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Paimon and the traveler were going to mondstadt for the upcoming windblume festival, when near stone gate they decided to stop by dawn winery to greet the most distinguished wine tycoon.
Drawing near to the orchard, uneasiness filled the bottom of the traveler's stomach. The fields usually swept by a pleasant breeze were eerily still, not a crystalfly in sight.
As they made their way to the mansion, paimon drooling while thinking of all the delicacies she could taste in the near festive times, a patch of red caught their attention.
On a bench in the rear of the building, diluc sat, clutching a paper in his fist.
"Master Diluc! Hellooo", Paimon shouted, only for the man to suddenly snap his head in their direction.
"Paimon, Traveler. What's the matter?" He asked with badly concealed worry, the creased frown a distinct difference from his usually neutral expression.
The floating fairy halted, with a puzzled look. "Why, by the looks of it you seem the one that's troubled by some matter."
"I was hoping to clear up some questions i have. It is serendipitous that you came to me at this moment in time. How did your travels in sumeru go?"
"Oh! Has Kaeya not told you? I thought with his chattiness, he would have already shared our encounter as well as all his impressions of sumeru's beverages-"
"That's exactly the matter. I haven't heard from him, nor seen him since i received this letter." Diluc interrupted paimon, handing the traveler the crumpled paper he was holding.
It read:
To D,
The alcohol industry of sumeru is no rival you should worry about. Rest easy.
I'll keep this brief since i'd much prefer discussing my latest experiences and findings face to face.
The winery related meetings went by without an itch, but i met our dearest traveler and guide with a friend of theirs (a face known to both of us, but i'm hoping he'll accept my invite and come share a drink at mond's best tavern sometime soon). They brought disconcerting news to my attention and i feel you too should be no stranger to those.
Just don't react badly this time. I'll coax them to be witnesses to our chat otherwise.
In earnest, i had some suspicions, but hoped they were untrue until now.
I was proved wrong.
…and the last thing i want is to keep anything from you anymore.
K.
"I thought he'd have come back by now, especially with windblume coming closer by the day, but… nothing. Not even the knights were notified of any changes to his trip schedule."
Paimon grimaced, "Wow, for master diluc to have consulted the knights, you must be really worrie-"
Traveler spoke up, "It's disconcerting indeed, it's good we stopped by. Master diluc, i think… it would be best to discuss this inside."
A.N. Sorry for these notes, they'll happen a lot from now on.
Inside the study, away from indiscreet eyes and ears.
Diluc stood behind the desk, leaning on it, kaeya's letter lying between his hands. His red eyes were fixed somewhere upon the tidy handwriting.
"What did you find out?" He asked in a flat tone. "It has to do with his origins, does it not?"
The traveler looked to the letter, then to diluc. By the content of the paper they were hesitant to speak, but kaeya's disappearance was enough reason for them to come clean about their latest discoveries.
"I would rather he told you, but by the looks of things, it might not happen soon. Master diluc, we… we met dainsleif. A khaenri'ahn, as well."
"Blonde, blue eyes, star pupils. He visited angel's share some times." Diluc interjected. Knowing his intel gathering at the tavern, the traveler wasn't surprised he'd known who they were talking about.
"Exactly. Bluntly put, he's cursed with immortality and knew of the name 'alberich' since 500 years ago… it was the name of the original founder of the abyss order."
Diluc's eyes narrowed on the traveler, taking in every bit of new information.
"Kaeya was… i'm not sure how to read him, but he brushed it off as per usual with that smirk of his, then went off on his own. He played it cool, but it was clear he had a lot on his mind."
"…what else do you know? Anything pertinent to his whereabouts?"
"I didn't see him afterwards" and neither did i, player. Did you get to meet him, guys?
Damn it, i'll have to play the archon quest on my second account to go see kaeya idle in port ormos T.T
Traveler bowed their head, chin resting on their hand. "I'll tell you what else i discovered: i had a dream where i shared my sibling's memories. They were real happenings from centuries ago. Through them i met the abyss order founder. He… what do you think hilichurls are, master diluc?"
Diluc's gaze turned puzzled. " Why? What's with the question?"
"Of course you wouldn't know… but it's linked to the problem at hand." the traveler sadly sighed. "The people of khaenri'ah that didn't perish during the cataclysm, cursed to roam the land as monsters.
Diluc's face became a twisted grimace and full display of horror. "…what..?"
Paimon covered her mouth and assumed a grieving look. Her unusual silence, weirdly a confirmation, knowing the fairy.
