Chapter Text
A soft whisper echoed in his ears after the fated moment.
"Sorry... to also have you shoulder the grievances of the world."
Kaeya had his eyes closed and only heard the mansion front door slam as Diluc left to the storm still raging outside. Holding on to his newly acquired vision like it was a lifeline - and in a way, it probably was - Kaeya finally had the courage to open his eyes. He let his hands drop from a defensive posture and his shoulders to relax. But somehow he couldn't stop shaking.
He regarded the state of the mansion hall. Wet floor, some frosting still left on the walls, burn marks on wood, a few specks of blood... It would be clear that a fight had occurred here to anyone who would open the door.
Archons, how could I be this stupid?
Tears started to flood from the knight's eyes. He knew for a fact that he had made the biggest mistake of his life by telling Diluc about his origins, his purpose, his...whatever he had tried to tell him. He had known how Diluc would react, he knew his brother better than anyone. And revealing everything on a night like this, just after their father's... Someone could say it was cruel.
Yet... Little by little, year after year the guilt he carried had been growing like an animal inside of him. Like a snake, coiling around his insides, growing bigger and bigger, wanting to be let free from behind his ribcage. The guilt consumed him, fed on every peaceful moment he allowed himself, whispered poison in his ears until the day everything would come crashing down. Not being able to help his father, to be there for his brother, to keep them both safe and sound - the snake finally found a way to eat him whole from the inside.
Kaeya could not carry the heavy secrets he had been trusted with no longer, not alone. So he let the creature out, only for it to bite him with its fangs and curling around his ribs, now creating a cage around him. Sweet revenge, Kaeya could almost hear the snake hiss in satisfaction.
Why, why did I ever...
Suddenly Kaeya became aware that he could see his own breath. The temperature had dropped drastically in the room without him feeling it, and the puddles of water on the floor had frozen over. As a Cryo Vision holder, he was now not bothered by the cold as easily... nevertheless, he should try to grasp the control of his vision as soon as possible, lest Diluc...no, in case anyone came for him.
Waves of dread washed over his body, and Kaeya suddenly realized that though the blessing of Archons had saved him once, he was not yet safe.
Diluc he... he wouldn't go and get the knights. He wouldn't tell them his secret.
No, he absolutely would and he will. He went to do just that.
He had underestimated his brother's anger once. He would not do so twice.
Blood rushing in his ears and the rapidly increasing pace of his heart were the only sounds he could hear now. In a flash Kaeya was on his feet, grabbed his sword from the floor and rushed to his room. He had to do something, anything to save his skin.
Thank the Archons he was alone at the mansion.
Kaeya slammed his door shut. Archons, what am I going to do? Once Diluc told the knights, there was no way he would be safe in Mondstadt. He could not care less for the burden of being "the last hope for their people" his birth father had entrusted him with - Khaenri'ah could rot. But once the knights would know about his little secret, they would execute him, put him in a prison for the rest of his days, and maybe, if they were kind, exile him... But where to go when soon all the neighboring nations would know of him? He would be struck down immediately.
Trying to steady his heavy, panicking breath, he lifted his vision stone to his eyes. It was cool to the touch, and despite it being dark in his room, it glimmered a tiny, cool blue light, stained a little by the blood that had trickled down on it. It was pretty, he could admit it... but someone like him, blessed by an Archon? Or cursed? After all, visions were said to be the eyes of the gods.
He needed to escape. But to where? Though Snezhnaya seemed like a good option, now that he had been granted the blessing of their Tsaritsa... No. A child of Khaenri'ah should not trust the gods, and of all the gods on Teyvat, the least amount of trust Kaeya would place on the leader of the Fatui.
Kaeya's chest ached and though he had stopped crying, he felt another stream of tears trying to push to the surface. He didn't want to leave Mondstadt, his home, his friends, his... his family, though Diluc didn't consider him as such anymore. But this wasn't a matter of choice, it never really was.
He gripped the light blue crystal in one hand and let his other go to his hair, gripping it in an attempt to subconsciously ground himself. The cold around him had subsided, and the vision too felt less freezing in his hand.
Kaeya looked at the crystal once more, eyes widening as an idea formed in his mind. Maybe...
In a flash, Kaeya started rummaging through his closets, collecting an array of items ranging from winter clothes to weapons, potions, anything that he could need. He needed to pack quickly, lightly and enough, and he opted to quickly change to clothes that perhaps were a little too warm for the current Mondstadt weather but he could not afford to skip layers where he was going. Besides...
It's not like he would ever be allowed wear it again anyway.
He laid the neatly folded, albeit damaged knight uniform on his bed, trying to avoid staining the bed with the blood-stained, charred and wet parts. Adelinde will be upset anyway...
Hot tears threatened to fall down from his eyes once again. To Kaeya, Adelinde was something of a mother figure, he was sure it was the same for Diluc as well.
Hastily, Kaeya grabbed a piece of paper and a quill. He owed the head maid at least this much.
I'm sorry. Thank you for taking care of me. - K
Kaeya left the paper on top of his folded clothes and glanced around the room. He could not waste any longer.
Quickly Kaeya made a stop in the mansion kitchen, grabbing as much travel-suitable food, spices, and some cooking utensils that no one would miss and exited through the back door. The rain had subsided but the sky was still covered in clouds, obscuring the moon but not all of it's light.
Perfect.
With all of his items, Kaeya would not be able to glide around without crashing to the ground instantly. Still, sneaking through Mondstadt in the night was surprisingly easy - the bad weather had lessened only to a dark, cloud-covered sky and a biting wind only moments before but the adftermath of the storm kept the people still inside. One of the doors to the side of the wall seemed to be unmanned, even - if his memory served him right, it should be the time of guard change. Perfect timing.
Kaeya saw his moment and snuck out, quickly and quietly pushing a rowboat to the lake. Getting close to the main entrance would be too risky, so he quickly rowed to a corner of the lake with some bushes and started trekking towards the snow-covered mountain in the distance.