Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Once, before everything happened, Albedo visited Fontaine. He wanted to conduct a study on its underwater fauna, in order to compare that with Mondstadt’s own. As it happened, the General Mahamatra, Cyno, happened to be visiting alongside his partner Tighnari and the still young Collei at time. Despite his reservations about the idea, Albedo agreed to accompany them to Fontaine’s Aquatic Museum.

The place was something akin to a glass and brick tunnel built directly underneath one of the nation’s larger water reservoirs, allowing the public indirect access to all of the wildlife contained within. Collei was particularly intrigued by the place, and spent most of the outing near glued to the glass.

Albedo, on the other hand, was more focused on the aquatic life itself. He found himself particularly focused on some aurelia aurita that began to bob around the tunnel closer to dusk, when others were beginning to leave. Cyno had walked over to him after a solid ten minutes watching the things.

“What are you doing?” He asked, folding his arms and staring out at the water alongside him.

“Observing the aurelia aurita.” Albedo quickly explained, before clarifying, “For research.”

“Ah. And those would be…?”

“The jellyfish.”

“Right.”

Silence. And then Albedo spoke again, feeling that Cyno would appreciate the addition to the dwindling conversation, despite being equally as solemn as himself some of the time. “Where are the others?”

“Over by the exit, I think, waiting.”

Albedo frowned, finally breaking eye contact with the jellyfish. “Are you waiting for me? I thought we were going our separate ways after this outing, so that I may continue my research tomorrow.”

“Oh, no.” Cyno shook his head. “I haven’t known you for long, but I know how much you love your research. You’re too much like Tighnari. But I wanted to ask what you’re thinking about before you left.”

“I’m simply observing, that’s all.”

“Right. Sure. That’s not an observing face.”

“I didn’t realise you were an expert on countenance.”

To his surprise, Cyno began to laugh. Albedo didn’t know why; he wasn’t making a joke, after all. Most of the time, Albedo did understand Cyno as much as the next person (which was impressive, given the small amount of time in which they had known each other), but, also like other people, there were small aspects of his personality that eluded him. Like how easily he was brought to laughter.

“You’re really strange, you know.” Cyno gently nudged him as he spoke, before taking a step back. “But, we’re in Fontaine for another few days. So if you ever want to drop by the hotel, you know?”

Albedo had nodded, and the two had parted ways. And then he had turned back to the jellyfish. In the back of his mind, a distant memory had played out.

———

“— and this is important, see, because in case of attack, hiding underneath something like this bridge could potentially be lifesaving if you can’t find a building. You won’t ever need to know any of this, of course, but I suppose it’s common knowledge, and we can’t have you looking like a fool… Albedo!”

A child, not quite grown enough to have his attention attracted by this calling of his name, stood peering over the edge of a stone bridge. Dressed in simple, plain white clothes, his hair braided behind his head, he looked quite out of place to the other children roaming the streets of Inazuma.

He pointed silently to small things floating just under the river’s surface. Inazuma was often darker during the day, thunderclouds rolling overhead, so he could see perfectly as he was met with a beautiful sight of pink luminescent bells pulsating beneath the water’s ripples.

A few paces ahead, draped in fabulous robes, was a woman in a golden witch’s hat. Upon spotting the boy’s gesture, she rolled her eyes, but walked over to the edge of the bridge to join him.

“You shall have to learn to speak for yourself, child. Else, how will you be able to act as if you were a normal person?”

The boy suddenly seemed crestfallen, now looking bitterly down at the creatures in the water. The woman sighed, irritated, and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Those are jellyfish. They are not actual fish, but they are classified as such. Unimportant.”

The boy mumbled something. “Pretty.”

“Pretty?” The woman suddenly burst into heaving fits of laughter, teasing and demeaning. The boy looked on, embarrassed. As she quietened down, she knelt down before the boy, clutching his shoulders. “My dear boy, it does not matter if they are pretty. Here, I’ll put it this way. When considering if a thing has worth, what do you do?”

The boy thought for a moment, stealing a glance back to the river. “If I like it. If I want to have it.”

The woman shook her head, tutting. “No, that’s not right. The worth of a thing, whether that be an object or a person, relies on its ability to give you power or knowledge. Like me; I provide you with knowledge. I provide you with the skills you need to become powerful. I teach you alchemy, I teach you about the world.”

The boy tilted his head. He didn’t necessarily understand, but he had learned that it was best for him to simply nod along to what his master told him. So he did just that, and the woman smiles, and took his hand, and continued along the bridge. His master turned the conversation back to whatever she was talking about before, but the boy’s mind replayed the conversation in his mind, picking it apart.

