders and other criminals seems to have no effect on Eroch. His condescending smile returns, his brows narrowed.

“Run along now,” he says smugly. “I’m sure you and Jean have much plotting to do.”

Kaeya lets out a breath through his nose, his mouth clenched shut. This is suddenly seeming far more dangerous than what he had initially thought. But Eroch is right about one thing. Kaeya does need to find Jean, and he needs to do so fast.

Diluc’s world returns just as quickly as it had vanished. Above him, the fading evening sky shifts in and out of focus. There’s a low ringing in his ears, accompanied by the powerful thrum of his heart. They combine into a sort of ear grating symphony, the pulsing pain in his head the percussion backdrop.

Why is he lying on the ground?

He blinks a few more times but the sky above him still doesn’t move into focus. A few stars dot the sky above, each splitting into two and moving around in dizzying circles. It fills Diluc with a wave of vertigo. Nausea wells in the back of his throat; the ground rising and falling like rough waves in an ocean storm.

He should probably get up now. Adelinde will kill him if he misses another dinner.

Despite that, Diluc closes his eyes.

When he opens them again, he’s rolled over onto his side. Before him is a line of Fatui soldiers stretching from horizon to horizon. There’s a large hole in the centre of their formation, which strikes Diluc as particularly odd. The Fatui are usually quite strict with their formations and a large gap like that opens them up to being overrun.

So why would the Fatui form their front line like that? And more importantly, why is he lying on the ground?

Diluc stretches out his arm and tries to push himself off the ground, but a flare of red hot pain shoots up his arm at the movement, and his hand slips out from under him. He lets out a shuddered hiss, his eyes squeezing shut.

When he opens them the world has tilted again. This time he’s sitting down on the ground, surrounded on all sides by unfamiliar people. In front of him is Jean, who’s saying something but her words are nothing more than incomprehensible sounds. Next to her is Kaeya and next to him is another Kaeya.

Hang on, why are there two of Kaeya?

Diluc forces himself to blink a few times, wondering if he hit his head. Maybe that’s why he’s seeing double.

But before he can think about that any more, there’s pressure around his ears and suddenly the world comes roaring back. All at once there’s too much noise, too many voices. Burning shoots down both of his arms, his fingertips suddenly alight with pain.

Diluc chokes on a breath as someone grabs him. He tries to push away, tries to do something.

But then his eyes slip shut.

He opens them again.

This time Diluc is met with a silent world of pastel, swirling clouds and glimmering, distant stars. He takes a hesitant step forward, his feet standing on air. There’s no up or down, no distinguishable backwards or forwards. Diluc brings his arms up, gently tracing a finger along the now blemishless skin. Both past injuries and old scars are gone, and even his clothing seems fresh and untouched. His hair is cascading down his shoulders, the thick, crimson locks feeling freshly washed.

There doesn’t appear to be any sign of the battle just won, nor of the past and present injuries that Diluc is certain he sustained. It’s as if he’s been made anew, and presented in this silent, dreamy world.

He’s not dead, is he?

Diluc blinks.

He’s sitting up on a bed now, soft, cool sheets clinging to his legs contrasted by the harsh sunlight filtering into the room. There’s a murmur of voices somewhere in the near distance, drowned out only by the rustle of someone wrapping fresh gauze around his left arm. Diluc shifts his gaze to the Sister standing beside him, a warm smile doning her face. Her lips move with sounds that Diluc can’t discern, her garbled words like an unfamiliar foreign tongue.

Diluc blinks and the Sister disappears. The sunlight shifts into a cool, dark blue glow. The rest of the room is illuminated by a single candle in the far corner, dancing warm light across the person standing on the other side of the bed.

“I can’t tell if that was impressive or stupid,” Varka says, his voice uncharacteristically soft, but there’s still a glint of laughter in his tone.

Why is Varka here? Isn’t he away on an expedition?

Varka’s expression narrows and he asks, “Do you know where you are right now?”

Diluc shakes his head no.

He blinks.

The world is pastel again, the clouds and stars moved by a slow and distant breeze. The ground is gone and looking down fills Diluc with a wave of vertigo. But he’s not alone this time.

“This again?” The stranger says dryly.

“You’ve been here before?” Diluc asks and the stranger turns around.

But he’s not really a stranger, Diluc realises. It’s himself. It’s like looking into a warped mirror, but the mirror version of Diluc doesn’t seem too concerned.

“Yeah, it’s the longest, most boring dream I’ve ever had the misfortune of remembering,” he says with a scoff.

Diluc narrows his eyes in confusion, “But this is my dream.”

He blinks again.

Something is wrong this time. There’s a fiery grip around his arms, extending down through his wrists and into his fingers. The touch tightens, dragging sharp pricks of pain throughout Diluc’s body. He can feel his chest tighten and his breath hitch. He needs to get away. But he can’t move.

Why can’t he move? He needs to move.

Diluc chokes out a breath in a desperate attempt to do something. But he can’t move. His legs are leaded, tongue weighed down by stone, head filled with cotton, and ears submerged in mud. There’s a harsh pain behind his eyes, accompanied by a biting sting in his arms and hands. He needs to get away. He needs to move.

The grip around his arms loosens and Diluc takes a shuddered breath. He stares upwards, a pale white ceiling staring back. He tries to breathe again, but it gets caught in his chest and manifests as a raspy cough instead.

“Diluc,” he hears someone call gently.

But he can’t focus on it. Not when sweat coats every inch of his skin, and not when his hair prods at him like thousands of tiny needles. His chest is so tight, and his mind burning and freezing all at once.

“Diluc,” the voice calls again, “I need you to take a deep breath for me.”

He tries but he can’t. Nothing is working. Nothing is moving. Everything is broken. He can’t breathe.

“Diluc,” the voice is closer, warmer, so familiar, “nothing is broken. You’re fine.”

Two rough palms gently cup the sides of Diluc’s face, fingers rubbing soothing circles into the underside of his jaw.

“You’re okay,” the voice says again. “I know you don’t feel very well at the moment but you’re safe.”

Safe.

Diluc opens his eyes—he can’t even remember when he closed them—and takes another breath. This time it doesn’t get caught in his throat.

“That’s it,” the voice is clearer now, and not once do the hands pull away. “Keep breathing and let the healers work.”

The grip on his arms returns and Diluc tenses as a fiery pain shoots through his entire body. He chokes on his breath.

“Diluc,” the voice soothes, “just focus on me.”

Diluc obeys and moves his attention towards the voice, a familiar but long gone face finally coming into view. The man next to him offers a gentle smile, his face framed by two locks of crimson hair.

“You’re alright, Diluc,” Father says, hands coursed by years of working in the fields moving to stroke Diluc’s hair. “I’m here.”

And then the grip on his arms disappears.

Father smiles softly, his fingers working to gently untangle any knots in Diluc’s hair, “There we go. It’s all done now.”

Diluc lets releases a slow breath.

“Am I dead?” Diluc asks but his tongue is so weighed down that he’s certain none of his words are discernable.

He must have been clear enough because Father offers a light chuckle, “No, you’re not dead.”

“Are you sure?” Diluc asks and he’s not entirely sure why.

Father laughs again, his hands moving away from Diluc’s hair, “I’m sure.”

“Oh.”

Why doesn’t that sound right? Why is he supposed to be dead?

“You sound disappointed,” Father remarks.

“No, I’m just…” Diluc trails off, words escaping him like water through a colander.

He sinks down into the pillow behind him, his eyes suddenly so heavy. His mind so tired.

“Why don’t you try and get some sleep?” Father suggests. “We’ll talk more when you wake up.”

Diluc tries to mumble out some sort of agreeance, but his eyes slip shut before he has the chance.

He opens them a moment later, once again in the dreamy world of clouds and stars. The mirror him is there too, staring off into the void with a particularly discerning expression.

“Are you the other me?” He asks in lieu of a greeting. And when Diluc takes too long to respond, the mirror Diluc continues, “The one from the future?”

“I…” Diluc trails off again, something about that sounding vaguely familiar and yet foreign all at once. “I don’t know.”

“Yeah,” the other Diluc lets out a defeated sigh, “that was a dumb question.”

Diluc shuts his eyes.

Chapter Text

As Kaeya approaches the Grand Master’s open office door, he notices a few things.

The first is the lack of Knights. Jean and Kaeya had been approached by a Knight just fifteen minutes earlier and told that Lady Fredrica had requested their presence. It had sounded important, so they both assumed it to be a meeting of sorts. But there are not enough Knights around to justify that. Kaeya at the very least hopes that this is important. He still needs to tell Jean about what happened with Eroch last night.

The second thing that Kaeya notices is the smell of sweet pastries. They must be fresh if the scent is able to be carried out of the room. And, more notably, is the scent of apples and cinnamon. It smells like a vodka infusion that Father had been experimenting with in the months before his death. Only a single barrel had ever been produced because while the smell was delectable, Father could never get the taste to be as strong. Kaeya still has a bottle of the brew sitting somewhere in his office for special occasions.

The next thing that Kaeys notices is the sound of Amber’s strained laugh. Someone might have asked her a question she doesn’t have the answer to or, more likely, she’s been given a compliment that she doesn’t know how to respond to. Then he hears the sound of Eula introducing herself, that distinctive stammer she makes whenever someone mentions her clan name resounding out of the room and into the HQ foyer.

The final thing that Kaeya notices is how Jean tenses as she steps into the doorway. She stops in her tracks almost as suddenly as her shoulders hike. She takes an audible inhale.

“Mother, this is-” Jean cuts herself off. She takes another sharp breath.

“Don’t just stand there,” From out of Kaeya’s view, Fredrica beckons her daughter inside.

Jean obeys and takes a step into the room. Kaeya follows suit.

Except he finds himself stopping in the exact same spot that Jean had frozen. All at once, Kaeya can feel all the eyes in the room centred on him. There’s Jean next to him, then Amber and Eula standing on the other side of the room. In the centre, standing next to Varka’s desk which is currently covered in an array of desserts and drinks, is Lady Fredrica and-

Father.

He’s just standing there.

And he’s alive.

His hair is tied back into a low ponytail with a few shorter red locks framing his face. In his hand is a glass of clear liquid, which Kaeya can only assume to be that apple-vodka blend. He’s wearing a pleasant smile but the edges seem to fall away as Kaeya freezes.

For a very brief moment, it’s like staring at the family portrait that once hung proudly in the Ragnvindr Manor foyer.

Father’s beard is neatly trimmed, and it’s Saturday so he probably touched it up this morning. The creases around his mouth seem more pronounced than Kaeya remembers them being, but some forty years in the sun will do that to most. There are splashes of brown freckles in all the spots that Kaeya remembers—some around Father’s lips, one on the left of his nose, and more scattered along his forehead and brows.

His eyes are the same expressive gateways that Kaeya recalls them being. It was always so easy to read what Father was thinking just by looking at his eyes alone. Kaeya could always tell when he was truly mad at Diluc for doing something stupid, or if he was only lecturing Diluc to try to instil some responsibility in the young Knight. Kaeya could always see the pride Father held for Diluc, the kindness he extended to everyone he met, the laughter, the love.

And right up until now, Kaeya hadn’t realised just how much he had missed all of that.

He must have been staring for too long because Father’s eyes narrow inquisitively as tilts his head to the side.

“Kaeya, are you okay?” He asks.

Are you okay?

That had been the first thing Father said when he found Kaeya standing alone in the rain all those years ago. That was the same night that Kaeya was certain he was going to die. He was going to die alone, abandoned by the man he thought was supposed to love and care for him.

But instead, the esteemed Master Crepus took him in. Father fed him, clothed him, and raised him despite everything.

And then Father died. In a single day, those years of memories and love washed away in the rain.

“Kaeya?” Father probes setting his glass on the desk and taking a small step forwards.

Kaeya takes a step back.

He knew this was going to happen.

He knew he was going to see Father again.

He knew that in this twisted time travel mess, Father would be alive.

Father would be talking and breathing.

His heart would be beating.

So why does all of this feel so wrong?

“I-” Kaeya starts, but the words get caught in the back of his throat. He takes another step backwards.

Next to him, Jean gently grabs his wrist. It’s probably supposed to be grounding, or a futile attempt to stop him backing away. It doesn’t work.

All at once Kaeya can feel his hair on his head, the fabric of his shirt sitting on his neck far too tight. In his mind a conflict of instincts. One part of his mind tells him to stay, to speak. To grace this situation as he does with every other. The other part tells him to run.

He listens to the latter.

Kaeya shakes his wrist free and takes another step back, “I can’t-”.

He just needs to get out. He needs to go somewhere where he can think. He can think of a plan. He can figure out what to do.

That’s what he's always done. Kaeya has always been the quick thinker. The one to read the room and everyone in it in record time, and do so with such accuracy that it could almost be considered telepathy.

So why can’t he do that now?

How could he have been so unprepared for this?

The foyer is far too busy, Kaeya realises as he turns and takes a few hurried steps into it. He must be more uncoordinated than he realises because a few heads turn and face him. Each is a different face but it’s all the same expression. The Knight closest to the door is a woman that Kaeya doesn’t recognise but her face is so easy to read. Her lips are parted with words she’s still speaking to the man next to her, but her gaze is focused on Kaeya. What’s wrong? her eyes ask.

Everyone else is the same. Too many eyes. Too much focus. Too many prying questions that Kaeya can’t possibly answer.

He can’t be here. He- He needs to go somewhere else.

Kaeya turns and starts climbing the stairs. He forces his feet to not race, to go slower than the rapid beating of his heart.

“Kaeya, wait!” Jean calls out from somewhere behind him.

But Kaeya doesn’t pay her any mind. He can’t right now. He will later but first, he just needs to find somewhere he can think. A place where he can breathe. Kaeya knows the place he needs to go. He used to escape there all the time.

Kaeya rushes towards the door leading out to the Favonius HQ roof. He heaves a breath, sweat beading along his brow. He’s fine. He just needs a bit of fresh air. He reaches for the door, fingers fumbling with the metal handle. The door doesn’t budge. It’s locked.

“Damnit,” Kaeya mutters under his breath.

What’s he supposed to do now?

He tries the door again. It rattles but doesn’t open.

Kaeya heaves another breath. His chest suddenly so tight.

What does he do? What does he do?

He’ll just go somewhere else. That’s it. It’s a big building so surely there’s a single empty room.

He just needs to find a room on the lower floors.

Jean appears on the staircase, her eyes wide with a franticness that she usually saves for whenever her sister is ill.

“Where are you going?” She asks, following Kaeya as he makes his way back down the stairs.

Where is he going? Now that’s a great question.

“I don’t know,” Kaeya finally settles on.

Breathe, Kaeya, Breathe.

He can figure something out. That’s what he’s good at. That’s his whole thing. His thinking is the only reason he still has a job. It’s the only reason the Knights haven’t kicked him out. He can figure this out.

There are too many people on the ground floor so he can’t go there and that also rules out the Library. The third floor is mostly storerooms and a few boarding rooms so Kaeya doubts he’ll find a single unlocked room in there. The entrance to the roof is locked so unless he feels like scaling the walls he can’t go there either. So that leaves the second floor.

The second floor. Right. What’s on the second floor again?

Offices mostly. A few meeting rooms. And the Cavalry Captain’s office. Yes, that’ll do.

And Kaeya’s feet seem to agree. He can feel them moving there before he’s even made a conscious decision to do so.

“Kaeya,” Jean calls again, “just slow down.”

He’ll slow down once he’s figured out what to do. And he’ll be fine until then.

Kaeya reaches the second floor and finds the office door. He tries the handle. The door swings open.

He steps into the office. It doesn’t quite feel like his office—and technically it isn’t, it’s Diluc’s—but it’s familiar enough. Kaeya takes a breath and chokes it out a moment later.

It’s okay, he tells himself. He’s alone now. Now he can think. He can plan and figure out what he’s supposed to do. Kaeya starts pacing backwards and forwards, his feet moving of their own volition.

Right. From the top. What’s the first thing?

