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Being an Alberich means planning to perfection.
They were a proud and noble family, born outside of Teyvat, with capabilities not yet fully grasped by this land. Their clansmen have led countless of warriors to battle, and their names are forever carved to the history of this world.
They were a clan filled with the sharpest minds that were made for leadership. With all that responsibility, it had been nigh important to be perfect, because one wrong move could ruin their plans, and ruined plans mean that they have failed the nation that had taken them in.
Khaenri’ah fell. They had disappointed their nation.
But despite the fall of their nation, he still planned to uphold the ideals of his clan.
Kaeya, his dear son, needed to know that he is part of a clan that he could be proud of. His son had been chosen for this mission because he is an Alberich, and as an Alberich, failure is not an option.
And so, he planned to perfection.
Every single page on their actual history is burned to a crisp, ensuring that no one could fully trace the truth back to them. What this world can have left of them are the byproducts of their might in the battlefield. That is all this world deserved from them.
Careful maneuvering around Teyvat ensured that no one would recognize him and his son should they do a search. Until his son comes of age, no one shall know of his existence. Kaeya needs to survive until the promised day.
And finally, there is the storm that is bound to arrive soon, if the gray skies are to be trusted.
Rare comes the harsh winds and piercing rains in the Nation of Freedom. This nation, after all, is blessed by their Archon for wonderful weathers and plentiful fields, a harsh contrast to Khaenri’ah's dark skies and cursed lands. And yet here they are, two Khaenri’ahns awaiting the first drop to fall under the darkest of skies the Nation of Freedom had seen in a while.
The harsh winds that indicate the upcoming downpour foretells the strength of the storm. With forces like this, surely the storm would be harsh and long. Hopefully, it will wash away his footsteps, his scent, and his image from any wandering eyes. They will not be able to track him down as soon as he leaves his son here.
He glances his son from the corner of his eyes, who was decidedly not looking at him. His tiny-too tiny- hands fiddle with the hood of his worn out cloak in anxiety, keeping it from being flown away by the anger of the winds, aware of what is to come.
Kaeya, his dearest boy... he is smart, and brave, and strong. He learns as fast as breathing, and somehow manages to think even faster than that. He listens so attentively, and has rarely ever cried or acted out. If their ancestors are watching his son, then he is sure that they are proud of him.
His son is perfect for their plans. It's just that... he was just so young…
His son finally faces him, face rounded by baby fat and his lone uncovered eye shining bright with determination and maturity beyond his age.
What a contradicting look …
The distant sound of thunder distracts him from his observations.
He remembers why they were there.
They have a mission. A mission for Khaenri'ah.
They had no one else who could do it. His son had fit the criteria they required. Once the time is right, then his son will…
He needs to make sure Kaeya will survive until then. And so, he equips his child with as much knowledge as he possibly could with the remaining time they had left.
He had taught his son how to speak, how to read, and how to write in common. He also gave him lessons on basic skills for any sort of weapon, and showed him how to plan like a leader, which will someday be demanded of him, the same way it had been demanded for their other clansmen. It would do no well for his son to be ill-equipped with these things if he ever wished to ensure his son’s survival. He believes that his son, as frightfully young as he is, is ready for the mission.
Yet he still worries for is everything else about his son.
See, Kaeya is a wonderful and loving soul - a kind-hearted child. He would catch his son watching the world with awe and wonder in his visible eye. Everything about Teyvat seemed to fascinated him. Kaeya loves Teyvat's unending seas and bright skies. Kaeya shows his appreciation to Teyvat in turn.
There were times he had seen his boy run to aide a hurt animal, or help a traveler gather what they needed. He had scolded Kaeya over this, with the secrecy of their existence being far more important.
Kaeya never did stop. He instead found a way to help others in the shadows. He allows his son to continue his kind acts.
The people of Khaenri’ah would have adored Kaeya. His kindness befits that of a prince whose goal is to help everyone. He’d be loved and trusted by his countrymen as a future leader of their nation's troops.
There had also been a time where he could hear the light clanking in his child's pockets, full of trinkets he had found on their journey to Mondstadt. He had also reprimanded his child about those trinkets because they make too much noise, yet the child stubbornly kept them. His son instead learned to keep his movements gentle, and his actions quiet.
He is not immune to his child's begging eyes. He lets the child keep the trinkets.
He wonders if he would have spoiled his child in another life with shiny trinkets. They, as nobles, would have been expected for elegance, and Kaeya, with the way he is now, would have loved the jewellery his family could afford for him to wear.
Perhaps in a perfect life, Kaeya could be the perfect son, and he could give his son the perfect home. Perhaps in a perfect life, he would have been his son's perfect fa-
Nearby thunder and lightning sounded like a warning. Now was not the time to dream.
Love and kindness are risks to their plans, especially for the role his child has to play. What lies in store for his son is something that will fill him with guilt and anger until his promised deathbed.
A heart, in his son’s situation, could get him killed.
He gives his son one final lesson. To close his heart and never let anyone in. The boy nods, mildly in confusion, unsure of what he means just yet. His son would understand someday.
.
.
.
The first few drops of rain finally start to pour. . .
.
.
.
He is an Alberich with the perfect plan.
He is not a perfect father.
He never could be the moment their nation fell, and the people who remained are left clamoring for salvation.
His heart is plagued with fear for his son and anger at the Archons - at Celestia - for forcing their hands to do such tactics. Kaeya had been chosen to save them, and nothing breaks his heart more than his son’s fate at this honor.
He glances at a distance instead of at his son to make the child know that the hatred that burns in his eyes was not for him. Kaeya has to know that the hatred is not and never will be for him. The hatred is for the ones above.
He would not blame Kaeya if he could never forgive him, and yet he dared to ask for his son’s forgiveness.
The rain grows stronger. He leaves without turning back.
He feels the burning stare of his child.
It will haunt him till his death.