Diluc shook his head, "…then what about ka- Sorry, please go on." He interrupted himself.
Traveler explains the curse of immortality of pure blooded khaenri'ahns, then eide's experiment and results on his son caribert.
How they are the starting point to the abyss order, to the lost land's hope, to kaeya's fate, written by others.
By the end of the traveler's tale, diluc was shaking.
"Traveler, this might be insensitive to you, but i must find him and i need your help. You know how important family is and… i had him beside me all this time, but never made a clear effort to set things right.
I- i can't believe he had to shoulder this burden all by himself. I let him go through it alone…"
Diluc raised his gaze to the blond outsider and met a faint, but kind smile.
"Of course. I'll help in any way i can. Family cannot be abandoned, right?"
They could swear they saw diluc's eyes grow more lucid before the man turned and picked a small backpack of supplies he clearly prepared for the plan prior to their encounter.
They set off to investigate.
Yada yada, ask around, yada yada, some hint of tracks near wangshu inn, where/who from … idk, maybe xiao? Told them about the captain passing by, though a great amount of monsters invaded the region shortly after he left
So, finally, they meet dain, who followed the heavy abyssal tracks(??)
Diluc didn't say a word to him, but it was clear he wanted to stab the man the moment he said something to his dislike.
Fortunately, that wasn't the case. Quite the contrary.
"I have a lead on alberich's whereabouts."
"Dain, you're the best!" Paimon cheered.
"What is it?" Diluc asked with urgency.
Dain turned to the traveler. "The defiled statue, remember that place?"
"How not to… but hadn't it caved in on itself?"
"I followed some clues near the area and it reeked of abyssal energy as of late."
Diluc snapped "Then what are we waiting for? Bring me there!"
"Not so fast." Dain urged. "This might very well be a trap for the traveler. Don't be so foolish to think the order has not noticed you two running around the nations looking for sir kaeya."
"Then we should come up with a plan…" paimon piped up. "But let's eat and rest. We need energies to face the situation rationally."
Diluc didn't sleep all night, vigilant and too haunted to rest properly.
Somehow he noticed nothing strange nor heard a single noise, however the following morning……
"Master diluc!" The traveler shouts from their bed.
They sit there, blankets still half sprawled over them and something shiny in their hands.
Diluc rushes to them and snatches the vision, cradling it in his palms. "His clipped wings…"
The mark of cryo glimmers in the light of dawn.
"It was under my pillow. I have no idea how they snuck up on me. Clearly an invitation to go to kaeya's rescue, but…"
"Yes, clearly a trap."
"Doesn't matter." The traveler puts a hand on diluc's, covering the chilly gem. "We can take them. I promise i will do everything in my power to help you two reunite."
Diluc left kaeya's vision in the traveler's hands, sure that its coolness through his pocket would distract him from thinking straight in a fight.
"Lead the way."
The journey is a harsh one.
The traveler used both the power of geo to secure a passage and anemo to find still rather open spaces in the collapsed underground domain.
When they reached the room of the defiled statue, the most horrifying spectacle awaited them.
Hanged upside down, tied by chains, hair dangling and eyepatch on the ground below, was kaeya. His hands were in knots so tight his wrists bled from how much he tried to free himself before passing out. Between his hands was secured a sphere of an ominous purple colour, the shadows inside it swirling.
His face, lined with bloody droplets, was sunken and his eyes shut.
"Kaeya!!" Diluc shouted, darting ahead, a hand reaching for him, the other holding his claymore.
The captain gave no sign of life whatsoever.
Before diluc could get too close, a portal swirled open and three abyss heralds emerged: hydro, cryo and electro.
The cryo herald swiftly attacked diluc, managing to cut his right arm open.
He had to jump backwards, his left arm lifting the weapon before himself in defense.
On the other side of the portal a voice came: "You are too late."
The traveler's sibling.
Before diluc knew it, the traveler was sprinting past him to reach the portal, but dainsleif caught them at the last second.
"I'm going. You're not thinking straight. Clearly they are using your affections against you."
And with that, as the traveler saw him do once before, dain flashed past the heralds, disappearing along with the portal.
Pretend this makes sense, ok? I needed dain out of the picture lol
And so, it was diluc and the traveler against the three abyss creatures, who still waited and watched them defiantly.
Diluc's eyes glanced over kaeya, still unresponsive and bleeding. He steadied his grip and focused. "Let's get rid of them quick." He hissed.
The traveler immediately threw blades of electro at that, diluc slamming his flaming claymore against the ground and sending a blast of fire against the enemies.