Father is alive.

Which is great but it also means that Kaeya now has to explain how everything fell apart. Father was—is—a smart man, so he’ll realise that his sons hate each other’s guts immediately. There’s also the whole problem of explaining how Father dies, and also explaining that it will probably happen in less than a year. And not only that but it will be an incredibly painful and tortuous death, only made somewhat bearable because Father’s real son delivers a mercy kill.

“Fuck, this is going to be annoying,” Kaeya mutters under his breath, his chest constricting with every passing moment.

“Kaeya,” Jean calls having stepped into the room, but Kaeya ignores it.

What else is there?

Diluc. The boring, brooding one.

Once he wakes up he’ll probably want to see Father. Or try to avoid him. Actually, the latter is more likely. If Diluc sees Father he’ll probably combust into a panic attack and die. Because of course, Master Diluc 'overachiever’ Ragnvindr would take the one thing you probably can’t die of and find a way to have it kill him.

But there’s not much Kaeya can do about that. Diluc self destruction is frankly none of his concern.

“Kaeya.”

Okay, but what about the other Diluc? The one still filled with sunshine and rainbows. How does Kaeya explain such a gruesome fate? Does Kaeya really have it in him to destroy all the hope and cheer in the younger Diluc’s life? Kaeya knows that he will ruin that Diluc’s life eventually, but with an ever looming pending Fatui invasion hanging over everyone’s head, now feels like the wrong time.

Maybe he could write everything down and deliver it as some twisted prophecy. He could even write a warning that trying to avoid said fate will only bring it about quicker. Yes, that could do. Instil some crazed fear and chaos while simultaneously relieving himself of all responsibility. That sounds like a great idea.

“Kaeya!”

He snaps his attention to the present.

Jean is kneeling in front of him, her hands on each of his shoulders.

“You’re hyperventilating,” she says, her voice measured and calm. “I need you to take in a deep breath for me.”

He’s not hyperventilating. That’s only what someone does when in a panic. And sure things aren’t feeling too great right now, but he’s fine.

“Kaeya,” Jean repeats, firmer this time, “Breathe.”

Kaeya obeys.

“And let it out slowly,” Jean continues her instructions.

Kaeya follows, his breaths flowing through his chest like a boat rocking on calm waters.

The world returns with a clarity that Kaeya hadn’t even realised he’d been missing. He’s sitting on the ground, leaning his back against one of the couches in the office. He can feel his fingertips pressing against the cold hardwood flooring. The room is silent with the only exception being the ticking of the old grandfather clock hanging proudly on the adjacent wall.

Wait, how did he end up on the ground?

Jean’s expression softens into a look of pity—something that Kaeya immediately hates—and she asks, “Are you okay?”

Kaeya lets out another slow breath and nods, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Jean’s mouth scrunches into a hard line, which means that she doesn’t believe that in the slightest. But, thankfully, she doesn’t press that particular manner any further.

“I’m so sorry, Kaeya,” Jean says with so much sincerity that one could think she orchestrated this whole thing. “I should have said something, but when I saw him I just- I froze.”

“By the Gods Jean, how are you apologising for that?”

The question must bite far more than Kaeya intended because Jean shrinks back a touch. She sighs again and opens her mouth to say something but snaps it shut at the sound of two sharp knocks at the office door.

Kaeya recognises the knock immediately, Father’s gold wedding band always created a distinct dullness when knocked against a wooden door. It had once been a quiet but consistent way for Father to announce himself. It always gave Kaeya and Diluc a small chance to hide whatever they were up to or stash away a bottle of wine they had stolen.

“Kaeya?” Father calls from behind the door.

Kaeya lets out a slow, shaky breath. He pushes himself from the ground, Jean shuffling back to give him space.

He should probably stop acting like a child and get this over with.

“You-” The words get caught in the back of his throat and Kaeya has to force himself to take another slow breath, “You can come in.”

A second later, the door gently swings open and Father steps into the room. He pushes the door behind him but doesn’t close the door all the way. It stays slightly ajar as if providing an easy escape. His movements are tense, with Father’s shoulders sitting too high to be comfortable.

His voice is low as he says, “The Outrider girl told me what happened. What… happens.”

He places extra emphasis on that last ‘s’, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studies Kaeya’s face for any sign of reaction.

Next to Kaeya, Jean says, “I can leave if you’d prefer.”

Kaeya’s silence must be enough of an answer because Jean offers a tight smile before quietly excusing herself from the room. The door clicks shut behind her.

And now it’s just the two of them.

The silence settles over Kaeya like damp clothes clinging to his skin. Father hasn’t made any move to come closer, his arms resing at his sides. He’s flexing his fingers which hints at some anxiety but his expression remains passive. It’s hard to determine if that’s for Kaeya’s sake or Father’s own.

Kaeya wasn’t exactly sure what this was going to be like. He expected to feel something after finally seeing Father—fear, anger, happiness, something—but right now he feels nothing. Just a passive emptiness.

“What…” Kaeya’s voice disappears nearly as quickly as he had found it. He pushes himself to continue, his low voice sounding so loud against the otherwise silent space, “What did Amber tell you?”

Father’s face softens and he shifts his gaze away from Kaeya for a brief moment. “A transport was attached by the Drake,” he says slowly, his expression turning pensive. “Diluc was lucky to survive, and I…” Father’s gaze unfocuses as he stares off into a distance that Kaeya can’t see, “...I don’t.”

It’s so surreal to hear Father explaining his death like it’s a story from someone else's life. There’s no mention of the terror that had ripped through Kaeya the moment he heard the telltale screech of the Drake and realised that it was attacking the road that Father and Diluc had departed for twenty minutes earlier. Father doesn’t have any idea of the suffering he goes through before his life ends. He doesn’t even know what the attack did to Diluc nor all the consequences that followed.

Diluc had lost so much blood by the time they’d found a healer. It was a miracle that he had survived at all. It was another miracle further that he returned from his time away at all.

“Kaeya,” Father says softly.

Kaeya forces himself to look up, to meet Father’s eyes. It always felt like he couldn’t hide much from Master Crepus—Father always seemed to know the thoughts in Kaeya’s mind before they’d even been voiced. Sometimes Keaya had wondered how much Father really knew. Had he seen through Kaeya’s years of lies?

He hadn’t, Kaeya knows. Master Crepus would never have offered him a place in his home if he had.

Father takes a small step forward, his voice soft, “Are you okay?”

And there’s that question again.

Why does such a single string of words seem to hold so much significance?

Kaeya opens his mouth to reply, but he loses the words immediately. Why does this keep happening?

Wordlessly, Kaeya moves to the bookshelf standing against the wall. He just needs something to take the edge off. Then the words will flow back to him.

His fingers brush over the spines of a few seldom touched books. He pulls away two of the larger ones, revealing a hidden bottle of rum tucked away behind them. The bottle is half finished and the last of a stash that Diluc had stolen from the Angel’s Share cellar when he was about fifteen. The two of them had worked through the handful of bottles over the years, and though Diluc had never seemed to enjoy the drink itself—which makes so much sense in hindsight—the time they spent together made it worth it.

It was a past that Kaeya was certain he could never return to, and yet here he is.

He pulls off the cap and brings the bottle to his lips. He glances over to Father as the harsh smell of cheap alcohol assaults his nose, “Don’t tell Diluc I showed you this.”

He tips his head back, taking several large mouthfuls of the rum. The spirit burns against the back of his throat, the warmth spreading throughout his chest. It tastes terrible but Kaeya hadn’t expected anything else. Diluc had taken the cheapest bottles he could find knowing that if he even dared to touch the more expensive blends someone would notice.

Father watches in silence, his expression caught somewhere between disapproval and concern, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he continues to stand in place, the only hint of his discomfort in the way he habitually flexes his fingers.

He’s waiting, Kaeya realises. He’s waiting for Kaeya to say something.

But the alcohol hasn’t kicked in fast enough for that to be a reality. Kaeya has enough experience to know that if he waits a few more minutes it will, but that's several more minutes he’d rather not spend waiting in silence. He raises the bottle again, feeling Father’s pensive stare following the movement, and swallows a few more bitter mouthfuls.

Finally, Kaeya decides to break the silence, “For a man who’s just found out he’s going to die you seem to be taking things remarkably well.”

Father’s expression shifts into an unimpressed glare, and Kaeya freezes for a moment, that expression feeling so familiar. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Diluc had taken after Father in all the physical ways—Ragnvindr genes are, apparently, historically strong—but it’s still strange to look at Father and see an older Diluc staring back.

“Well, at least one of us has remain composed,” Father offers, the corners of his lips turning upwards with a ghost of a smile.

“I’m not sure what you mean. I’m always perfectly composed,” Kaeya says, staring down the neck of the now nearly empty bottle of rum. He leans against the bookshelf and lets out another slow breath.

“I can see that,” Father offers dryly. “Only a truly composed man downs a quarter of a bottle of cheap rum in less than five minutes.”

It’s so dry, unmistakably sarcastic, that Kaeya can’t help but let out a hoarse laugh because it’s exactly the type of thing that Diluc would say. Kaeya had spent the last few years dismissing everything Diluc said as being too cold and boring, and yet here he is listening to Father saying the exact same sort of thing. All this time Diluc had just picked up Father’s sense of humour and somehow Kaeya had missed all that.

Kaeya sighs and slides his back down the bookshelf, coming to rest of the floor. He can feel the alcohol kicking in now, the edges of his mind numb and softening his thoughts. The world rocks back and forwards slightly with each movement of his head, a comforting warmth spreading from his head and settling on his chest.

Why is he even here? He knew he was going to meet Father eventually, but now that’s happened he’s not sure what to do next. For all the years that Kaeya has spent building contingency plans and reactions for every plausible event, he’s still completely unprepared for an event like this.

Father moves and sits down next to Kaeya, his mouth pressed into a firm line. He leaves a fair amount of room between the two of them, not wide enough to fit another person but not close enough to justify any physical contact. It’s almost as if there is an invisible barrier that only the two of them can see.

“I imagine this is quite a shock,” Father says, his low voice cutting through the silence.

Kaeya doesn’t look up from the ground, “I could say the same for you.”

Father lets out a thoughtful hum, “At the very least, this explains something your brother said yesterday.”

Kaeya’s gaze flicks up to the Father, “You’ve spoken with Diluc?”

“Yeah, I have,” Father nods. “Though with how many painkillers he was on, I doubt he remembers much. He seemed shocked to be alive, but in hindsight, he was probably shocked to see me alive.”

Kaeya falls silent again at yet another reminder that he’s talking to a ghost. Should he tell Father what happens? Should he say that the Delusion rips his body apart? It feels too cruel to do so; to tell Father about a fate that might not even be avoidable. If what Albedo says is true—if they have to all forget about this time travel mess to undo it—then what’s the point of even trying to prevent the future?

The silence stretches on, thick and uncomfortable, until Father clears his throat and asks, “Do you want me to leave?”

Kaeya can’t find the words to reply. He hates how this keeps happening. He’s supposed to be the smart one. The one who can outwit every other person in the room. And yet here he is, talking to a ghost, and not even being able to find the words he wants to say.

Father sighs quietly, Kaeya’s silence seeming to be enough of an answer. He begins to push himself off the ground but, before Kaeya has even put a thought into the action, he reaches out and grabs Father’s wrist.

It feels so wrong to be touching a man who should be dead.

“Do you want me to stay?” Father asks, and when Kaeya silently nods he readjusts himself back onto the floor.

There are so many things that Kaeya should say. So many things he should ask. He should ask why he had the Delusion in the first place. Ask him what kind of world he had been living in, that the kind, loving, and esteemed Master Crepus came into possession of such a dangerous, borrowed power.

Kaeya should tell Father the truth. Tell him the real reason that Kaeya came to Mondstadt. Father deserves to know that the son he adopted was only there to rip apart Mondstadt from the inside.

Kaeya has spent years regretting not telling Father when he had the chance.

Now he has that chance.

And yet, the words won’t leave his mouth.

Because at the crux of it all, Kaeya is selfish. This man—his Father—is going to die in less than a year and Kaeya won’t make him spend the last few months of his life questioning everything he thought he knew about his son. Kaeya’s not about to let Father hate him.

Not like he made Diluc hate him.

“Did you-” Kaeya’s voice catches in his throat, but the words still come out against his better judgement, “Did you ever regret taking me in?”

Kaeya doesn’t look up to see Father’s reaction, but he can take a guess. His brow is probably furrowed, confusion in his eyes. But he’ll remain steadfast and levelheaded, just as he always had.

“Of course not,” Father responds immediately. “I’d never regret you, Kaeya.”

Kaeya swallows, the warmth in his chest tightening into a painful ache, “What if you found out something that changed your mind?”

“Such as?”

Kaeya hesitates, he takes another sip from the bottle. The rum burns his mouth.

He shouldn’t even be saying this. He needs to just shut his mouth and move on. This conversation is far too risky to be having. He’s going to say something he’ll regret.

Despite that, the words tumble out anyway.

“What if I’m not who you think I am?” His voice is so soft that Kaeya hopes Father doesn’t hear it.

He can feel his throat tighten, tears pricking at the edges of his vision.

“If that’s the case,” Father responds thoughtfully, slowly, “I’d be quite impressed. It would be rather difficult to fake your life for almost ten years. Especially when you spent that decade as a child.” He pauses, perhaps waiting for Kaeya to say something, but after a bleated silence continues, “So, what do you think I don’t know about you?”

Kaeya can’t answer. He knows he can’t answer that. There are too many things he wants to say, but all of them have consequences that he can’t bring himself to live through. He’s done that once before, he won’t do it again.

Father continues, the sound of a warm smile in his voice, “Because the Kaeya I know is kind, and caring, and always picking up his brother’s messes. He loves his family and his home. He’s one of the best Knights the Ordo has seen, and, if Lady Eula is to be believed, you’ve made yourself quite indispensable.”

Kaeya looks down at the ground. Those words should be comforting; confirmation of Father’s approval. But they aren’t, not when they’re all built on years of lies and deceit.

“Do think any of that is untrue?” Father presses.

Yes.

All of it is.

A kind and caring person doesn’t ruin their brother’s life; they don’t blame their brother for their Father’s death and then send said brother on a years long spiral of self destruction. If Kaeya truly loved his family he never would have abandoned Adelinde and Elzer and left them to pick up the pieces of a mess he couldn’t even begin to face. If he was even half as valuable to the Ordo as people like to think, then he wouldn’t drink his nights away and hand all of his work off to Jean.

If he was even a fraction of the type of person that Father believes him to be, then Kaeya wouldn’t be doubting his loyalties.

He doesn’t want to betray Mondstadt if the occasion ever arises, but he could. He knows he could because he already betrayed the most important person in his life. Kaeya doesn’t want to hurt his home, but it’s still a plausible possibility that he will.

And that uncertainty all but seals his fate as the lying, hypocritical traitor he knows himself to be.

But Father doesn’t know that.

He doesn't know any of it and he’s going to die only knowing the lie that Kaeya is.

He glances down at the Vision lying against his thigh, the cold artifact a constant reminder of all the things he can never say. An everpresent proof that he will spend the rest of his life hurting everyone he loves.

“Kaeya?” Father presses, a hesitant hand coming to rest on Kaeya’s shoulder.

The touch is warm and gentle. Grounding and comforting. Father is holding his shoulder. With his real, physical hand.

Because right now in this very moment, Father is alive.

“I miss you,” Kaeya whispers staring at the ground, the ache in his chest and tightness of his throat doubling in intensity.

Father grips Kaeya’s shoulder tighter, “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”

Kaeya can’t help but choke out a half baked laugh, that quip not doing anything to alleviate the growing pressure behind his eyes.

He’s not going to start crying over this. He’s already spent months mourning Father’s death, and he isn’t about to do that all over again. Kaeya has had his time to grieve and he’d be selfish to do that again during a crisis like this.

