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With a thundering bang, the statue of Barbatos that had guarded Mondstadt for centuries came crashing down.
Every nerve in Jean's body screamed at her to run for her life, yet her feet remained rooted on the spot. All her battle-honed reflexes seemed lost as the shockwave knocked her over like a leaf in the wind. Rubble and debris rained down on her, stone splitters tore her skin open, yet the pain was inconsequential against the screams of the citizens throughout the city, which pierced through her ears right into her heart.
She still could not move.
Her sword clattered on the ground—useless just as herself—as she had to listen to the cries of her friends being hunted through the streets of what had been her home. The city she had sworn to protect.
"Jean!"
All she could do was curl in on herself, as—
"Jean, wake up!"
A hand gently shook her shoulder as she jolted awake.
Diluc was looking down on her, his brow furrowed in worry.
"It's okay, Jean. You fell asleep over the paperwork."
She rubbed her eyes, trying—and failing—to suppress the shiver rocking her body as the memory of the nightmare clung to her like the cold sweat on her back.
Diluc's warm hand gently squeezed her shoulder, pulling her back to reality.
The candles on the desk in the library had burned down to a small stump. Her neck was stiff from the uncomfortable position she had fallen asleep in. Well, it wasn't the first time, and it surely wouldn't be the last.
She put her hand on Diluc's and squeezed it reassuringly—for him or for herself, she did not dare to think about.
"I'm okay, thank you."
He raised his brows at that but did not comment, for which she was immensely grateful.
"How did you know I was here?" she asked, trying to gather her wits. It must be the middle of the night by now.
"Is everything okay?" she added, a sudden worry creeping into her heart once more.
"Everything is fine. The others are still drinking at the Angel's Share. Of course," he scoffed.
He scratched the back of his neck with his free hand.
"It didn't feel right to leave you here all alone. And as your office wall was blasted open earlier, my guess was you'd end up here."
A smile spread on her face, hearing his kind words and how well he knew her.
"Thank you, Diluc. I appreciate it. Maybe I should call it a day and head home to get some sleep."
Yet just the possibility of having to relive this nightmare made her shudder. She dropped her hand and began to gather her papers, unable to face Diluc's piercing stare lest he notice how shaken her nightmare had left her.
He took the cue to remove his hand from her shoulder, but did not move from her side.
"Or you could come with me. I've something I want to show you," he said.
She looked at him, astonished. A tiny smile had formed in the corner of his mouth. That sounded infinitely better than going home right now.
"Where are we going?" she asked curiously as they were stepping out of the headquarters.
His grin broadened, and she felt her face move into a warm smile of its own volition.
"Let's make it a surprise," he said.
She was about to ask more questions when she noticed that she really did not care, as long as she did not have to be alone tonight.
"Just follow my lead, okay?"
She studied his face for a moment in the flickering light of the candles, the warmth shining from the familiar ruby eyes driving back the lingering darkness in her chest.
"Okay. Let's go," she said.
Diluc let her up the stairs and towards the cathedral. As they passed the statue of the Anemo Archon, Jean felt her heart clench once more, and she sent a wordless prayer full of gratitude that the city and her loved ones were safe.
She was so deep in thought that she had already begun to climb the walls of the cathedral following her guide when she realized what she was doing.
"Diluc!" She whispered, afraid of alerting someone else to their presence. "What are you doing?"
"Same as you, I hope. Climbing," came the reply from above.
He waited on a small ledge for her to catch up.
"But—"
"No one will notice and even if they don't care. I promise, Jean. Trust me, please?"
Had he always been able to conjure such a persuasive, pleading look on his face?
Then again, she was a little curious now.
"Okay, I guess… but please be careful!"
"I have the Dandelion Knight by my side. What could happen?"
He smiled at her with such an open, warm expression that she had to turn to the side to hide the blush creeping on her face.
Well, forward seemed the only way through now.
"After you, then. So I can catch you, just in case," Jean mumbled, relieved that Diluc instantly followed her order and continued climbing.
But he did not stop.
Jean was about to call out a few times, as he went higher and higher, but instead, she only found herself following his lead until they reached the platform of the bell tower.
"What are we doing up here?" she asked when she finally caught up.
"I thought you needed to see this tonight. I certainly do," Diluc said, his voice strained, not from exhaustion but from an invisible lump in his chest, that she only knew too well.
She turned to follow his gesture and let her gaze fly over the city stretching below them.
