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Being back around this forsaken place feels like a slap to his face for Kaeya. Just around these parts Crepus, his father, died, by Diluc's hand. Later that day, Kaeya had the terrible idea to come clean to his dearest brother– the rest is history.
Still, Kaeya feels his skin crawling as he patrols the area. Usually, he'd be mindful to leave this exact area to other knights, both to avoid the painful memories it brought and to always stay close to his beloved city even when he takes the time to make a short patrol, just in case anything were to happen.
But after Swan got sick and no knights were free to cover him, Kaeya volunteered. Of course, at the time, he didn't know where exactly Swan had been supposed to patrol. If he'd known, Kaeya isn't so sure he would've volunteered at all.
Suddenly, something brings Kaeya out of his regretful thoughts, as he notices not one but two Abyss mages ahead of him, chanting together– Kaeya's understanding of their language is rough at best, but doesn't need the details to know he must act; if the Abyss is involved it can never mean good news. You've got this, Kaeya tells himself, now having crouched behind a tree for cover while he's planning his next move.
Kaeya tries hard not to dwell on the fact that the Abyss mages are really close to the spot where he found his father dead, next to a sobbing Diluc and– stop it, he tells himself. It's no use to get all sad and stuff.
In fact, it's a shame it isn't raining like it had rained that day – nor is it about to rain today, for that matter – because that would've definitely made things way easier. Nonetheless, Kaeya knows he's capable of defeating two little Abyss mages... he just needs to take action and be done with it.
Now or never, Kaeya thinks, right before he makes a move to freeze the two Abyss mages– except one of them is a cryo-bearer too, so the ice does nothing to harm them, nor even manages to touch them.
Shit, Kaeya thinks, but is quick to change the strategy and calls for his sword, swinging it towards the cryo mage; once he's done with it first, then he can freeze the electro mage.
It's in this kind of situations where he wishes he'd mastered remote attacks, apart from, of course, his close-range combat abilities.
Fortunately, his sword actually hits the mage with its sharp edge, both breaking its shield and tearing through the abyssal thing's back, earning a row of pained sounds.
Unfortunately, however, Kaeya isn't fast enough to call for his cryo to freeze the remaining standing enemy before it's – quite literally – electrocuting him. The only good thing is that by that time, his sword had been cutting clean through the cryo mage's middle.
Of course, Kaeya's body still convulses as electro runs through him– it must have lasted merely a few seconds, but for him it feels like an eternity to him. At least, the cryo mage suffers the same fate as him.
Once the anguish and pain and suffering and torture is over, Kaeya collapses on the ground like a sack of potatoes, and feels completely drained. As if that single hit took all his life force, and he's been left like a shell of a man.
Kaeya fights – really, he fights with all his might – the darkness spreading around his – already short – vision field and the exhaustion weighting down on him, but he's clearly losing. He feels a second away from fainting right there on the spot.
All of a sudden, there's someone joining the battle – if it can be still called that –, but Kaeya's not aware enough to watch the whole show, and he only catches glimpses of what's happening around him: there are some purple chains flying and there's crimson red hair... red hair... purple chains... wait.
It's a shame Kaeya passes out while having the mysterious person's name still at the tip of his tongue.
"Kaeya."
"Come on, my boy, wake up," a gentle hand cups his cheek, and Kaeya forces his good eye open– it's a slow and sloppy work, blinking awake, but he manages it.
It takes Kaeya a hot minute to realize he's resting his head on Crepus' lap.
"Father?" He gasps, his good eye now wide open, but his reaction only makes Crepus chuckle, and Kaeya doesn't believe how much one could miss a sound as much as he's missed to hear that laugh.
"There you are, my boy," Crepus smiles at Kaeya like he's the most precious thing in the world, and it's enough to bring tears to his good eye. However, Kaeya's not able to keep his eye focused on his father too much longer– if only he could rest his sight for a quick second...
"I know you're tired, son, but you can't sleep yet," a gentle tap on his cheek brings Kaeya back to the world of living–
"Wait, am I dead?" Kaeya jolts up, but immediately regrets the sudden movement when he gets lightheaded and his vision field fills with dark spots. "You..." he trails off, with no interest in putting into words the obvious reality.
"Don't worry about those things now," Crepus says as he steadies him, grabbing him by the shoulders to keep him upright. However, as soon as Kaeya's eye-level with his father, he can't help but lean foward to embrace him in a tight hug.
"I love you, dad," Kaeya says, hiding his face over the crook of his father's neck. Even though his words are muffled by the fabric of Crepus' shirt, he doesn't need to repeat them for his father to understand and instantly reciprocate them.
"I love you, too, my boy," Crepus hugs him back, kissing the top of his head. Just then, Kaeya feels at peace, so he lets himself fall into the bliss of darkness that's been already inviting him to join.
The next time Kaeya wakes up someone's carrying him on their back. He doesn't have the strengh to raise his head from the person's shoulder but he's pretty sure he's under his father's care– his father's ghost... whatever.
His arms are hanging from where his father's shoulders end, limply crossed around his neck. "Where are we going?" Kaeya weakly manages to whisper.
"How are you feeling?" Crepus asks him instead.
"Like taking another nap," Kaeya answers in an exhale, while his eye's slipping close once again.
"Come on," Crepus tells him, readjusting Kaeya's weight on his back, "hang on a little bit longer, we're almost there," he encourages him, but there's an obvious hint of concern in his voice too.
"You didn't answer my question, though..." Kaeya mumbles his last coherent thought before everything goes dark again.
To be continued.