“You don’t have to tell me everything,” Father offers quietly, his voice so familiar that Kaeya could probably close his eyes and convince himself it was Diluc talking. “But I promise you, Kaeya,” he tightens his grip even tighter, “you will always be my son, and I will always love you.”

Kaeya doesn’t want to look up to meet Father’s eyes—he doesn’t want to risk seeing something he’ll regret—but he does so anyway. There’s no judgement or fear in Father’s eyes—nothing like Kaeya feared—and instead just pure, unadulterated love. Something so reminiscent of all the years that Kaeya spent under Father’s care. It’s the exact same expression that Father wore the day he asked Kaeya to officially become a part of his family.

Father’s lips tighten, but the warmth in his eyes doesn't waver. He leans forward, crossing that invisible line entirely, and wraps both of his arms around Kaeya. Father’s arms are strong and pull Kaeya in so close that it leaves no room for half truths and lies. All that there’s room for is the steadiness that Kaeya only ever felt a few times as a child, back when the world didn’t feel nearly as cruel.

Father’s fingers are feeding gently through Kaeya’s hair, the action reminiscent of when Kaeya was young and sick. Kaeya can hear the steady beat of Father’s heart as he leans in closer, the rhythm seeming to steady his own. There’s an impossible warmth seeping through Kaeya, pushing back against the cold of the Vision that’s supposed to define him.

Kaeya doesn’t even realise his hands are trembling until he grips tightly onto the back of Father’s shirt, a few locks of crimson hair getting caught in the hold. He presses his face into the crook of Father’s neck as if that action could anchor this moment and last forever.

Because this shouldn’t be possible.

Father should be dead.

But instead, he’s right here.

Alive.

Kaeya can feel his breaths starting to hitch, and he has to remind himself that he doesn’t have time to mourn this. There’s far too much to do to be wasting time on emotions he’s already come to terms with.

Still, he doesn’t move away and lets the embrace carry on. He doesn’t want it to end. He wants Father to continue rubbing soothing circles on his back forever. He never wants to let go.

But he has to eventually.

And he certainly has to as Father pulls away.

“I mean what I say, Kaeya,” Father reassures, his hands lingering on Kaeya’s shoulders for a moment longer. “I hope you know that.”

Kaeya swallows, forcing himself to nod and meet Father’s gaze. He knows Father means every word that he says. Master Crepus never had a reputation for anything less of that. If anyone were to love Kaeya unconditionally, then it would be Father. But there is only so far unconditional love can go and Kaeya knows he’s crossed that boundary countless times.

He tries to force a smile, at least for Father’s sake, but it feels thin, stretched, and faked. Usually his forced whimsy is more believable than that.

It doesn’t seem to faze Father though, Kaeya thinks as that warm and loving gaze remains.

It only makes Kaeya’s Vision feel colder.

Chapter Text

It's been nearly two days since Kaeya's run in with Eroch, and he's only just managed to pull Jean aside. They both walk from the Captain's meeting they just spent an hour sitting through, out of HQ, and find a quiet spot in the adjacent park to talk. In Jean's hands is a list of names, each marked with either a tick or a cross.

She spent much of yesterday talking to any civilians from their time she could find and collated a list of people who have yet to arrive in this past world. The list is ever changing, with more and more people arriving each day. The only thing they have working in their favour is that Varka—the future one they're most familiar with—had essentially taken three quarters of the population on his expedition. Kaeya can't even begin to imagine how much harder everything would be if they were grappling with double the population.

Jean seems to be taking it in stride though, as always, and Kaeya would have helped her yesterday if he hadn't had such a big… distraction.

Father had stayed with him in the Cavalry Captain's office for about an hour. Few words were shared between them, but just being able to feel Father's presence was enough for Kaeya. It reminded Kaeya of a quiet comfort he hadn't even realised he'd been missing.

But eventually, Father had to leave. In his wake, he left a dull, empty ache in Kaeya's chest—something he didn't even bother trying to ignore. It had been easy to fill, half a bottle of premium dandelion wine summoned from Kaeya's pack and downed just moments after the office door clicked shut. It hadn't acted nearly as fast as the rum had, but it tasted better and it felt right to be mourning Father with the man's own brew.

Because, Kaeya cruelly reminds himself, even if Father is alive now he's either going to die again or Kaeya is going to return to a world where he's already dead.

He can still feel the after effects of the wine and rum on his mind now. It's manifested itself as a slight pressure around his head, but it's easy to ignore and doesn't hinder his thoughts too much. He'd been able to pay attention during the Captain's meeting earlier, which was quite the feat given how boring it had been.

The number of attendees had been slashed, and without Otto or Louis there to liven things up, the discussion had been bland at best. Diluc—the past version of Diluc—seemed to share the same sentiment, his eyes filled with boredom for most of the meeting. Part of Kaeya wonders what exactly had been going on in his mind during that long hour. Diluc used to show nothing but unbridled enthusiasm at anything to do with the Ordo.

He seemed to perk up when Varka mentioned plans for a city wide gala, as did Kaeya himself. It's set for Friday night and Kaeya for one can't wait. Not only will it be a good chance for all the civilians and Knights to relax and unwind, but the Church and Ordo will be footing the bill for all the food and drinks.

Diluc had promised Varka he'd speak with Father to organise enough wine to last the entire night. It was at that moment that Kaeya realised that Diluc probably doesn't know what happens to Father.

Kaeya knows he should say something. Diluc deserves to know. He deserves some sort of warning.

But Kaeya knows he can't be the one to say it.

Besides, Diluc is smart. He'll probably figure it out himself.

"Are you alright?" Jean asks as they take a seat on one of the park benches.

"I'm fine," Kaeya says, despite knowing that Jean isn't asking that for the sake of small talk.

She's wanting to figure out what happened yesterday, but Kaeya doesn't think any of it needs talking about.

"So," Kaeya drags the syllable on for a moment too long, hoping to distract Jean from her question, "we may have a slight problem."

Jean snaps her attention up from the document in her hands, her gaze suddenly stone cold, "What did you do?"

It's such a flip from how she was just moments prior that Kaeya almost laughs. He doesn't though, knowing Jean won't appreciate that in the slightest.

"You're always assuming the worst of me," Kaeya pouts, but Jean's expression doesn't waver. He sighs exasperatedly, and when that still doesn't shift Jean's gaze, he finally admits, "Eroch may have caught me snooping in his office."

The way that Jean's face shifts through a variety of emotions is, once again, almost laughable. First, her eyes widen in shock as she processes what Kaeya just said, and then the edges of her eyes crease in concern before her eyebrows scrunch inwards and down in poorly hidden anger.

Her hands tighten around the piece of paper in her hands, the paper audibly crinkling.

She takes a slow breath, but that doesn't hide the frustration in her voice, "What happened when he caught you?"

"Initially," Kaeya begins, his tone light because this isn't nearly as serious as Jean seems to think it is, "I thought he was going to kill me." Jean inhales sharply, but Kaeya continues, "But he didn't, thankfully, and even allowed me to walk out with these."

Kaeya summons the three folders from his pack and offers them to Jean, who hesitantly takes them from his hand. She flicks through the folders, her face drawing into concern as she skims each page.

"He let you take these?" Jean asks, gently rolling her lower lip between her teeth as she continues to scan the documents.

Kaeya nods, "He even mentioned that they would be 'useful' to our investigation."

"Which means we probably can't trust anything that's in here."

That had been Kaeya's initial thought too, but reading through the documents had mentioned many things that Kaeya knows to be true. Facts and observations about the three of them, for example, are far too accurate to write off as nothing more than speculation. Someone had been tracking them for weeks, possibly longer.

There's likely some false information in amongst all the facts, there to throw them off Eroch's track. The hard part is going to be separating fact from fiction.

"What's the 'Red Dead of the Night'?" Jean asks, her brow scrunched in confusion as she skims through the folder titles with Diluc's name.

Kaeya shrugs, "I'd never heard of it until I found these folders."

"It could be tied to his persona non grata," Jeans muses.

That's what Kaeya had thought, too. Though the official reason was tied to the ongoing market war between Diluc and the Fatui, with Diluc still buying up every counterfeit vial of the Anemo Archon's breath in sight, Kaeya had always assumed there to be a bigger reason. This 'Red Dead of the Night' might just be that.

"I still can't believe you got yourself caught," Jean mutters. "And now he knows we're onto him."

Kaeya pouts again, Jean really is reading far too deep into this.

"He's always known," Kaeya leans back into the park bench and rolls his eyes.

It's a gesture that Jean must not appreciate because her next question is accompanied by a cold look, "And what makes you say that?"

"I had a hunch."

"I imagine you also had a hunch that you wouldn't get caught."

Now that's just rude.

"You're being reckless, Kaeya," Jean continues. "Just because we caught him before doesn't mean this time will be easier. If you're not careful, you're going to get yourself or someone else killed."

Kaeya knows that won't happen. Eroch has too much on the line to risk something like murder. Most of the civilians from Kaeya's time are moving around the city now, and if they're not staying at the Cathedral, they've moved in with family or friends. If Eroch isn't careful, rumours will spread, and he'll get himself exposed before Jean and Kaeya even have time to gather the evidence they need.

And Eroch knows that too. Kaeya can't think of a single other reason that he's only made an appearance during the Captain's meetings.

He doesn't tell Jean that, though. She's always been far more concerned with playing things safe that Kaeya knows all his reasons will fall on deaf ears. It's not something that Kaeya dislikes—he actually appreciates it on occasion—but it doesn't make it any less frustrating.

But Kaeya supposes that's all the more reason to prove to Jean that he's right not through just words, but with his actions—even if that means doing some things without Jean's knowledge for the time being.

The silence between them stretches on for a few moments, only interrupted as Jean hands the three folders back to Kaeya and resumes the paperwork she had been working on previously.

Finally, she opens her mouth and says, "I've spoken with Eula, and she's managed to organise a patrol near the Temple of the Thousand Winds."

"And you'll join her, I presume?" Kaeya says, vanishing the three folders into his pack.

Eroch had a small storehouse hidden away within the ruins. It had been locked behind multiple ancient mechanisms, and so well hidden that the only reason Kaeya had ever come to know about it was because some seasoned Adventurers stumbled across it. Inside had been multitudes of correspondences with the Fatui, an incriminating Delusion, and even a handful of letters that mentioned Eroch by name. Not that the last bit of evidence had been much help, since Jean and Kaeya still had to intercept a fresh message with Eroch’s name on it to truly prove his guilt.

“That’s the plan,” Jean says, marking a tick across the top of the sheet of paper in her hand.

Kaeya hums in contemplation, "You might not find anything in there."

If Eroch is as smart as Kaeya knows him to be, then he would have emptied the storeroom the moment this time travel fiasco started.

"I know, but it's worth a try."

Kaeya supposes that Jean has a good point. There's no point in ruling out an option without exploring it first.

"In the meantime," Jean continues, her attention still fixed on the handful of papers in her hands, "I want you to show the folders to Diluc. He might know something about them."

Kaeya has to force himself not to grumble out a breath. He was really hoping Jean wouldn't say that.

"I'd be happy to," an immediate lie, "but last I heard Prince Charming is still drugged out of his mind."

Kaeya expects some kind of reprimand for his word choice, but Jean doesn't offer any.

Instead, she says, "He's awake now. I spoke to him this morning."

This time, Kaeya does grumble out a defeated sigh, "I'll try, but don't expect him to tell me anything."

Jean offers a tight smile, "I think you should talk to him."

Kaeya forces himself to look away, hating how Jean's eyes swirl with unmistakable pity. She's probably still thinking about what happened yesterday, and Kaeya would personally like for her to completely forget about that. He still can't believe he had a panic attack because he saw his Father. He isn't a child anymore. He's an adult and responsible for the entire Cavalry. He should be able to keep a level head at all times.

But he hadn't. It's honestly embarrassing.

Kaeya waits, but Jean doesn't fill in the silence, so he asks, "How are his hands?"

The burns he inflected on himself were so bad that Kaeya was surprised that Diluc didn't have his arms amputated. They should heal eventually—especially because Jean was able to start healing him so quickly—but it might take a long time. And likely prolonged further because Diluc Ragnvindr is not known for being able to sit still.

Jean smirks playfully, "You'll have to go and ask him yourself."

Kaeya sighs. He walked into that one.

The walk to the Cathedral isn't that far, but each step still reminds Kaeya that he would rather be doing anything else right now. Diluc is irritable enough on a good day, so him being under the influence of a cocktail of painkillers will probably only make that worse. And that's before even throwing Kaeya's mere presence into the mix.

Kaeya can picture it already. Diluc, sitting tall in his bed—because of course Master Diluc Ragnvindr would pretend everything is fine despite almost dying—his red eyes glaring with annoyance. Kaeya will then ask Diluc about the folders, and the only responses he'll receive are vague comments and poorly told half truths.

Kaeya forces a polite smile as he makes his way into the Cathedral. The Sisters greet him warmly and one of them is kind enough to lead him down the narrow halls to Diluc's room.

As they reach the door, Kaeya feels a flicker of apprehension. Why does Jean always give him the worst tasks? Maybe she's still mad at him for disobeying her orders and falling into that Ley Line Blossom.

Kaeya swings the door open, and finds himself pausing at the sight before him.

Diluc is hardly what Kaeya envisioned. He's sitting up in the bed but visibly worn down. His usual polished appearance is nowhere to be found, his hair dishevelled with frizzy strands sticking out at every possible angle. The dim light of the room makes his skin look even paler than it actually is, further contrasted by the off white gauze wrapping both of his arms from shoulders to fingertips.

Diluc glances up as Kaeya enters the room, and though his gaze is sharp it's missing a certain firmity that Kaeya's used to. There are hints of exhaustion mixed in with hazy pain, even though Diluc doesn't seem to be making any movement to aggravate his injuries.

He, quite frankly, looks terrible.

Kaeya lights up his face with a faint smile as he shuts the door behind him, "You look positively charming, Master Diluc. Though, your bed hair could probably use some work."

Diluc doesn't seem to appreciate that comment, his expression falling into a half hearted glare, "Is that supposed to be funny?"

Kaeya has to force himself to ignore the way he sees Father's face staring back at him. He's always known that Diluc looks like Father, this shouldn't be a shock.

"Only a little," Kaeya replies, his voice light.

Diluc doesn't find the humour, his gaze only falling further flat, "Can I help you with something?"

Always straight to business, as ever. Father would be proud.

"You might be able to," Kaeya says, pushing himself away from the wall and summoning the three folders in the same motion. He tosses them onto the bed, where they land haphazardly in Diluc's lap, "Do you know anything about these?"

Diluc visibly hesitates for a moment, before picking up the first folder with shaky hands. He opens the folder itself with little effort but seems to struggle flicking between the individual pages. It's no doubt due to the bandages limiting his movement and any pain he's still feeling. But visible struggle aside, Diluc doesn't complain.

There's a small part of Kaeya that knows he should offer to help, but he promptly ignores it. There's almost a hint of sick satisfaction at the sight, knowing that for the first time in probably a lifetime, Diluc's actions finally have real consequences. It's a thought that Kaeya immediately regrets, but that's not the first and likely won't be the last.

"These are quite detailed," Diluc says and there isn't any hint of surprise in his voice. "Where did you find these?"

"Eroch's office. Though take everything with a pinch of salt since he practically handed them to me."

Diluc offers a low hum of acknowledgement, "So it's probably meant to throw you off his track."

The use of 'you' instead of 'we' sticks out more than it probably should. Diluc isn't exactly renowned for keeping his nose out of other people's business, so him speaking like he's not going to involve himself sets off a few of Kaeya's internal alarm bells. It could be something as simple as Diluc finally acknowledging that he's going to be out of action for some time, or it could mean that he's planning on taking care of things in his lonesome.

Kaeya hopes it's not the latter. That would complicate things.

Diluc continues flipping through Jean's file, and when he's finished he moves to Kaeya's. He doesn't offer any verbal analysis but is no doubt doing so in his mind.

"Did you know someone was following you?" Diluc asks, not looking up from the file.

