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Albedo was silent when he worked. Kaeya watched him sometimes when he wasn’t off exploring the mountain or helping the other researchers collect and sort through data. He would find himself a little corner of the cave turned laboratory and whittle away at a piece of pine wood. It didn’t matter what he carved it into, it was just an excuse to hang nearby.
If Albedo was left to his own devices, how long would he go without speaking to another soul? If not for the occasional interruption by the expedition team, Kaeya doubted he would speak at all outside of intermittent muttering. When he encountered setbacks, the alchemist would talk himself through the process, locate the error, and carry on quietly. Otherwise the only sounds to be heard were the occasional collision of glass instruments, bubbling and hissing of chemicals, and the scraping sounds Kaeya made as he shaped the wood into something new.
It came as a surprise when the alchemist stopped what he was doing of his own accord, neatly removed his goggles and apron and gloves, and wandered outside. Kaeya followed suit.
The sunlight against the pure white blanket of snow blinded him temporarily. He found Albedo standing just outside the cave, staring at the sky.
“What is it?” Kaeya asked.
“It stopped snowing,” Albedo said, his voice nearly a whisper.
There were patches of blue visible in the cloud layer, allowing sunlight to touch the frozen wasteland. The call of a songbird broke through the stillness followed by the flutter of wings. Movement had returned to the mountain.
“I was under the impression that the snow never stopped around here,” Kaeya said, his voice seeming unnaturally loud.
“It’s rare, even in summer,” Albedo explained. He brought his fingers to his lips, lost in thought. “If it clears up a bit more, maybe…”
The alchemist turned his attention to the mountain’s peak. Clouds still swirled wildly, the snowy top lost in them. But even they had calmed from their usual fury. Albedo nodded to himself and turned to Kaeya, who had been watching him curiously.
“If I’m right, we will be treated to something special tonight,” Albedo said. “How do you feel about going on a walk after dinner?”
Kaeya grinned, “I'd love nothing more.”
As the day passed by, the sky cleared further. Kaeya hadn’t realized how much he had missed the sun. Its warmth was comforting and brought color back to the mountain. The sparse pines actually appeared green and the blood red crystals stood out more than before, the light bringing out their inner fire. Kaeya caught a glimpse of a few little foxes, finally getting a look at the creatures themselves instead of the trails indicating where they had been.
But most importantly, the deep sapphire blue sky was what he had enjoyed the most. It was amazing how vivid it appeared, like something plucked straight out of his childhood. Perhaps it was silly, but Kaeya spent a large portion of the day sitting outside, absorbing what color he could before the snow inevitably returned.
He remained outside watching the clouds change colors as the sun set. The mountain itself cast a deep purple shadow, but its edges were brilliant fiery reds and oranges that deepened as the sun was consumed by the horizon. The first few stars had begun to make themselves known by the time Albedo ushered him back inside.
“There’ll be enough time for that later,” the alchemist had told him. “Help me cook first.”
The night settled in as they prepared dinner. One of the expedition team had happened across frozen boar a few days prior, adding the meat to supplement their slowly dwindling food supply. Albedo whipped up goulash with Kaeya serving as an extra pair of hands. The meat stew was rich and savory, warming them up from the inside.
Plates were cleaned and the common space cleared away. Kaeya nursed a cup of tea in his hands as Albedo packed a small bag. The alchemist grabbed a lantern and turned to him.
“Once you’re finished with that, we’ll head out. The spot I have in mind isn’t too far from here.”
A few minutes later Kaeya was stepping out into the frigid night air, the cold stinging his nose with every breath. Albedo led the way up an old path that had been uncovered after consistent use by the researchers. Kaeya could see nothing beyond the light of the lantern, the glow acting like a shield from the veil of night.
The snow crunched softly beneath their feet as they made their way up the mountain. After only a five minute walk, they had left the ancient path behind and found themselves in a snowfield. Albedo handed Kaeya the lantern and unpacked the bag.
Two blankets, one waterproofed and the other for comfort, were laid in the snow. Albedo removed his shoes and settled on them, then took the lantern back and gestured for Kaeya to do the same. Once they were both comfortable, he produced a third blanket that he wrapped around the both of them. Albedo pressed himself up against the entirety of Kaeya’s left side.
He brought the lantern up and opened the latch to expose the wick to the elements. The fire danced in his teal eyes and brought a warm glow to his pale countenance.
“Ready?”
Kaeya nodded. The fire was extinguished. The darkness rushed in.
And the sky lit up.
The moon was a mere sliver, its glow insignificant. But that only made for an even more spectacular sight.
Stars. Millions of them. Kaeya thought he knew what the stars looked like, but perhaps it had all been an illusion. It was as if he had spent his whole life underground, and this was the first time he had seen the night.
Not even the view off Starsnatch Cliff could compare to this clarity. No city lights or camping fires could reach this place, so isolated on the mountain. It was a sky that artists and astronomers could only dream of. Only this was no dream.
“I like to think that the first time I saw the night sky, it looked like this,” Albedo whispered. “There are domains deep within Teyvat that reflect this sky. But it’s impossible to compare them.”
“How come?” Kaeya asked.