The overload reaction exploded with a booming noise, resonating in the grotto.
The electro herald was staggered, but the other two protected themselves with their blades and bounced back quickly, assaulting them.
The most immediate threat was the hydro herald, who could easily make them freeze or electrocute them with the aid of its companions. The traveler and diluc made quick work of it by switching pyro, dendro and anemo attacks, so the two close combat heralds would still take burning damage even if they kept their focus on dodging the elemental blades.
Within a few seconds the hydro herald raised its shield and that's when diluc extinguished his claymore so that the traveler could successfully swirl it into a frozen state.
Then he tackled the cryo herald by holding his claymore against himself as a shield, merely dodging a shower of purple sparks.
Diluc felt his hair rise at the electricity behind him, but didn't turn back.
His right arm screamed at the impact, but he kept forcing himself against the cryo herald until it buckled under his weight.
As he risked a glance at the electro herald, he saw the traveler trapping it into a geo construct, then turning to come to his aid.
Diluc stepped back as another flurry of vines snapped and whipped the herald under him, then slammed his claymore into it, lighting the weapon aflame once more.
The foe screeched, rolling on the ground as it tried to quell the flames. The traveler sent another burst of dendro towards it and its frozen companion just before jumping out of the way.
Diluc's raw scream barely registered over the sound of dawn lighting the two creatures up and burning the last of them to the ground.
They turned at the construct, expecting it to be cracked open at any second, but the herald didn't seem to be trying to break free.
After a moment, dread filling them, diluc and the traveler realized why.
Muffled chanting could be heard from inside, a strange purple light flowing in between the cracks.
It wasn't electro. No. That was coming from…
A broken gasp resonated in the enclosed space and everyone's gaze fell on kaeya.
His eyes had shot open, unseeing.
His azure one was hurt and half lidded, while the other was the same colour as the sphere in his hands and wide open.
It glowed as the nebulous contents of the artifact swirled wildly.
Other than that initial sound, kaeya didn't move nor speak again. The purple mist kept flowing from his hands into the air.
Diluc suppressed the panic as he started to run for the geo construct. "Break that thing! I'll stop the chant." He shouted to the traveler and charged the claymore once again.
Under its weight, the stone broke and the electro herald collapsed, the flaming blade cutting through its chest.
In its final moments, the creature didn't look at diluc. Instead it seemed to stare at the hanging kaeya, whispering one last thing: "the loom… of fate."
Diluc was in a frenzy, his weapon forgotten and still smoldering as he turned. "TRAVELER!"
He ran to them, watching as the sphere was thrown away from kaeya's unwilling grip into the ground, shattering. The blond was trying to free the captain from the chains, but clearly failing as their hands shook.
"D-diluc…" they whispered as the man began to study the restraints himself.
All the while kaeya's eyes were fixed somewhere on the walls of the cave, unmoving.
"Diluc, he's not-"
"No!" Diluc shouted, gripping the chains forcefully and tugging. "NO!"
The metal didn't budge. Diluc was growing desperate.
The tips of his fingers started to get warm and warmer until his whole hands were incandescent.
His gloves burned from azure flames and the metal melted over his wrists, but diluc didn't let go of the restraints, instead getting rid of every chain keeping kaeya upside down.
The traveler eased the captain to the ground as diluc's knees finally gave up.
He sat slumped beside kaeya, starting to softly sob. "No, please…"
Diluc reached to touch his neck, but his sense of touch had completely burnt away, his hands charcoal. He looked inside the mismatched, unseeing eyes and grimaced. "I'm sorry… kaeya?"
Diluc lowered his head to the other's chest, holding his broken sobs to wait for the thump of kaeya's heart.
He waited… it did not beat. The chest didn't rise.
Diluc's breath hitched. "Kay… wake up, please?" He embraced the body with stiff arms and cradled the other as his sobs shook them. "I'm sorry. I promise i'll be better. Come back to me…"
"Diluc…" The redhead on the ground paid the traveler no attention.
"I'm here. We're going home, little one… windblume is near, we'll visit father, we... we'll bring him lilies, just- i'm so sorry, Kay… please..."
The broken muttering filled the room and then…
Then there was nothing but suffocating stillness.
The traveler watched the display of grief in silence. Kaeya's eyes were staring blankly at the stony ceiling. Despite Diluc's way of freeing the other, making the room grow hotter, they felt a faint coolness at their side.
The traveler took the object out of their pocket.
Within the grey vision was still the littlest shimmer of cryo power.