Kaeya sighs and crosses his arms—a gesture that Diluc probably doesn't notice, "No, I didn't notice anything."

Which is something Kaeya can't understand. He knows he's more perceptive than most, and he knows he can tell when eyes are watching him. Those folders have detailed information on not just his general self, but nearly a month's worth of observations. They had tracked patrols, general outings, and even trips to the tavern. So how could someone have managed to record all that without Kaeya having even the slightest inclination that something was wrong?

Kaeya waits a few more moments for Diluc to move to the final folder before asking, "What's the 'Red Dead of Night'?"

The way that Diluc's shoulder tense is a dead giveaway that this is a seldom breached topic. His eyes glance over the first page of his folder a few more times, his expression wavering between confusion and quiet concern. Diluc obviously knows what it is.

His words, unfortunately, insist on telling another story, "I've never heard of it before."

Diluc looks up to make eye contact, perhaps in an attempt to sell the lie. Instead, it has the opposite effect. The way he struggles to maintain straight eye contact all but proves the lie.

Kaeya knows that he should press Diluc about it. It could be important to the investigation—and it might also explain the real reason the Fatui seem to hate him—but Kaeya, for the first time in a while, doesn't have the energy to get into another menial argument with Diluc. He's probably annoyed Diluc enough just by being here, so trying to draw out information that he isn't ready to share will likely spark an argument that the Sisters will be forced to deal with.

Diluc flicks the final folder closed, his hands still shaking until they come to rest on his lap, "I'm not sure why Eroch would have given you these. Usually, the Fatui tries to keep these things hidden."

Kaeya had thought that would be the case. There must be some good reason for it though. It could be to throw Kaeya off Eroch's tracks entirely, but that seems too easy. So what else could it be?"

"Do you know if the Fatui makes many information packets like these?"

Diluc shrugs, but the action must be more painful than he anticipated because he winces in pain.

"It's hard to say," Diluc offers quietly and though he makes no verbal mention of it, Kaeya can still see the pain in his expression.

Kaeya ignores the stab of worry in his chest. He has to remind himself that this is what Diluc deserves. He's spent long enough risking his life and walking away without any injury to prove it. Hopefully, the pain he's feeling right now will teach him to be more careful, or at the very least teach him to communicate his plans with someone else.

Diluc hadn't always been like this, Kaeya has to remind himself. There was once a time when Diluc freely trusted the world. But that had all changed six years ago—and also technically in another year's time—and Kaeya shoulders most of the blame for that.

"I saw Father," Kaeya says if only to move on from that last thought.

Diluc takes a moment to process that. His eyes widening a touch before narrowing down again.

"What…" He trails off and takes an audible breath before continuing, "What was that like?"

Kaeya scoffs, "Are you familiar with the phrase 'you look like you've seen a ghost'?"

"It was that bad?" Diluc looks away, his voice soft.

Kaeya, for the first time in a while, doesn't have a good answer to that.

He's only telling this because Diluc deserves some sort of warning. If Kaeya himself managed to spur into a panic just from the sight of Father then he can't even begin to imagine how Diluc will react. And it won't be fair to Father either, to see his own flesh and blood combusting into a ball of self destructive panic just at the sight of him.

Kaeya's only telling Diluc this to mitigate the future damages. That's all.

"He said he spoke with you a few days ago," Kaeya continues, unprompted.

Diluc's expression is once again easy to read, his lips piercing together as he fits that information together with something else in his mind.

"I thought that was a dream," Diluc says and all but confirms Kaeya's assumption.

Diluc looks away, and Kaeya gets the feeling that he should press further and ask what exactly happened between the two of them. But Kaeya doesn't. He's long given up his right to privy to Diluc's life.

"Jean and I are trying to find some evidence to use against Eroch," Kaeya begins, watching as Diluc's expression shifts to a more guarded stance. "If you can think of anything that might help, let us know."

Diluc raises an eyebrow, glancing pointedly at the folders lying on his lap, "Aren't these evidence enough?"

Kaeya once again has to force himself to ignore the way he sees Father in Diluc's face, "We need something more concrete. The folders don't even mention his name."

"You found them in his office," Diluc expression hardens, his eyes unimpressed.

For someone so smart Diluc is infuriatingly thick sometimes, "I have no proof of that. And even if Jean was there with me, that still wouldn't be enough."

Diluc scoffs, leaning back into the bed's headboard, "There's an active traitor in the Knights' ranks, and you're letting bureaucracy get in the way."

Kaeya takes a deep breath, reminding himself that he doesn't have the time nor energy to get into an argument over this, "I think you're forgetting that this is the Inspector we're up against. His role is practically untouchable by design. What do you think it'll look like if the Acting Grand Master and her right hand man start throwing around accusations of treason without any hard evidence?"

Diluc goes silent, but Kaeya can still see the anger simmering behind his eyes. Diluc doesn't have the right to be questioning how Kaeya and Jean are going about this. He wasn't even in Mondstadt when Eroch was unseated last time. Instead, he was off galavanting around the continent while Jean and Kaeya had to do all the hard work.

Kaeya lets out a long, exasperated sigh and brings his hands up to massage his temples, willing away the frustration, "Jean and I are going to do what we can. In the meantime, I need you to understand that if we find Eroch dead under mysterious circumstances, you will be suspect number one."

Diluc's response is cold, "I'm offended you think I'd be so reckless as to leave a body."

"Diluc, I'm serious."

For a brief moment, Kaeya is concerned that Diluc is serious too. There's a dark resolve behind his eyes. It's hard to read exactly what it means, but whatever it is doesn't bode well with Kaeya.

The silence stretches on for a few more tense moments, but finally, Diluc sighs and relaxes his shoulders. The action must once again hurt, but he doesn't make any mention of it.

"Kaeya, I-" He snaps his mouth shut, leaving Kaeya to wonder what exactly he's trying to say, before taking another, almost reluctant breath. "Can you- Can you tie my hair back? I can't do it myself," Diluc gestures to his own shaky hands.

Kaeya blinks a few times, his patience continuing to fray. If Diluc says one more ridiculous thing, then Kaeya might actually kill him.

Chapter Text

Kaeya sighs, staring down at Diluc's reluctant stance. Of all the things he's expected Diluc to say, this was not one of them. Maybe some awkward apology for everything he's put Kaeya through, or even something that might help them bring down Eroch. Just not this.

"You're serious?" Kaeya asks, half hoping Diluc will glare and say he was joking.

But he doesn't. Instead, Diluc nods stiffly, leaving Kaeya to sharply exhale through his nose and move across the room towards the bedside table.

He searches the drawer and finds a couple of hair ties and a small brush in amongst all the other miscellaneous items typical of a Cathedral room. Kaeya takes one of the stray ties and twirls it in his fingers for no reason other than to busy himself for a moment.

Diluc hasn't said anything since his small request, and the silence feels heavy and suffocating. It's hard to tell if Diluc feels the same or if the residual painkillers in his system are making him completely unaware of the change in atmosphere. Kaeya likes to think it's the latter; he can't think of a single other reason that Diluc would make such an absurd request other than the medication impeding his decision making.

"You really are helpless without me, aren't you?" Kaeya means for the words to be sharp, but he can hear them wavering at the edges.

"Believe it or not," Diluc mutters, his tone dry, "you're not the first person I asked."

Kaeya laughs under his breath, but it feels hollow. He picks up the brush and starts tugging away at all the tangles in knots in Diluc's hair. Some fall away easily, others—particularly those closer to Diluc's neck—don't. Diluc doesn't complain about how long it's taking, and he shouldn't because he's lucky Kaeya even agreed to do this at all.

Gods, what has gotten into Diluc that he's suddenly comfortable with Kaeya getting close enough to touch his hair? They haven't been like that in years, and usually, Diluc spends most of his time being disgusted just by Kaeya's mere presence.

Kaeya makes another pass with the brush, and he has to ignore the collage of bruises littering the back of Diluc's neck and shoulders. They stretch up to as far as where Diluc's hairline meets his neck and extend down past his shirt. They're all an ugly array of brown and blue, but at the very least the colouring hints that they're healing. It must hurt like hell though.

The brush passes through Diluc's hair again, but this time it gets caught on a particularly stubborn knot. Diluc's head is pulled back by the motion and he inhales sharply.

"Does it hurt?" Kaeya asks, hesitant, as he focuses on that one particular knot.

Diluc doesn't answer for a moment, but finally, he says, "Everything hurts."

The sudden honesty catches Kaeya off guard, his hands pausing. He shouldn't hate this, but he does.

It's not fair that Diluc is this honest all of a sudden. He never admits anything to Kaeya anymore. He could be openly bleeding to death, and Diluc would stand tall and tell Kaeya that he was feeling fine. So where is that now? It's the painkillers, Kaeya reminds himself. Diluc's not in the right mind because if he was he wouldn't be telling Kaeya any of this.

Kaeya made that the case when he opened his mouth all those years ago.

"There," Kaeya mutters as he loops Diluc's hair around the tie into a loose, low pony. "Happy now?"

Diluc doesn't respond immediately. Instead, he stares down and twitches his fingers as if testing how much movement he has amongst the layers of gauze. It must not be much, given how he gives up almost immediately, his still shaking hands coming to a rest on his lap.

"You could have just refused," he finally says, his voice low.

Kaeya scoffs, and places the hairbrush back in the bedside table drawer, "And let you sit in here looking like a feral animal? That's hardly fitting for the esteemed Master Diluc. Even half dead, appearances must be maintained, no?"

The jab is petty at best, and Diluc doesn't rise to the bait.

Diluc huffs, a pale imitation of his usual aloof scoff, "How noble of you. I'll have to remember that for next time."

"Maybe don't almost get yourself killed and there won't be a next time."

The words come out far sharper than Kaeya intended, but Diluc doesn't so much as flinch.

"I apologise," he says dryly, and so infuriatingly sarcastic, "I forget that my actions hurt the Knight's image."

"That's not my point, and you know that."

"Then what is your point?" Diluc stares up at Kaeya, "It worked. Everyone survived. That's all that matters."

"'That's all that matters'?" Kaeya repeats, and he has to make a conscious effort to keep his tone level. "Are you even listening to yourself? You could have died, Diluc."

Diluc's gaze sharpens, but his tone remains flat, "I did what needed to be done. You can spare me the lecture."

"Gods, Diluc!" Kaeya snaps, because how can this man not care that he almost died?

"I survived, and so did everyone else," Diluc says curtly, his tone completely dismissive of this entire conversation. "The Fatui didn't overrun the city and there was enough of a break in their line that they retreated."

Kaeya can feel his breathing hitch. How can Diluc talk about this like it's some event that happened years ago? It happened days ago, and he almost got himself killed over it.

"That's not the point," Kaeya says again with a deep breath.

"Then what is the point?" Diluc presses. "Hundreds of lives were on the line, and besides me, there were no casualties."

By the Archons, Diluc isn't listening to a single thing that's coming out of his mouth, is he?

"You think I don't know that?" Something inside Kaeya snaps, and he can feel his composure chipping away in the only way that Diluc's pure stupidity can incite.

Diluc's expression falls into a frown, but he doesn't offer any reply.

Kaeya exhales shakily, "I was the one that ordered the second round of arrows. I knew exactly what I was doing, and I knew that you were going to get caught in the crossfire."

Kaeya waits for Diluc to say something, anything, but his expression doesn't shift.

So, he continues, "And I'd do it again. If I had to, I would make the exact same call because it saved hundreds of lives. Because that's my job as Captain."

Diluc's gaze softens just a touch, but his response is still just as distant as before, "You made the right call."

"I know!" Kaeya clenches his fists, just to send the frustration anywhere else. "But you're missing the point of this! You threw yourself into a death trap, and you don't even care. You set off an Overloaded reaction with Electro slime still on your hands!"

Kaeya gestures pointedly to Diluc's wrapped arm, to truly illustrate the gravity of this.

Diluc is supposed to be smart. He shouldn't be acting like this. He knew what the risks were. But instead of playing things safe, he multiplied said risks by not paying attention to the very volatile Electro slime. He's lucky his arms weren't blown off entirely, and he'll be luckier still if he manages to recover from this without any long lasting damage.

And then to top everything off, he made all of this Kaeya's problem. If Diluc had just given up when the first round of arrows failed to land, he wouldn't be sitting in the Cathedral right now. Kaeya never would have had to order that second round of arrows. They would have come up with another way to defeat the Fatui.

One that didn't almost make Kaeya responsible for Diluc's death.

Diluc looks away, and his fingers clenching as much as the bandages allow. "You're overthinking this," he says quietly.

Kaeya lets out a short, bitter laugh, "Right. Of course. 'Overthinking'."

For a long, stretched out moment, the room is silent. Diluc won't make eye contact anymore, which means that he must be at least somewhat considering what Kaeya said. But, in true Diluc fashion, he'll promptly ignore it and then try and throw his life away the next time he's given a chance to play hero.

Kaeya exhales slowly, his words still clipped, "You survived this, but that doesn't mean you'll survive the next thing."

Diluc, predictably, doesn't respond.

Another long breath and Kaeya runs his fingers through his hair. He doesn't even know why he bothers. Diluc doesn't listen to anyone on the best days, so why should he listen to Kaeya while sitting in agony on a Cathedral bed?

"Jean and I will deal with Eroch," Kaeya settles on because it's becoming ever clearer that this entire conversation was a lost cause. "I'll let you know if anything important happens."

Diluc tilts his head backwards to rest against the headboard, his eyes slipping shut. "Noted," he mutters.

Kaeya rolls his jaw before turning towards the door, "Try not to kneel over and die while I'm gone."

He doesn't wait for a response before closing the door behind him.

The assaulting sunlight in his eye as he leaves the Cathedral does nothing to abate the rage simmering under Kaeya's skin. It's not the first time Diluc has riled him up like this, and likely won't be the last. Even as children—even with how close they used to be—the two of them still bickered relentlessly.

Kaeya remembers one particular winter when he destroyed a school project that Diluc had spent weeks on. The destruction was an accident, but the following argument hadn't exactly been. Things had gotten out of hand quickly and resulted in the two of them giving each other the silent treatment for nearly a week. The only reason they had started speaking again was because Adelinde had gotten so over the silent dinners, that she locked both of them in the cold cellar and wouldn't let them out until they apologised.

Looking back, Kaeya can't help but laugh at how stubborn they'd been. He once thought they might outgrow it, but look at them now. But amusing as that may be, the doesn't help him right now.

The day is only half over so Kaeya has quite a few hours to kill before he can justify having a drink to calm his nerves. That also means that he can't walk around the city sulking like a child who's had their favourite toy taken away. So, Kaeya musters a pleasant, believable smile and makes his way towards the city plaza.

He still needs to figure out what his next course of action regarding Eroch will be. Jean will be leaving with Eula to investigate the old storehouse, and Kaeya's already snooped around Eroch's office. Besides that, he can't think of where else to look. He could always try the Grand Master's office—Kaeya knows how easy it is to miss something hiding in plain sight—but that might run the risk of Varka getting involved.

He'll tell Varka eventually, Kaeya promises himself. He just knows he has to wait until they have enough evidence.

Kaeya slows his pace as he notices a familiar figure leaning casually against the railings of the Cathedral stairs.

"What's got you in such a mood?" The younger version of Diluc asks, completely skipping any form of greeting.

Kaeya isn't exactly sure what he means, and his expression must speak louder than his silence because Diluc further clarifies.

"The corner of your eye twitches when you're annoyed," Diluc points to his own left eye to further the point. "You've done it forever."

It's at that moment that Kaeya can feel the corner of his eye twitching slightly. It must not be too obvious since Jean has never pointed it out, but Kaeya still can't help but wonder how he's never noticed one of his own tells.

Kaeya tilts his head, a slight lilt in his tone, "And here I thought I was the observant one."

Diluc raises an eyebrow, unimpressed, "So what's got you so annoyed?"

"You."

Diluc blinks, clearly not expecting that, "Me?"