“Because no matter how far you reach out, you’ll never touch them,” Albedo reached out towards the sky, “There are domains where the stars exist beneath your feet or surround you on all sides, where you can see the sky’s reflection showing through the water even though you’re hundreds of feet underground. It’s magnificent in its own way, and yet oppressive.”
“These stars give you the freedom to dream,” Albedo tucked himself closer to Kaeya. “Then again, I spent much of the beginning of my life traveling through domain after domain studying this world. Perhaps I’ve simply exhausted my interest in those stars.”
Kaeya huffed a laugh and Albedo glanced up at him, turning away from the sky for the first since the light went out.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to laugh at you,” the knight said, turning away from the sky to look at Albedo. “It’s just, that last part is so in character for you.”
“Of course it is, I am the one who said it?” Albedo raised an eyebrow. It only caused Kaeya to laugh more.
“Tell me more,” he said once he calmed down.
“About?”
“Your past.”
Albedo’s hesitation caused doubt to pierce Kaeya’s heart. Kaeya wasn’t one to share details of his past easily, but Albedo had him beat on that. He had never known how to approach the topic with the alchemist. His silver tongue failed time and time again to supply him with the words, or courage, to ask. So naturally the moment Albedo broached the topic, Kaeya was inclined to follow.
Now he wasn’t so sure that was the best idea. Kaeya wasn’t typically one to take back words, but the silence nearly forced his hand. Before he could, however, Albedo spoke.
“What do you want to know?”
In his peripheral vision he could just see the top of the four point star that adorned Albedo’s neck and fought the urge to glance down at it.
What is your connection to Khaenri’ah?
How much do you know?
Do you know who I am?
Where did you come from?
The questions poured out nearly uncontrolled, but Kaeya pushed them aside.
“Tell me more about those domains you mentioned,” he asked instead. “What were you studying?”
Kaeya almost thought he saw disappointment flash through Albedo’s eyes, like the alchemist had hoped he would ask about something else, but it was gone before he could confirm it. Albedo shifted so he was sitting more in front of Kaeya.
“Many things. I’m not sure if I can explain it well, but I will try,” he began. “I accompanied my Master in her pursuits, following her interests and whims. We traveled from domain to domain as she taught me of the world, both above and below the surface. We followed the ley lines, studying how they weaved and interconnected, how they spoke to each other, the information they carried and how they grew. We studied the petrified trees, the most ancient ones in the deepest domains.”
“I studied the art of Khemia under her tutelage, the art of creation,” he said. “We, or rather I , was given the task of learning everything, so to speak. Looking back now, it was less about her following a whim, but rather following the opportunities for me to learn something new.”
“She sounds like a tough teacher,” Kaeya replied.
“Tough might be too light of a word,” Albedo said, a slight smile on his face.
“How long did you study under her?”
Albedo thought for a moment, “From the moment I became conscious of the world until she disappeared and I came here to Mondstadt.”
Kaeya's eye widened, “You were traveling domains as a child?”
There was a strange expression on the alchemist's face when he replied, “You could say that.”
Albedo shied away from the question, going on to describe what he thought were the most interesting domains he had traveled to. A domain made of giant flowers whose stems reached such depths that the bottom wasn’t visible. A domain without walls made entirely of stars. Domains with five or more different biomes all coexisting together.
Kaeya listened intently as Albedo recounted his experiences, filing the information away like a most precious memory. The alchemist became more animated as he warmed to his theme.
Kaeya thought he knew Albedo well. And he did know Albedo well, or at least the Albedo of Mondstadt. The Albedo who worked tirelessly on projects that interested him. The Albedo who would drag heavy canvas and paints to the top of mountains for the chance to paint the sunrise. The Albedo who doted on his explosive little sister. The Albedo who gave sketches to people he liked.
He never knew the Albedo who lived a simple existence, never contemplating the world and doing as he was told. The one who met all expectations, perfecting his craft, finding the smallest flaw and perfecting it again. The one who only saw art as a means to an end.
Kaeya looked at the Albedo before him, his hair almost shining white under the starlight. There was ice beginning to form on his eyelashes, and yet despite the stinging cold his face remained as unblemished sculpted marble without even a hint of pink. The scarf he wore around his neck obscured the star marked there, but as his body moved with his words and the cloth shifted, the top point poked through.
“Kaeya?” Albedo’s voice snapped him back to reality. “Are you feeling alright?”
Kaeya smiled, cleared his thoughts, and reached out to move a stray hair from Albedo's face.
“I’m fine,” Kaeya said. “Just glad that you are who you are.”
"Thanks…?” Albedo tilted his head, “Are you sure you’re feeling okay? Maybe we should head back.”
Kaeya gently grabbed Albedo by the wrist, pulling the alchemist towards himself then looping his arm around Albedo’s waist. He pulled a warming bottle out of his pocket.
“Let’s stay a bit longer,” he grinned, activating the bottle. A lovely warmth spread over them, melting the ice that clung to their eyelashes and hair. “The view is too beautiful to go back now. Tell me more about the ancient trees.”
Albedo didn’t fight him, instead leaning his head against Kaeya’s chest and turning his gaze to the stars.
“Alright, well unlike the petrified trees you see here on the surface, the ancient ones can be as tall as one or two miles. There’s a species of large spider that lives in their roots…”