It looked so peaceful. Soft, golden lights were glittering all across Mondstadt. Lanterns were lighting up the streets, which were more familiar to her than the back of her hand, and she could almost feel the warmth flooding through the illuminated windows, where the people of her city had found the comfort of their homes for the night.
It hit hard.
Her hand grabbed the stone next to her as her knees threatened to give out. Tears were suddenly falling freely down her cheeks.
Her companion did not say anything; he just stepped closer, carefully wrapping an arm around her from behind to steady her. Only as she leaned against him—running entirely on instinct after the events of today—did he hug her tight with both arms.
She sobbed quietly, the lights blurry from her tears, yet unable to turn away from the view.
Time passed, yet Diluc held her through it, until all the tears had ebbed away.
When she turned to look at him, she saw a few wet streaks on his face, mirroring her own. She reached up to brush them away gently.
"I thought I was the only one who wasn't able to handle today," she murmured, maybe more to herself than to him.
Yet Diluc replied instantly.
"Jean, there is nothing to be ashamed about for caring so deeply as you do. And you had to shoulder so much while Varka was gone. And even before that."
He pulled out a handkerchief, handing it to her. She took it, grateful for being able to wipe away the snot and tears. It was a welcome distraction from having to acknowledge his words.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Diluc asked. "It's okay if you don't. I just wanted to offer. You don't have to carry all of it on your own."
She noticed more tears threatening to make their way and hastily blinked them away.
"Thank you. I don't know, honestly." She sighed. "The last few days were a lot. The excitement of everyone's return and wanting to make everything perfect for them. They deserve it! But I guess it was more pressure than I noticed. And it's also… things will change now again, and I don't know what to expect. I don't like that, even though I'd never admit it out loud in front of anyone."
She paused, trying to find the courage to voice what had been weighing her down tonight. "But mostly, seeing those things in the magic bubble today was… a lot."
She turned back to the city, trying to find the comfort in the view that Diluc had clearly intended for her.
"This could have happened, you know?" Her voice sounded so small even to her own ears. Yet she knew that Diluc would listen. He would understand, if no one else. "If things had gone just a little differently... I might not have been strong enough to turn it around."
"I know what you mean," Diluc sighed, leaning against the pillar next to her. "It certainly wasn't fun to see this. But let's remember that things turned out the way they did. We're here now. Mondstadt is safe, Dvalin is free. And most importantly, I hope you can see what today was also about: You don't have to carry these things on your own. I'm sorry, I won't come back to the Knights, but that won't ever change my absolute dedication to protect Mondstadt and support you in any way I can. I'm sorry I've never told you this so clearly."
Jean looked at him with big eyes, a warmth spreading through her that she had not managed to feel all evening, when everyone else had seemed so happy and content.
He turned towards her, taking her hand and holding it against his chest.
"I might not be a knight anymore, but you'll always have my blade. You can count on that."
She swallowed and smiled, the first smile that reached her all the way to her heart since they had come back out of the bubble.
"Thank you, Diluc. I appreciate that."
With a tired sigh, she leaned her head against his chest, next to her hand that he was still clutching tight.
"I didn't even know I needed this," she added.
"Yeah, I figured," he murmured into her hair. "I know you're strong and I admire you for it every day, but I don't want you to think that you have to be all the time."
She did not reply, afraid her voice might betray the bundle of emotions threatening to spill over once more, and instead wrapped her free arm around him. He immediately followed her lead and hugged her close.
They stood like this for a while longer, finding solace in each other's presence and their shared experience.
After a while, Jean pulled back, looking at the moon casting its serene, silver glow on their city.
"I had a nightmare before, when you woke me. I know, I should go to sleep, but I'm scared it might come back," she whispered.
"If you want to, I can keep you company?" Diluc suggested.
When she looked at him, surprised, he immediately added, "Oh, no no, not like that, I'm sorry, I—I just meant, you don't have to be alone, and I can wake you again, if you have a nightmare! I can sit on the floor, I don't mind—"
"Diluc, it's okay," she interrupted him, trying to hide a grin at seeing him so flustered.
"I'm very grateful for the offer, and honestly, after everything that happened today, I really wouldn't mind…" she trailed off, staring intently at the tip of her shoes, missing Diluc's relieved smile.
"Okay, let's get you some sleep, Jean," he said.
"Sounds good," she sighed, the exhaustion finally feeling overwhelming.
With Diluc's help, she got home safely and swiftly.
How it came about that the rest of the night, Jean's head was resting on Diluc's lap, his hand slowly patting her hair, warding off all nightmares, neither of them really knew. Yet it was the best night's sleep the acting grand master had gotten in a long while.