"Well, not you 'you'," Kaeya says, a chuckle escaping his lips before he has the thought to stop it. "The older you. I'll just warn you now, you become a real asshole when you grow up."

Diluc's eyes narrow as he tries to decide whether Keaya is being serious or making a joke. He must have decided on the latter because his next sentence is sharp and dry, "Sounds delightful."

Kaeya has to ignore how wrong the sarcasm feels coming from the younger version of Diluc. He knows that Diluc has always been like that to some extent, but there was once a time when the dryness wasn't so free flowing.

Diluc pushes himself off the railing, crossing his arms across his chest in an eerily familiar gesture. It's the same way that the Diluc Kaeya is used to stands whenever he's not doing something with his hands. Only now, this Diluc is lacking all of the coldness and ire that Kaeya is all too familiar with.

The similarities shouldn't shock Kaeya—both Dilucs are technically the same person, and six years isn't all that long in the grand scheme of things—but it is for some reason.

"I'd like to meet him," Diluc says, casually but with genuine curiosity mixed in.

Kaeya isn't surprised by this since even now Diluc's curiosity is completely insatiable. He's always been exploring some new idea or figuratively poking a bee hive just to see what would happen. And in any other circumstance, Kaeya would be more than happy to lead this younger version of Diluc up the stairs to meet his older counterpart. But now probably isn't the right time.

Between half of the Ordo still not entirely trusting Kaeya and the impending Fatui invasion, the last thing they need is any more fractures in the ranks. Kaeya's Diluc will no doubt tell his younger self not to trust the Knights, Varka, the Ordo as a whole, and most importantly, not to trust the person he thinks is his brother. It will tear this younger, more naive version of Diluc apart and Kaeya isn't willing to do that to him.

Not yet at least.

"Maybe now isn't the best time," Kaeya says, being careful to keep his tone casual because he knows Diluc is far more attentive than most people believe. "He's still recovering and might need some space."

Diluc narrows his eyes, perhaps realising that there's some other unvoiced reason, but he's not sceptical enough to argue, "Maybe some other day then."

Relieved that that went far smoother than anticipated, Kaeya takes the opportunity to pivot away from that topic, "I hear you've started your disciplinary action. How are the late nights going? Do I need to bring you some coffee?"

Diluc's expression hardens, but not with the cool aloofness that Kaeya has come to know. It's more of a sense of indignation that Kaeya remembers so well.

"I don't drink coffee. You know that."

"Not yet anyways," Kaeya teases.

Diluc's punishment, from what Kaeya's heard at least, is night watch every night this week. It's one of the worst patrol shifts available, running from ten in the evening until at least six in the morning. It's not the first time Diluc has spent the week running the night watch, but Kaeya knows just how much Diluc hates the long nights.

It's a stark contrast to how he treats his nights six years in the future, Kaeya realises.

In Kaeya's opinion, Diluc got off lightly. For all the trouble he caused—for technically committing treason—Vara could have thrown him something far harsher. Night watches are tedious, sure, but it's hardly the worst punishment in the Grand Master's arsenal. It's almost as if Varka is letting him off easy.

"Well," Kaeya continues, letting his tone soften, "it's not so bad, is it? At least you're not stuck scrubbing the floors in Angel' Share."

Diluc looks away, his tone defensive, "It's fine. I'm not about to complain."

There's no real fire behind Diluc's annoyance, and no indignant pushback like Kaeya was half expecting. Which means that Diluc knows he messed up by disobeying Varka's orders, even if he doesn't necessarily regret it.

Before Kaeya can dwell on that too much longer, Diluc says, "I'm also being sent out to clear a Hilichurl camp near Windrise."

Kaeya arches an eyebrow, "A solo mission?"

Those aren't too out of the ordinary, especially in recent months for Kaeya with so many Knights away, but right now there are a plethora of Knights available. Why would Varka risk sending one of his Captains out on his own? As menial as destroying a Hilichurl camp is, it can still be dangerous at times.

"It's just routine work. I've done plenty before," Diluc responds his tone still a touch defensive.

Kaeya chuckles, "Of course, I'd expect nothing of the esteemed Sir Diluc."

Diluc ignores the jab, but Kaeya catches the flicker of pride in his expression. It's something that he hasn't seen in a long time; a spark that the older Diluc seems to have buried under years of disillusionment.

"You can come if you want," Diluc says suddenly. "If you're not too busy sulking around the city, that is."

Kaeya tilts his head, intrigued, "Come with you?"

"Why not? it's not as if you have anything better to do," Diluc shrugs, his casualness almost convincing.

And he does have a point, Kaeya will admit. There's not much he can think to do about Eroch. Maybe a few hours clearing out a hilichurl camp will help him come up with some ideas, or better yet, an actual plan.

"Alright," Kaeya agrees. "Just don't expect me to help when you get in over your head."

It might also be nice to see how this Diluc fights. It's been so long since Kaeya has seen his once brother fight with anything other than a violent ferocity.

"Try not to slow me down," Diluc shoots back, already heading off.

Kaeya chuckles, falling in step beside him, "Lead the way."

Chapter Text

The day that Diluc had asked Kaeya to be his deputy hadn't been all too different to today, now that Kaeya thinks about it. It was just the two of them on a pleasant May afternoon, hiking through Starfell Valley to clear a string of Hilichurl camps when Diluc sprang the question:

'Do you want a promotion?'

He had said it so casually, as if electing his fifteen year old younger brother as deputy to the Cavalry was such a reasonable choice. Diluc had prepared a speech listing all the reasons why Kaeya should accept, as if already anticipating that Kaeya would immediately disagree. Kaeya remembers Diluc explaining how they'd get to spend more time together, how Father would be thrilled, and how he'd get to spend even more time with the horses.

Kaeya also remembers his fifteen year old self trying to fight Diluc on the decision, but every objection was shot down as if Diluc had practised the very conversation over in his head a million times. Diluc had even argued that it's not as if much would change. Kaeya had already been doing most things that a deputy would do—filling in when Diluc was away, always being delegated tasks that Diluc didn't want to do himself, covering for him when he decided that protocol didn't quite apply—so now it would just be official.

In hindsight, Kaeya should have known that there was never any way he'd actually be able to say no.

And Diluc had been right; nothing much had changed. They were already practically attached at the hip; the only difference was that now that Kaeya was deputy of the Cavalry, Diluc had an official reason to drag Kaeya around everywhere.

Kaeya is also fairly certain that Varka—or at least Lady Fredrica—were relieved to finally have a Deputy in the Cavalry who wasn't likely to resign after a few months. Ever since Diluc had been made Calvary Captain, keeping a Deputy for any longer than three or four months had been practically impossible. Maybe it really had been just a series of unfortunate circumstances, as Varka insisted, but Kaeya is fairly certain it had more to do with most of the senior Knights' pride getting in the way of being subordinate to a teenager.

But then Diluc's eighteenth birthday came, Father died, Kaeya started a fight that he could never undo, Diluc left, and everything well and truly fell apart.

And it's not as if Kaeya didn't know that something like that would happen eventually—he always knew that his entire life was essentially running on borrowed time—he just wished that it didn't have to all blow up so momentously on the one night. Especially not on a day as significant as a birthday.

Since then, Kaeya has worked together with Diluc maybe five or six times at most. The first time had been only about four or five months after Diluc had officially returned from his travels across the continent, and there was still a foolish part of Kaeya that was hoping for things to return to the way they used to be.

But they hadn't. Not in the slightest.

There was no more playful banter between the two of them. Diluc hadn't looked happy. He hardly spoke more than was strictly necessary—and it's painfully obvious that Kaeya's mere presence had just made all of that worse.

The few times they worked together after that first time hadn't been much different. Whether it was because the Cavalry Captain and Darknight Hero coincidentally were investigating the same group of Abyss Mages, or something more serious like the Black Fire Incident, Kaeya and Diluc tended to more coexist than collaborate. They worked together only when strictly necessary, and even then, 'work together' seems a bit of a stretch.

They would fight by themselves and only cover each other when grave injury or death was at stake. On those nights, Kaeya would walk away mostly unscathed, and Diluc would return to the Winery and tend to whatever injuries his hopelessly reckless fighting style would induce.

It had become a given, a routine.

Which is why Kaeya won't really fault himself as he trails behind the version of Diluc that is six years too young and finds himself being caught off guard at just about every step.

Because not only is this version of Diluc physically different from what Kaeya has grown accustomed to—just a touch shorter, his face a bit rounder, and most notably, adorned in Favonian uniform—but he's different in nearly everything else.

He greets everyone he passes with a warm smile. He holds himself tall as the textbook Captain should. As they pass through the city gates, this Diluc acknowledges the two Knights on duty with the Favonius salute and holds it for exactly as long as the handbook prescribes. He doesn't miss a single detail as he informs the two men of the hilichurl camp that he and Kaeya are going to deal with.

And Kaeya knows that it shouldn't be a surprise because he's seen this version of Diluc for the past four days now. But to now be strolling side by side with him as if this entire situation is entirely normal, once again has Kaeya questioning if he's actually delirious or not.

Diluc falls into step beside him as they make their way through Windrise, the Temple of the Falcon not much farther on the left. The plains are quiet, and there are no signs of life in sight—hilichurl or otherwise. Warm, gentle sunlight spills across the road as they head towards the Statue of the Seven, its faint blue glow peaking over the horizon.

Just seventy-two hours prior, the Fatui had been stationed exactly where they now stand. There are still the occasional remnants proving the battle just won—abandoned Fatui insignia pressed into the ground, broken remains of commander tents, empty supply crates—and there's still a long stretch of charred ground from where Diluc—the other one that's still recovering at the Cathedral, that is—had burnt the ground so badly that the natural Dendro in the soil still hadn't been able to coax the grass back to its natural state.

Kaeya stares at it for a long moment. The ground is mostly blackened, though a few tenacious blades of bright green grass are starting to poke through the charred dirt. Kaeya remembers standing by the edge of the city gate—and it's hard to think that it was just days ago—calling out the order, deciding to let those arrows loose, even though he knew that it was probably going to kill Diluc in the process.

It's typical, almost, that Diluc would see his own survival as a fair price if it meant taking down the Fatui with him. Even more so, that Diluc made it Kaeya's problem in the process.

Kaeya drags his gaze away from the scorched stretch of ground and scans across the horizon. A light breeze drifts across the grass, and the only sound is the soft crunch of the dirt road under his feet. If it were any other moment, Kaeya wouldn't be able to tell that this wasn't his world.

To think that just a mere four days ago, Kaeya was sitting in his own office, in his own world, trying to solve what he thought was nothing more than a particularly perplexing Abyss Order scheme. But now here he is, transported six years in the past, patrolling with a younger, duplicate version of his not-quite-brother, surrounded by past versions of all his companions, his father is alive again, and not to forget that the Fatui are also technically at war with them.

A strange mental type of vertigo settles over Kaeya as he forces himself to remember that this probably isn't a fever dream. And, well, if it is, at least it will make for one hell of a drinking story.

“Is there something in my hair?” Diluc asks, glancing over to Kaeya.

It's the first time he's spoken since they left the city, which, now that Kaeya thinks about it, might be a little bit out of the ordinary, at least for this Diluc. For the older, more familiar version, silence and stilted conversations are all that Kaeya has known over the past few years, especially when it's the two of them alone. Diluc can pretend to be polite when around other people—he can extend formalities, stretch out the small talk—but there's none of that to be had with Kaeya.

But this Diluc here hasn't had all the sunshine and rainbows drained out of him just yet, so, by rights, he should be talking Kaeya's ear off. But then again, he's just started running the Night Watch, so he probably hasn't slept much in the last twenty-four hours—especially if Varka has him attending to his usual duties on top of the overnight shift. Diluc always went quiet—or even snappy on occasion—when he was exhausted. In fact, Kaeya is fairly certain that's half the reason that his version of Diluc is the way he is now.

Between running the Winery and all the late night hours he spends playing 'hero', Kaeya is surprised that Diluc sleeps at all. And sure, the far larger contributing factor to the way that Diluc is now is more likely Kaeya and everything that he's done, but it's not like some sleep would hurt Diluc.

"There's nothing in your hair," Kaeya reassures, and he'll admit that saying it almost feels nostalgic.

Diluc was always far more concerned with his appearance than he'll ever admit. Somehow, it always fell to Kaeya to reassure Diluc that no one was really looking close enough to see if his gloves were clean or not, and no, no one would care if he had a bit of hilichurl blood on his sleeve a mere five minutes after a fight.

Diluc might still be like that now, since he's always dressed so immaculately. Or, given Diluc's general demeanour, he could simply not care for anyone's opinion and simply only dress the way he does out of pure habit. Both seem equally likely.

Regardless, Kaeya knows that his version of Diluc would much rather ask a stranger than Kaeya if there was anything in his hair. And it's probably fair given their circumstances.

"So then why are you staring?" Diluc asks.

There are a few reasons that Kaeya could list. The fact that looking at this version of Diluc is a reminder that the Ley Lines are likely in a constant state of near collapse being one of them. But this Diluc probably doesn't need to hear that.

"I'm just not used to you being so short," Kaeya settles on instead, with a teasing lilt.

Diluc counters with a flat glare, "I can't be that much shorter than what you're used to."

And he's not. By the time Diluc was seventeen, he was pretty much his full height. Right now, he's hardly even half a head shorter than Kaeya. But it's not like he doesn't take the bait.

"And don't act like this isn't weird for me either," Diluc continues, indignant, "you're taller than me, which has got to be some crime against the world order."

Kaeya chuckles and pats Diluc lightly on the top of his head, but it doesn't really have the intended effect when, once again, the two of them are practically the same height as him.

"Don't worry, brother dearest, you'll get used to it. I've been taller for years now."

Or, at least he's assuming he has been. Kaeya had experienced quite the growth spurt not long after his Diluc left Mondstadt, so Kaeya is considering the July of five years ago as when he was officially the taller of the two, even if it would be a few more years after that until he'd get an official comparison.

"You sure it's not just your boots?" Diluc asks, half joking, half annoyed, as if he's still trying to decide if he's going to take being shorter as a personal insult or not.

Kaeya scoffs, "The heels on these are no higher than the heels on your shoes. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's slightly shorter than the standard issue."

"So they're not issued by the Ordo? Are they even regulation then?"

"I'll have you know that these are perfectly in line with the uniform regulations."

Kaeya spent a good two months working with a Fontanian shoemaker to make sure that not only would he be able to ride in them, but that they'd be comfortable enough to walk in all day. It ended up costing him a good half of his salary, too.

Diluc raises an eyebrow, his gaze flicking up between Kaeya's face and his boots, "Regulation for what? A drama troupe?"

"With as much mora as I spent on these," Kaeya gestures down to his boots, "I think I'm entitled to adding some artistic embellishments."

Diluc bursts out laughing. It's sudden, unrestrained, and, perhaps most surprisingly, genuine. Kaeya has to force himself not to stare. It's been years since he's heard that sound from Diluc. It used to be so frequent, so freeflowly.

"It's kinda weird," Diluc says, voice now subdued, but there's still a smile on his face. He kicks the ground with his right foot, a loose rock rolling off into the near distance, "You're different, but you're also not."

"I must say, Sir Diluc, you simply have a way with words."

He scoffs, but still there's still half a laugh in there, "You know what I mean."

And Kaeya thinks that he does.

This Diluc right here is somehow so exactly the same and yet so monumentally different from the Diluc that Kaeya knows. He looks nearly the same, he sounds very similar, and there's the occasion where Kaeya will see the sarcastic and flat expressions that have seemingly become the older Diluc's signature. And yet, that's where things seem to end.

This younger version laughs and smiles so much that if Kaeya were anyone else, he'd probably be struggling to pinpoint how Diluc goes from this rainbow-filled seventeen-year-old right here to the nearly twenty-three-year-old who looks like he's ready to set the world on fire with just a single glance.

Kaeya can only assume that this version of Diluc next to him is busy making notes of all the things that have changed about Kaeya. Though he'd argue that there's not all that much that's changed.

Diluc shrugs, perhaps the slightly longer than usual lapse of silence getting to him, "You just talk more."

"Quite an astute observation."

One that Kaeya has already heard a handful of people make, and one that Kaeya is fairly sure is wrong. Sure, he used to be quieter around other people, but it's not like he didn't talk.

Diluc pierces his lips for a moment before continuing, "And I don't think you're scared of being wrong anymore."

Kaeya huffs a laugh, "I've just learnt that I'm seldom wrong."

Diluc glances at Kaeya, his expression flat and unbelieving, "And how is that attitude working for you?"

Kaeya almost stalls entirely—almost—because for a moment, he swears that he's staring at his version of Diluc. The way that his eyebrows narrow in, his lips flatten, and his head tilts ever so slightly to the side.

"I find it's serving me quite well," Kaeya says, but it comes just a fraction of a moment too late.

And he thinks Diluc noticed, his brow scrunching just slightly into a touch of confusion.

But if he does, he brushes it aside a moment later.

"So, you're the Cavalry Captain," Diluc starts, and he says it in a way as if that statement is fishing for far more information than it actually warrants.

"You're really on fire with pointing out the obvious today."

Diluc glares again. His expression isn't unlike the one that Kaeya's used to when he orders another round of drinks even after he's been well and truly cut off. Though this one is missing a significant amount of bite.

"I'm just trying to figure out what I'm doing in the future," Diluc says, almost mumbling.

Kaeya knew that this would come up sooner rather than later. Diluc's far too hopelessly curious to leave something like his future at the Ordo alone. He might have even already worked out that he's not a knight in the future. Still, Kaeya was just kinda hoping that Diluc was going to bring it up with literally anyone else but him.

Because if Diluc starts asking questions about the future, then Kaeya knows that's going to start the two of them down a rabbit hole that leads to Diluc's eighteenth birthday, Diluc leaving the Ordo, their estrangement, and everything after. And quite frankly, Kaeya doesn't have the energy to deal with all of that right now.

"You trying to figure out if you beat Jean to Grand Master?" Kaeya chuckles. "Because if you haven't already noticed, then I might have some bad news for you."

"That's not what I mean," and Kaeya can almost hear it when Diluc rolls his eyes. "If you're the Cavalry Captain and Jean's Deputy Grand Master, then what am I doing?"

Kaeya shrugs, "You know how Varka is when it comes to shuffling the Captaincy around."

Kaeya will admit it's not his greatest excuse. The Grandmaster does shuffle the Captaincy frequently enough that most of the senior knights know not to get too comfortable in their positions, but it's not as if Varka moves everyone around. Diluc was only ever the Cavalry Captain in his four years as Captain, and it wasn't until the expedition force left that Kaeya started handling much outside the Cavalry himself.

"Sure," Diluc starts slowly, "but that doesn't tell me what I'm doing."

"Mostly your own thing," Kaeya forces himself to keep his tone light, hoping that maybe if he stretches this out long enough, he'll find an opening to change the subject. "You're quite the specialist when it comes to dealing with the Abyss Order."

Well, the Darknight Hero is anyway. Officially, Kaeya doesn't know that's Diluc, and officially, Kaeya probably shouldn't even be hinting that he knows about Diluc's little vigilante activities, but that's neither here nor there.

"Right," the slightly smaller version of Diluc that hasn't quite yet found a penchant for violence-filled nights says. He continues to drag out the first word for a long moment before continuing, "And what role does the Grand Master delegate to 'Abyss Order specialist'?"

His expression is narrowed into something caught between suspicion and confusion. His eyes are narrowed as if he can already tell that Kaeya isn't telling the whole truth, and the edges of his lips are turned up as if Diluc is still trying to decide whether he should say something more before giving Kaeya a chance to respond.

Regardless, Kaeya tuts as if he's completely oblivious to the fact that Diluc is very clearly seeing through this poorly formed facade, "I can't be going around giving you too many spoilers, now can I?"

"I'm not looking for 'spoilers,'" Diluc says, and there's a slight edge of impatience to it. "I'm just trying to understand what happens in the future. I didn't realise that would be such a hard question."

Kaeya forces his smile not to waver, "And here I was thinking that you'd like a bit of a mystery."

Suddenly, Diluc stops in his tracks, his boots scuffing the dirt beneath his feet, "Why are you avoiding the question?"

He doesn't sound suspicious, just genuinely confused. Which, in Kaeya's opinion, is somehow worse than if Diluc were actually starting to piece together that his future isn't exactly what he'd planned it out to be. Because at least that way, Diluc would be meeting Kaeya halfway, so Kaeya would know that he wouldn't be solely responsible for the conversation to come.

"I'm not avoiding anything," Kaeya waves his hand dismissively and continues walking off. "I already told you what you're doing in the future. 'Abyss Order specialist.'"

At this point, Kaeya is starting to think that he might not be able to get out of what's to come next. Diluc isn't exactly giving him much else to work with.

It takes Kaeya a few more steps before he realises that Diluc hasn't resumed walking. Kaeya stops with a huff and looks back to find Diluc rooted firmly in place, his arms folded across his chest, and one brow raised.

"You're being weird," Diluc says. "And if I didn't know any better, I'd be starting to think that I was dead or something in the future."

You know, given how far their relationship has soured, some days it can actually feel like the Diluc that Kaeya grew up with is dead.

But of course, this version of Diluc doesn't know that. As far as he's concerned, his life in the future still consists of being a Knight, having a brother, and having a Father. And unfortunately for Kaeya, he thinks he's about to inform this younger version of Diluc just how variable those constants actually are.

Still, Kaeya rolls his eyes at Diluc's comment, if only to maintain some form of external composure.

"Sometimes I forget how dramatic you can be," Kaeya drawls. "You're not dead."

No, the dead one is Father.

"But that still doesn't tell me what I'm doing in the future," Diluc cocks his head to the side, and there's a flash of concern across his face now, which can't be a good sign. "If I'm not the Cavalry Captain in the future, what am I doing? I don't understand why you won't tell me."

Kaeya flashes both his palms, in some mock form of pacifying Diluc, "You need to understand, there's a lot of classified information around the Abyss Order Specialist."

Which isn't an entire lie. If Kaeya officially knew that Diluc was the Darknight Hero, then that would most certainly be classified.

"I see," that previous concern on Diluc's face shifts into something dry and unimpressed. "And since when have you ever kept anything secret from me?"

Gods, if only he knew.

Well, he will in about a year, but that's not a conversation for now.

"Consider it an improvement in my maturity."

"Kaeya."

This time, Kaeya actually forces himself to keep his mouth shut. He likes to tell himself that the only reason this conversation even got this far is because this is the version of Diluc that can actually read Kaeya's tells. If this were the older Diluc, the conversation would have ended before it even started. Or it would have at least involved a bit more yelling.

But regardless, it's becoming increasingly clear that there's no getting out of what comes next. Bar walking away, Kaeya's exhausted all other options.

He tries to keep his voice natural—level at the very least—but he's fairly certain that he's far more sombre than anything else.

Kaeya takes a breath, "You had to step down. To help around at the Winery."

It's hard to miss Diluc's expression as he processes what Kaeya says. There's the first bit of initial shock as he must realise that he's not a Knight—or at least realises that he's not a Captain—but then that final part about helping around the Winery must truly sink in. Kaeya sees it in his eyes first—they widen slightly. Then the rest of his body reacts—his shoulders hike, his hands clench.

Father had always made arrangements so that Diluc would never need to step away from the Ordo to assist in the Winery. There was always the Guild to help him, and even Adelinde was there as a last resort. The only time that Diluc would have any reason to step away from the Knights to help is if Father was incapacitated to the point where he couldn't attend to the Winery's everyday affairs.

Well, that or worse.

"Is Father okay?" Diluc makes no effort to mask the panic in his voice.

He flexes his fingers, his eyes guarded, and Kaeya knows that Diluc is expecting to hear the worst.

But despite that—despite Diluc finally meeting Kaeya at the halfway point like he wanted—Kaeya says, "Father's fine."

He regrets the words the second they leave his mouth.

But Diluc deflates into relief, so there's no taking them back.

"The Winery just needs a few extra hands," Kaeya says.

He really shouldn't be digging this hole any deeper than it already is. Once the initial relief wears off, Diluc is going to realise that what Kaeya just said doesn't really make all that much sense. For Diluc to ever really be in a position to need to step back from the Knights—from the thing that he has quite literally dedicated his entire being to—it would mean that something Father could no longer rely on the Wine guild to help him, or something had happened that Father couldn't handle things himself.

Diluc's too smart not to realise that. And that's not even mentioning that Kaeya probably can't convince everyone else who knows of Father's fate to go along with this little white lie.

Sooner rather than later, and whether it comes from Kaeya or someone else, this Diluc is going to realise that Father isn't 'fine'.

And there's a slight flash of something across Diluc's face—his eyes narrow in, his lips quiver a touch—and briefly Kaeya fears that the moment of realisation is happening now.

But if it has, Diluc doesn't say anything about it.

"We should keep moving before it gets too late," Diluc says, shoulder squaring and feet already moving. "We still have those hilichurls to take care of."

At least Kaeya seems to have bought himself some time to figure out what to do next.

There's a part of him that says that it's not exactly fair to be trying to hide the future from this version of Diluc. But, Kaeya reminds himself, it's not as if he has too much of an option right now. Even though this Diluc is younger and still has faith in the world, Kaeya knows that he doesn't take bad news nearly as well as he likes to think. Especially not if that bad news is learning that some time very soon, Diluc loses Father and the future that he's working so hard to build.

If Kaeya tells Diluc all of this now, he doesn't exactly trust that Diluc won't be too caught up in some existential crisis to not get taken out by the hilichurls.

And anyway, who even decided that it was Kaeya's responsibility to tell Diluc that the future he's counting on falls apart? Given what Varka said during Kaeya's 'interrogation' when he first woke up in this world, the Grand Master probably has some idea of what happens to Father. Jean knows. Not to mention the other Diluc. There's even Father himself.

There are a million other people more qualified than Kaeya.

Kaeya falls in step beside Diluc. He doesn't say anything, which vaguely feels like a mistake. But, when it comes to Kaeya, he's long since learnt he hardly does anything right by Diluc. He's not sure why now would be much different.

Chapter Text

Given the circumstances, Kaeya was already starting to wonder why exactly Varka risk sending any of his captains out on solo missions—especially for something as trivial as dealing with a hilichurl camp. So, when they arrive at the location designated on Diluc's map—a seldom traveled road just south-east of the Statue of the Seven at Windrise—and find not a hilichurl camp, but instead a band of five Treasure Hoarders, Kaeya likes to tell himself that he's not being too paranoid for thinking that something isn't quite right.

A glance over at Diluc tells Kaeya that Diluc must be thinking the same. He's gently rolling his lower lip between his teeth—a habit that Kaeya's fairly certain he holds onto for the next six years or so—and his brows are slightly knitted together as he scans down towards the group of Hoarders.

The Hoarder camp hides between a few trees down at the bottom of the hill Kaeya and Diluc stand a top of, and between the low ground and the foliage, none of the Hoarders seem to have spotted Kaeya or Diluc just yet. Though Kaeya doesn't count on that lasting too long. He's spent enough time tracking down Treasure Hoarders to know that they tend to have a scout roaming out from the main camp.

The Hoarders themselves, for the most part, don't seem to be doing much with their time. One is sharpening a knife, two are playing some dice game together, and another is lazily flicking through a book. The man who Kaeya can only assume is their boss—assuming the large, obnoxious red fur coat he's wearing is an indicator of his status—is leaning back against an old wooden crate and idly rolling some reflective object in his hand. It catches the sunlight, casting a red spot on the ground, which the Treasure Hoarder drags along the ground in dizzying circles.

The camp appears more permanent than what Kaeya is used to seeing. There are six pitched tents in lieu of the usual sleeping bags. Even the campfire looks far more permanent than a usual Hoarder camp would warrant, and it looks as if a few large rocks have been lugged up from the nearby Falcon Coast to use as the fire ring.

If Kaeya were to guess, he'd say that these Treasure Hoarders had simply decided to make a permanent camp while they try to wait out this time travel mess. But if that were the case, why would the Reconnaissance Team mark it as a hilichurl camp that needed to be cleared?

"Who assigned you this again?" Kaeya asks Diluc, keeping his voice low because he's still aware that there might be a Hoarder scout lurking somewhere in the foliage.

Sending Diluc on a solo mission to clear out a Hilichurl camp is unusual enough, and it's not easing Kaeya's mind now that the intel seems to have been wrong.

Diluc shrugs, but he doesn't shift his gaze from the camp, "No one in particular. It was just on my task sheet this morning."

Ah, the ever-reliable task sheets. They're handled by the Logistics Company and assigned to high ranking Knights with a list of tasks that need to be completed within a given time frame. Kaeya hasn't actually seen a task sheet himself in months, since Hertha has found it more handy to simply hand out lists of things that need doing and pray that they get completed. Prior to Varka's expedition, however, they were distributed at least weekly.

"Don't think too hard about this," Diluc continues after a brief pause. And then, with a sigh that has all the hallmarks of the Diluc that Kaeya is more familiar with, "This is just what happens when Louis uses his informant instead of the Reconnaissance Team."

"The Logistics Captain is openly using an informant instead of the Reconnaissance Company to write the task sheets?" Kaeya asks, but even as he's saying it, he's not quite sure if he's understanding it right.

"Well, I wouldn't say he's doing it 'openly', but I think everyone knows."

Kaeya thinks that it might be moments like these that will give him a great appreciation that he seldom has to deal with Louis Gunnhildr anymore. The whole scandal with Louis cheating on his wife had happened about a year after Diluc had left Mondstadt, so that had given Kaeya about a year to deal with him before his holier-than-thou act fell apart. Though Kaeya still does wonder how someone like Louis—a man who seems more interested in looking down his nose than actually living up to the oath he took—ended up being in charge of something as crucial as the Logistics for as long as he was.

It's well known that half of the reason that the Reconnaissance Company even exists is so that it can work in tandem with the Logistics Company. The Reconnaissance Knights scour the nation and report back their findings. The Logistics then sorts through everything and delegates tasks. So why would the Logistics Captain possibly want to throw an informant into the mix for something as menial as the task sheets?

Diluc shrugs again, as if he just heard that last question—Kaeya is really starting to hate how often that seems to be happening. He briefly wonders whether the other Diluc can also read Kaeya's thoughts, but just chooses to ignore them. Gods, he hopes not.

"I think since his informant kept getting things wrong, Louis' trying to prove that they're actually reliable. Which," Diluc gestures to the Hoarder camp, his tone dry, "we can clearly see with these 'hilichurls' over here."

Kaeya huffs half a laugh, gaze drifting over the Hoarder camp.

"So, Captain," Kaeya begins, folding his arms across his chest, "what's the plan?"

Kaeya knows that their best course of action is probably just to leave the Treasure Hoarders be. They're not posing any particular threat at the moment, even though they are camped just a little bit closer to a road than Kaeya would have liked. They could try to ask them to move somewhere a little bit further away from the road, but the dirt track is so seldom travelled that, other than maybe an Adventurer or a stray Reconnaissance Knight, it's unlikely that anyone else will actually stumble upon the Hoarders' camp. And besides, it took Kaeya years to build up a repertoire with the Treasure Hoarders, and even then, it can be shaky at best. There's no guarantee that speaking to these Hoarders would do anything other than start a fight.

Diluc, however, seems to have other plans.

"You stay here while I go speak to them," he says, already moving down the hill. "I'll see if I can get them to move further away from the road, but if they attack, I'll need you to come in and help."

Kaeya blinks a few times, brow narrowing.

"And you sure?"

Kaeya knows that it's not really his call to make. This is on Diluc's task sheet, and it's technically Diluc's 'solo' mission. But still, this doesn't just seem a touch too reckless—even by Diluc's standards—it seems unnecessary. Even this version of Diluc, the one that hasn't yet equated standard protocol to inefficiency, should be able to see that all this is going to do is provoke a fight that's going to risk injuring two captains during a crisis that could really do without the additional strain on resources.

"I'll be fine," Diluc says, perhaps misunderstanding Kaeya's hesitation as a more general concern for his well-being. "Besides, the quicker we get through this, the quicker I can get through the rest of my tasks."

And then, before Kaeya can have him elaborate, Diluc is making his way down the hill.

'Tasks.' That implies that Diluc has more to do today than just deal with these 'hilichurls'. That makes sense now that Kaeya thinks about it. It also makes sense that Diluc would want to get through everything as quickly as possible, especially if he's running another night watch tonight. But if that's the case, why would he only want to start rushing now? And why not take the easy way out of simply not dealing with the Treasure Hoarders at all? No one would bat an eye if Diluc simply marked the camp as 'not to be disturbed.'

But before Kaeya can put much more thought into that, the Treasure Hoarders are already picking themselves off the ground.

They've probably heard—or possibly even seen—Diluc coming down the hill. He's moving a bit too fast if he's trying to be covert. But then again, it's possible that he's not even trying to stay hidden, especially if Diluc's planning on speaking to them. Sneaking up on the Hoarders might only spook them.

Then, there's a burst of victorious laughter from somewhere in the camp, and one of the Hoarders yells out, "There he is, just like you said."

Another man, equally thrilled, "You were right, charging down the hill!"

Diluc's pace visibly slows, perhaps having registered just what those words imply.

Kaeya, too, can feel himself tensing as he starts piecing together exactly what all of this means.

Diluc was sent on a solo mission.

He was sent to a remote part of Windrise, where more squirrels use the road than actual people.

The intel was wrong. It was a Treasure Hoarder camp, not hilichurls.

The Treasure Hoarders knew Diluc was coming.

Diluc was sent alone.

Which means this is a trap.

Shit.

The first knife is flying before Kaeya can shout out any warning.

Diluc dodges—barely. He throws himself to the ground, with what Kaeya can only assume is pure instinct. The knife whizzes through the air where Diluc's chest had been just a fraction of a second prior, before thudding into the ground behind him.

Diluc is back on his feet before Kaeya is even halfway down the hill. He says something that sounds vaguely placating, as if he's at least trying to prevent the fight from escalating—but then two of the Treasure Hoarders charge forward, and it becomes abundantly clear that this fight is not one that they're going to be able to avoid.

There are five Hoarders, including the man whom Kaeya assumes is their boss. Two are already on Diluc, knives brandished and swiping at Diluc in tandem. Diluc will make quick work of them; it's the other three that Kaeya is more worried about.

The other two Hoarder lackeys are already backing off and separating themselves from the fight, throwing knives at the ready. Kaeya is fairly certain that it was one of them who threw the first shot, so they must have at least a decent aim. If they don't deal with those two quickly, then they'll sit on the edge of the fight, taking cheap shots with their knives, and making dealing with their boss impossible.

Their boss in question is rushing toward Diluc, a silver polearm drawn. He's much taller, leaner, than what Kaeya would expect. Usually, Treasure Hoarders work their way up the ranks by relying on brute strength, but this man doesn't appear to have that. Even his weapon and clothing choice seems a bit out of the ordinary.

He has black, greasy hair that extends down his neck. His eyes are equally black, highlighted further by the single red monocle on his left eye. He's tall, and that heavy red coat that extends to his calves only makes him look taller.

The man continues charging towards Diluc, polearm extended out. Kaeya is almost at them.

With a fiery swing, Diluc knocks one of the two Hoarders he's been engaged with to the ground, the man landing flat on his back before disappearing into a puff of white smoke. In the same moment, Diluc turns, swinging the flat of his claymore into the other Hoarder's side. She cries out in pain before disappearing into the air just like her comrade.

It's also in that same moment that the Hoarder boss meets Diluc. Kaeya knows exactly what's about to happen. He knows that Diluc's last swing was too heavy to recover from in time to block the incoming attack, and Kaeya also knows that he's not quite close enough to cover Diluc.

He's also aware that the Ley Lines are perhaps a touch too unstable to send out an uncontrolled blast of Cryo. He does so anyway.

The power manifests as a pillar of ice that knocks both the Hoarder and Diluc off their feet. It's not entirely what Kaeya had in mind, but Albedo and Nymph have mentioned that the current Ley Line Disorder might make controlling his Vision a bit difficult.

Diluc rolls backwards twice, but manages to disappear his sword into Vision, freeing his hands so that he can adjust himself to land back on his feet.

Still, he throws Kaeya a glare, "Did you have to hit me, too?"

Gods, he's so ungrateful.

"Would you rather have been stabbed?"

Diluc responds with nothing but a roll of his eyes, summoning his sword back into his hands.

The Treasure Hoarder is back on his feet just as quickly as Diluc is. The man reaches for his weapon, which had been knocked from his hands and landed just a couple of paces away. Diluc darts forward to try to kick it away, but is forced to jump back when another knife whizzes through the air.

"I thought there was only going to be one," one of the other Hoarders calls out from behind their boss.

"Yeah, you didn't say we'd be up against two Knights."

So, the Treasure Hoarders hadn't been expecting anyone other than Diluc. Well, at least Kaeya knows he was entirely justified in being mildly paranoid earlier. He likes to think that Louis Gunnhildr, Logistics Captain extraordinaire, wouldn't intentionally send Diluc on a mission that would kill him, but Kaeya knows that he's close enough to a certain Inspector that things might have been manoeuvred.

The Treasure Hoarder in front of them suddenly darts to the side, kicking his polearm off the ground and back into his hands. Once again armed, he squares his stance, weapon pointed out at Kaeya and Diluc. He reaches up with his left hand to adjust the red-tinted monocle on his left eye. The movement is practised, too fluid, almost habitual. Then the man's eyes narrow as they shift to Kaeya. There's a brief flicker of confusion across his face, but it's quickly wiped away when Diluc takes advantage of the lull in movement and darts forward again, sword poised to strike.

But yet again, two knives come flying from the two Treasure Hoarders standing behind their boss, and Diluc is forced to jump back.

Diluc growls in frustration, "We really need to deal with those two."

Kaeya nods, "My thoughts exactly."

The two of them move at once, and Kaeya thinks that it's almost like how they used to fight side by side. Well, almost. Because while Kaeya darts around to try and zigzag his way past the ringleader, Diluc charges straight ahead, sword drawn and poised for a wide arch.

Their timing is abysmal, and their communication is entirely lacking. Both of them are more focused on the threat in front of them instead of each other.

They, quite literally, trip over each other's feet.

Diluc has to vanish his sword mid-swing to prevent it from lodging in Kaeya's back, and Kaeya barely manages to stop himself from tumbling face first into the dirt.

Diluc throws Kaeya a glare, and he looks like he's about to say something, but the Treasure Hoarders take advantage of their fumble, and another two knives are singing through the air. Yet again, Diluc and Kaeya are forced back.

And this rate, they're never going to be able to land a hit on any of the Hoarders.

"What was that?" Kaeya snaps. "I thought you said we were going for the knife throwers."

Diluc bites back just as hard, "We have to get past the big guy first."

"You don't need to stab him to do that." Kaeya gestures in the general vicinity of the camp. There are several different paths that Diluc could have taken other than just charging straight ahead. "There's this little thing called 'going around.'"

Diluc snaps back, "Well, I was kinda counting on you covering me."

Kaeya's next rebuke dies on his tongue. Right. This slightly smaller version of Diluc is probably expecting Kaeya to be fighting with him, not just beside him.

Diluc groans, throwing his head back, "It doesn't matter. You get rid of those knife throwers. I'll focus on their boss."

Diluc charges forward before Kaeya has a chance to agree.

But it's fine, Kaeya tells himself. This way, they'll spend less time tripping over each other.

With Diluc entertaining the boss, it doesn't take much for Kaeya to dart past. He zigzags past scattered crates and dodges a knife whizzing through the air. The boss's polearm is suddenly arching towards him on the right, but Diluc intercepts it, steel ringing against steel.

The two knife throwers at the back don't stand a chance once he's up close. He can immediately tell that neither of them is used to this type of combat with the way that they continue to uselessly throw their knives. One of the men at least has the mind to scramble to draw a slightly longer parrying knife, but by the time he's managed to fumble with the blade, his partner is already knocked to the ground and disappearing into a puff of white smoke.

The final of the knife throwers goes down just moments later. Two quick swipes and he's falling onto his back with a cry. He fades into smoke just like his partner.

Kaeya frowns. It was almost disappointing how quick that was.

He turns back, and it seems that Diluc is still locked in the Hoarder leader. Kaeya was honestly expecting that fight to be finished by now, but the man is holding his ground. He matches Diluc blow for blow. Diluc swipes with a Pyro-infused swing, and the man parries. When Diluc drives his claymore down, the Hoarder boss meets it with just as much strength.

It's forcing Diluc to pivot around the camp. Stray embers of Pyro alight the ground as he dances from one side of the camp to the other.

The prolonged fight is starting to get to Diluc. Kaeya can see it in the way Diluc's footwork falters, how his precision gives way to force. Each swing comes down harder, heavier, no longer concerned for his form, and as if he's trying to break through the Hoarder's defences with mere brute strength alone.

But the Hoarder blocks every swing and meets every blow. Diluc would have better luck fighting his reflection.

Diluc stumbles back as the Hoarder boss pushes back against another swing. Diluc's boots skid across the dirt, his arms flailing as he trips and falls backwards into one of the tents. The canvas beneath collapses into a cloud of dust, and Diluc growls out in frustration as he has to roll out of the way to avoid a polearm to the chest.

He's back on his feet not even a second later, claymore dripping with Pyro. His jaw is tight and eyes fixed on this man who just doesn't seem to want to go down.

Now, Kaeya likes to think of himself as a fairly accomplished swordsman, but he knows that Diluc—even this slightly younger one—is physically stronger than him. If Diluc's pure strength isn't enough to break through the Treasure Hoarder's defences, then Kaeya doesn't think he'll have much of a chance either. They'll have to come up with something else.

Kaeya scans across the Hoarders' camp. There are their tents—one of which Diluc just knocked over—a fire pit, a few crates, and some trees. Not much to work with on short notice.

But then, Kaeya snaps his attention back to the fire pit. The fire ring is made up of a few large, smooth rocks that Kaeya is fairly certain are from the nearby coast. A terrible decision by all accounts, since one of the first rules of building a fire is to never use rocks that have been around water. When heated, those rocks tend to explode.

The fire is smouldering, so it's likely been burning since last night. The rocks will still be warm to the touch and likely primed to explode when moved. And if not, an external Melt reaction will definitely help.

The Ley Lines are unstable enough that he should be able to trigger the reaction from far enough away to not get caught in the crossfire. The problem will be making sure Diluc gets out of the way in time.

He'll be fine. Diluc's instincts are good enough that he can dodge.

Diluc is back on the Hoarder, but he's still making no progress. His blows are quicker and heavier now, but they're lacking any proper form. He's going to get knocked over again if he's not careful.

The two continue to move around the camp. Diluc swipes and drives his claymore down. The Hoarder blocks and parries. Then, just as they both move right in front of the fire pit:

"Diluc, move!"

Kaeya shouts one line of warning as he shoots a blast of Cryo from the tip of his sword.

Diluc doesn't even look at Kaeya before he jumps out of the way. He vanishes his sword and launches himself as far as possible, landing on his chest and crashing into one of the tents a few meters away.

The blast of Cryo is just as uncontrolled as the last one Kaeya manifested, the Cryo shooting across the Hoarder's camp and leaving the entire clearing in a thin veil of ice. But it still lands exactly where Kaeya needs it.

The Cryo reacts with the smouldering fire, the resulting Melt reaction causing the already volatile fire ring stones to explode into thousands of shards of deadly shrapnel.

The Treasure Hoarder, not reacting nearly as well as Diluc did, takes a step back from the fire pit, but not quickly enough to avoid the barrage of flying stone. The stones explode up and outwards, knocking the Hoarder off his feet, the shrapnel tearing across every inch of him. A few stray shards of stone fly far enough to graze Kaeya's arms and legs.

The Hoarder crashes to the ground with a cry of pain.

Kaeya doesn't expect him to stick around much longer. Treasure Hoarders rarely do once they've been beaten.

Before Kaeya can even take half a step towards the Hoarder—to at least try to tie him up—the man groans, reaches for something in his breast pocket, and disappears into smoke.

Except this is different. It's not the dry white powder that Treasure Hoarders usually use. It's not the stuff that will give you a headache if you breathe it in.

No, this is darker. Thicker. It curls in the air. Like fog, almost.

Kaeya feels his stomach drop.

Fatui.

There's a groan from the other side of the camp as Diluc pushes himself off the ground, hissing. He mutters out a low 'ow'.

"Are you insane?" He cries out, his left arm bleeding a steady dark line down his wrist. "That could have killed me!"

Kaeya doesn't have a particularly good response for that right now. Not when he's trying to determine just how deadly Diluc's 'solo mission' was intended to be. Not only was he sent on a mission with bad intel, but the Treasure Hoarders knew Diluc was coming, and they seem to have been led by a Fatus.

Was Diluc even supposed to come out of this alive?

"You could have at least warned me," Diluc continues, still bristling.

Kaeya pierces his lips. That, on the other hand, he does have a response for.

"I did give you a warning." And then, with a wave of his hand that might be a bit too candid given Diluc's reaction right now, "You wouldn't have been able to jump out of the way if I hadn't."

Diluc's face scrunches even further into fury, and Kaeya almost jokes that he'll pass out if he doesn't take a breath. Diluc opens his mouth, and he looks like he's ready to make another retort, but then he just… stops. Mouth still open, his eyes narrow before blinking one too many times.

He stares at Kaeya for a long moment. 'Bewildered' is probably the only word that Kaeya could use to describe the expression. It's not dissimilar to the way Jean had looked at him when she first found out about the time Kaeya triggered a Ruin Guard to cut off a bandit leader, putting his men in the firing line in the process.

Gods, just wait until this Diluc learns about that. Kaeya can't wait to see his reaction.

"Well, just," Diluc takes a breath, still staring at Kaeya just a touch too intently, "try to give me a proper warning before you do something like that."

Kaeya likes to think that, growing up, Diluc always knew that Kaeya thought in reckless hypotheticals. Kaeya always saw the Pyro slime barrel that would take out the entire hilichurl camp with a single arrow, even if it risked half of the knights and the horses. Kaeya always thought that ruin machines could be a lot more useful than just mildly dangerous terrain hazards.

Kaeya always thought those things, but he never acted on them. No, it was Diluc who was always the reckless of the two of them.

It wasn't until Kaeya was into his adult life and in charge of the cavalry that he realised that those hypotheticals were actually quite helpful in actuality. Kaeya wonders if this Diluc is starting to realise that Kaeya grew into his recklessness instead of out of it.

Kaeya shrugs in response to Diluc's last request, "I'll try, but I can't always guarantee I can wait for permission."

Something that Kaeya knows that Diluc won't have a counter for, since the teenage Cavalry Captain had always had a bit of a reputation for charging headfirst into ill-considered plans. Actually, the more that he thinks about it, maybe that's where Kaeya had gotten his taste for risk from.

Diluc's expression shifts into a glare again, and Kaeya expects him to start yelling again. Maybe about how if he's going to be reckless, he shouldn't be risking others. Or, perhaps, how his last minute explosion ruined the 'integrity of the scene'. But there's none of that. Instead, Diluc quite literally shakes any remaining frustration away and just… moves on. He turns around and begins to examine what remains of the Treasure Hoarder camp.

"We need to try and figure out what these Hoarders were up to," Diluc says, summoning a notebook and pen from his pack. "We might find something if we dig around. Journal logs or letters, maybe?"

It's quite interesting to watch, actually, that despite the fact that his left forearm is still steadily bleeding from where one of the flying pieces of shrapnel had hit him earlier, and despite the fact that it must surely sting, Diluc just starts sketching something out in his notebook. Given how he periodically glances up, Kaeya can only assume he's making a rough map of the camp. The bleeding on his arm has slowed compared to moments earlier, and Diluc makes no move to wrap it, so it must not be bothering him too much, but surely Diluc's going to get blood all over his notebook.

He doesn't spend too long on the sketch, the notebook snapping shut, before Diluc is strolling towards one of the felled tents. He crouches down on his haunches and lifts up the fallen canvas of the tent, silent as he scans the mess in front of him.

And Kaeya finds himself frozen, watching, in no small part because when Diluc is there examining the camp, Kaeya sees the Darknight Hero. The notebook, the swift movement, the fixated eyes: all hallmarks of that mysterious vigilante that stalks the streets of Mondstadt in the dark.

But then Diluc starts speaking, and the illusion is broken.

"I don't think they were here very long," Diluc muses, and given that he doesn't look up, Kaeya would wager that it's more to himself than anything else.

"What makes you say that?" Kaeya asks anyway.

"Well, for one, there's also no waste spot anywhere. There are no food scraps, or even a pot where they would have cooked their food."

Kaeya folds his arms, briefly glancing across the mess that Treasure Hoarder's camp currently is. Between the fallen tents, the shards of stone, and the occasional melting ice, it's hard for Kaeya to personally determine any lack of food scraps, but he'll admit he can't spot a single pot or pan.

"And," Diluc runs his gloved hand along the bottom edge of the tent where the canvas meets the ground and pulls the bottom of the tent away from the ground, "the grass here is still alive. It also stands back up again when I lift the tent, which makes me think this tent was never slept in."

He stands back up again, letting the canvas fall back to the ground. Diluc takes a moment to scan across the camp another time before speaking again.

"This tent, at least, was only set up a few hours ago."

And then Diluc is moving on again.

"I think we need to try and find something that has the Hoarder's boss's name on it," Diluc says as he shifts his attention to a supply crate and takes a few more notes in his notebook.

Diluc works systemically as he moves through the camp. His movements are calculated. Precise. Methodical in the way that only Diluc Ragnvindr could achieve.

Once again, it's all the same essence as the Darknight Hero.

"I'm not sure he was a usual Treasure Hoarder," Diluc lifts a satchel bag out from a tent and starts sifting through it. "There was something about the way he was fighting. It's like he knew what I was going to do before I was doing it."

Diluc has always had an eye for detail. It's what made him so effective as a Knight, even as a young teenager. It's what was supposed to make him such an incredible Knight in the future.

It was never meant to be a skill set that was utilised exclusively in his lonesome in the dark.

"I've only ever known Varka to fight like that," Diluc continues.

Kaeya tries to huff a laugh, but it feels forced, "That's some high praise to give a Treasure Hoarder."

Diluc doesn't seem to notice.

"And then there's the fact that they knew I was coming," Diluc continues as he places the satchel bag back and moves to sketch out one of the Hoarders' tents. "At first, I thought that the Hoarders might have had a scout that saw us coming from the road."

He trails off, pen pausing on the page.

"But then one of them said, 'there was only going to be one.'"

Diluc goes silent for a moment, gently rolling his lower lip between his teeth. He stares down at his notebook, the back of his pen tapping against the open page.

"The task sheets are only being handed out daily. I only got mine this morning."

Kaeya knows exactly what Diluc doesn't want to say outright. Accusing someone in the Logistics Company of intentionally leaking information is quite a hefty accusation, as Varka would put it.

"I think we should mention this to Varka when we get back," Diluc says. "Louis' using his informant for the task sheets, so it's not the first time that I've had bad intel, but still, this whole thing has just been…" Diluc trails off, narrowing his eyes as he searches for the right word to use, "weird."

"Right, 'weird.'"

Not a complaint about how the Knights can't get a simple assignment right.

Not even a snide remark about the ineffectiveness of the Logistics Department.

Just, 'We should mention this to Varka'.

We should go to Varka.

Go to Varka.

Because this is the version of Diluc that still trusts that others can fix things. This is the Diluc who wholeheartedly trusts the system around him. This is the seventeen year old who hasn't been burned by the world over and over again.

This is what Diluc was supposed to be.

A knight. A Captain. A protector of Mondstadt. An investigator who can look at a tent and its imprints on the ground and tell you exactly how long it's been there for.

Not someone who feels that the only way justice can be served is in the dead of night, by his lonesome, chasing down criminals and tying them by their ankles over the Statue of the Seven for the Knights to find in the morning.

The person standing right in front of Kaeya is the person that Diluc was supposed to become.

But he didn't. That future never eventuated. And so much of that is Kaeya's fault.

"Are you…" Diluc starts, looking up from his notebook, frowning as his gaze shifts to Kaeya. "Are you okay?"

Kaeya opens his mouth to reply.

Nothing comes out.

Diluc is younger. That's the first thing that truly hits him. Not in some vague, conceptual way. But literally.

He's shorter. His face is rounder. Kaeya's eyes linger on the collar of Diluc's shirt. The vest. The jacket with the Ordo's insignia embroidered on each shoulder. Diluc is impeccably dressed in Favonian uniform because he's a Knight.

Diluc is standing there, like the Knight that he is, like someone who hasn't been forced to face the brunt of the world's cruelty again and again.

Seventeen. Diluc is seventeen.

Kaeya opens his mouth again. Tries to speak. He swallows when nothing comes out for a second time.

Kaeya is in the past.

Not metaphorically. Not emotionally. But literally. He is literally in the past. He has fallen into a Ley Line Blossom, and that has transported him six years into the past.

Varka hasn't left for the expedition. Eroch hasn't been exiled. The Drake hasn't been killed yet. Father hasn't been killed yet.

None of it has happened. This Diluc doesn't know anything that's going to happen.

Kaeya takes a breath. He tells himself that he doesn't almost choke on it.

"Kaeya?" Diluc probes, his eyes narrowing to match the frown on his face.

Kaeya forces himself to inhale through his nose, holding the breath in his chest. It doesn't feel like it does much to ease the tightness in his head.

He's- He's already done all of this before. He can do it again.

He can manage Varka and his impromptu adventures out of the city. He can find a way to kill the Drake if he really has to.

He's already dealt with all of Eroch's scheming once. The missions. The sabotages. The last minute schedule changes that constantly had them on edge. He can do it all again.

Kaeya takes another breath, fingers running up his forehead and into his hair.

He can figure this out.

Diluc takes a step towards Kaeya, panic in his voice, his eyes blown wide, "Are you sure you're okay? Are you injured?"

"I'm fine. I just-" Kaeya swallows again, one foot stepping back to open that distance that Diluc just tried to close. "I just need a minute."

And that must be enough for Diluc, because he takes a slow step back, arms falling to his side. He vanishes his notebook in the same movement.

"It's-" He starts, unsure. "It's alright if you're not okay."

His voice is soft. Too quiet, almost. His eyes soften, the corners of his mouth twitch slightly.

Kaeya bites out a bitter laugh, "It was only a few Treasure Hoarders. Hardly anything worth making a fuss over, no?"

But Diluc chooses to ignore that, "I know all of this is a lot to take in."

Kaeya would wager that 'this' probably refers to a bit more than just the Treasure Hoarder camp.

He swallows hard and forces another breath through his nose. His hands still shake.

Kaeya offers another mirthless laugh. "I'm fine, really, it's just," he takes a moment to find the word, before deciding that Diluc had put it best, "a lot."

Diluc offers a hum of understanding, staring at the ground, "I forget that it's only been like four days since you got here. We've had like three weeks to get used to all of this time travel stuff."

Kaeya takes another deep breath, one that thankfully doesn't catch in his chest.

Right. Four days. It's been four days since the Fatui tried to invade. Four days since the other Diluc almost got himself killed. Three days since that Captain's meeting. Two days since Kaeya was caught snooping in Eroch's office. Yesterday morning-

Yesterday, Kaeya was face to face with Father again.

Fingers tangled in the top of his hair, Kaeya lets out another long breath through his lips.

All that time for Eroch to sabotage the Knights even more than he undoubtedly already has.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Diluc asks again as Kaeya decides he's had enough of standing and moves to sit on a nearby tree stump.

The stump is hardly big enough to sit on, and it bites uncomfortably into his legs. Still, Kaeya summons his waterskin and takes a few drinks. He wishes that it were wine.

"Perfectly fine," Kaeya reassures, staring at the mess that is the Treasure Hoarder camp.

Most of the ice has melted now, but it's still littered in shards of stone. Kaeya can't wait to see what Diluc puts down for this mission report. 'Impromptu Shrapnel Deployment' would be Kaeya's choice for the title.

Diluc looks at Kaeya like he doesn't believe that last response, but maybe realising that it would be a lost effort, doesn't push any further. He sits down on the ground next to the tree stump instead, summoning his notebook, and begins flicking through his notes.

"Didn't you say you had more things on your task sheet to do?" Kaeya asks after a stretch of silence.

Diluc shrugs, "I do, but I'm a bit hesitant to continue after this death trap."

Kaeya snorts.

"So," Kaeya starts when the following silence stretches on just a bit too long, "what is the deal with these task sheets?"

"They're pieces of paper with lists of things that need to be done. They're handed out by the Logistics Company," Diluc responds, dry. "Or were you referring to the informant?"

Kaeya rolls his eyes, "The informant."

"Like I said earlier, I'm pretty sure Louis' just using his informant because he's trying to prove that they're reliable. Which is going spectacularly, if you can't tell." Diluc lets out a long exhale through his nose, "The informant has been unreliable for weeks now. I don't understand why Varka hasn't just put his foot down already."

"How long exactly has Louis been using this informant?"

Diluc shrugs, "Four, maybe five weeks. They actually predicted all this time travel stuff happening a couple of weeks before it started."

Kaeya hums, "And didn't I hear they predicted the Fatui invading, too?"

Diluc nods, "They were a bit off about that one, though. Louis told us that wouldn't happen until next week."

There are also a few other things that this informant has been able to predict. Kaeya, Eula, and Albedo escaping the Favonius cells, the three of them being led by Jean to take down the ruin machines. This informant is actually starting to sound more like an astrologist the more that Kaeya thinks about it.

But that still doesn't explain one thing.

"But why is Louis openly using an informant?" Kaeya asks, and given the way Diluc's eyebrows raise, amused, Kaeya may have said it with just a bit too much conviction. "Doesn't it defeat the purpose of an informant if everyone knows where your information is coming from?"

"I never said that Louis was being smart about any of this. Surely you've been a Captain long enough to know what he's like."

Kaeya has, unfortunately. He may have only had the misfortune of working with Louis for just over a year, but it was certainly long enough to teach Kaeya all he had to know about the man. If Louis has already sunk his reputation into this informant, then he'd rather go down kicking and screaming than admit that maybe this informant isn't as reliable as he initially thought.

Even when said informant is making ridiculous claims like all the Knights from the future being 'Fatui spies'.

Hang on-

"Why exactly were you sent on a solo mission?" Kaeya asks, perhaps a bit too cautiously, given that he really can't clue Diluc into what's going on with Eroch.

But Diluc must notice the shift in tone anyway, because his eyes narrow into suspicion. "It's been pretty standard for the past few weeks," Diluc responds, equally as cautious. "Lady Fredrica and the Inspector thought that sending some of the senior knights on solo missions would boost morale and show the people of Mondstadt that we have everything under control."

"So you're not the first one to be sent on a solo mission like this?"

"No," Diluc's eyes are still full of suspicion, and Kaeya fears that he's already beginning to piece everything together. "I think all the Captains have, and most Knights have been sent on missions in groups smaller than usual. But they haven't been easy missions. Louis keeps using the informant, so half the time we've got wrong information. Which," Diluc gestures to the wreck of the Hoarder's camp before them, "leads to things like this."

Kaeya hums as he mulls that over. A mysterious informant who can predict the future and who's also convinced both the Logistics and the Armament Captain that the Knights from the future are Fatui spies. The same informant is also informing missions that seem to keep going wrong. The mission that Diluc was sent on today was probably headed by a Fatus.

"Just last week," Diluc continues, "I was supposed to escort a supply balloon from the Winery to Springvale. But it was attacked by Hillichurls, and by the time I fended them off, nearly a quarter of the supplies had been destroyed."

Diluc leans into his hands, mumbling, "I get what the Inspector is trying to do, but I should have had some other Knights with me."

Kaeya knows that he doesn't really have much evidence to make any solid accusations, but he has a feeling that the Inspector might have a bit more to do with this than just 'trying to boost morale'.

"I need you to not go on any more solo missions," Kaeya says. "If they're assigned to you, find someone else to take."

Kaeya wouldn't put it past Eroch for this to be some elaborate way to hurt the Ordo from the inside.

Diluc eyes Kaeya for a moment, brow narrowing slightly, "Are you going to elaborate?"

Kaeya would love to, but he knows the second that he mentions Eroch's treachery, this version of Diluc will be running to the Grand Master. Kaeya is already going to have a hard enough time keeping the older Diluc out of the way once he's back on his feet, so the last thing that Kaeya needs is this one running around and complicating things.

"I just need you to trust me on this one."

Diluc eyes Kaeya for another moment, but that reasoning must be enough because eventually he shrugs and agrees.

"Alright, I'm sure I can find someone to drag along. It might actually keep our supplies intact, too."

Kaeya has a feeling that this 'someone' will be his younger self. He also has a feeling that in a day or two, Diluc's going to be back at his side again, asking for more details. A simple 'just trust me' won't satiate his curiosity for long.

Or, he'll start asking now, given the next question that comes out of his mouth.

"So, what's with all of you guys from the future and the Inspector?" And before Kaeya can even hope to redirect that question to something else, Diluc continues, "You all get cagey any time he comes up. Varka and Lady Fredrica have noticed too."

Kaeya huffs a laugh, "You're telling me that Slick Eyebrows doesn't put you on edge, too?"

"I'm being serious. Eroch isn't even a part of the Ordo in the future, is he? Kaeya"—the other him he's guessing—"said that he heard someone mention that there isn't even an Inspector at all in the future."

Kaeya has to suppress the urge to grimace. If the younger version of himself is already hearing tidbits about the Inspector's fate, then it won't be long until he manages to dig out the entire story.

"So what happens to him? Does he die? Does he get fired? Is he-"

"If you keep asking questions, people are going to end up dead."

A slight exaggeration? Maybe. But it seems to be working for Kaeya's purposes because Diluc snaps his mouth shut.

Kaeya knows it's not exactly fair to be essentially scaring Diluc into silence, but it's already hard enough trying to keep the older version of Diluc out of this mess, and he at least understands the severity of the situation.

Kaeya can't risk this Diluc asking too many questions, because when they inevitably go unanswered, Diluc will start poking around himself. And if Eroch is really pulling as many strings as Kaeya thinks he is, then this entire 'solo mission' has proven that Eroch is already too dangerous right now to risk that.

"Are you sure this is something that you can handle?" Diluc asks, voice careful.

Kaeya tilts his head, expression narrowing, "Now what did I just say about questions?"

Diluc snorts, "Gods, don't say that. You sound like Father." He composes himself a second later, voice suddenly sombre, "But I'm serious. Whatever this is, are you sure you're going to be able to handle this on your own?"

"Who said I was doing anything on my own?"

Between Kaeya and Jean, they should be able to figure this all out. They've done it before. They can do it again, even if the odds are stacked monumentally against them.

That doesn't stop Kaeya from noticing the pause from Diluc. His expression softens, a small, knowing smile flickering across his face.

"Oh, right," he says.

The tilt of Diluc's mouth, the way his eyes linger. It takes Kaeya a moment before he realises. This Diluc is assuming that his future self is the one working with Kaeya.

Because he thinks that they're still brothers.

If that's the case, Kaeya won't correct him. It's just one of the many illusions that Kaeya doesn't feel like breaking.

At least, not yet anyway.