If worth depended so much on what one could gain, how was he important to his master? He was been referred to as a child, a student, and neither of those things indicated any level of knowledge being given to his master.

Over the next years of his life, the boy would have this lesson stressed to him above near all else. And eventually, he grew to believe it. He could not afford to stray from his goals for something so intangible as enjoyment or happiness. He just had to keep learning, keep listening, and one day, he would achieve that happiness with power. There was no space in an alchemist’s life for anything but that.

No love, no distractions… no family.

———

Twenty four hours prior to the present day, Albedo was rummaging through his camp on Dragonspine. His hand brushed across cold, wooden surfaces, searching for any of the most important books he could fit in his backpack. He took the most important vials and placed them into their own padded bag, before sweeping the rest of them on the floor and crushing them under his boot. He couldn’t afford to let his research get into the wrong hands, and he didn’t plan to return.

Finally, he pulled the blanket from his bed, the sketchbook from his desk, and then paused for a moment by a near empty shelf. A photo of himself, Klee, and Kaeya stood in full view, framed. Next to that was a pile of letters and photos, from Jean, Collei, Kaeya, Tighnari, Varka, Sucrose; all bound with string.

No family, no love, those were the rules; but here he was. Hesitating over the exceptions that every rule must have. He sighed, a sense of finality filling him as he took the lot of it and stuffed it into the top of his bag, almost bursting at the seams with the amount he had forced into it.

And then he made his way to leave, plucking a map of Teyvat from his coat. He wasn’t sure where he was headed, but it would have to be anywhere but where he currently was. It was no longer safe for him to remain, not after everything that had happened. He didn’t know where Klee or Kaeya or Sucrose were, or if they were even still alive, but it would be so much worse for them all if he were to stay and search for them. He knew that more than anyone.

If you looked close enough through the snowstorm driven whiteness of the air, you could see a distant wafting of black smoke. An orange tint to the clouds in the sky, ashes that flew all the way from the lake to the mountain, resting in the snow. Glimpses of a burning city; what used to be a home, now unreachable.

Steeling himself, Albedo fled in the opposite direction.

Somewhere in the distance, a bard, youthful in appearance, was being cradled by a dragon perched atop a cliff. His unbridled screams of agony were muffled by the winds that battered and shoved against him, but somehow still carried far and wide.

Chapter Text

Collei had awoken that day to a sense of unease. She often did, but that was mostly on her worse days, when she woke up in aches and pains that meant she had to spend the day with a mobility aid. That was the norm - a side effect of the whiplash between the presence of Eleazar and its disappearance in her body. But that wasn’t what she felt, that day.

Everything seemed normal. She awoke in her bed, got up and got dressed, and fixed her hair as usual. She felt a twinge of pain in one leg, so she grabbed her cane as a precautionary measure. She stepped out of her small hut-slash-bedroom, and into the morning sun. Nothing was immediately wrong, so why did she feel so… melancholy?

“Collei.” Tighnari greeted, as he passed by Collei walking along the bridge. “How are you feeling?”

“Good morning, Master Tighnari! I’m doing okay, I think.”

Tighnari nodded. “Great. But remember—“

“Just Tighnari, I know.” Collei huffed, looking quite embarrassed.

Recently, Tighnari had been attempting to ease Collei into a sense of family. It was proving to be far more difficult than he first expected, actually. A few months prior, he had set out to locate the girl’s parents, only to find that they had passed whilst Collei was in the hands of the Fatui. This meant that she had nobody, and so he and Cyno made the decision that they would try to be somebody.

“Right. And don’t forget, everyone’s coming over for the day. So no need to head out - although it doesn’t look like you’re fit for patrol, today.” He glanced down at the cane cautiously.

Collei nodded, smiling. “Sorry…”

“No, don’t be. It’s fine.” Tighnari shrugged. “Just be sure to get some rest at some point, okay?”

Collei had nodded, and moved on. Everything was normal. It was fine. So why, why did everything feel so wrong?

This constant sense of foreboding lasted the entire day, through all attempts at getting it out of her mind, from her conversations with other people, and through her short walk through Gandharva Ville that she took to clear her head.

It even followed her into the evening, until she was sitting at a table with a set of cards in her hands, playing a game of TCG, slightly modified to allow for four players. Cyno leaned over her shoulder, humming solemnly before meeting her gaze.

“Those are some good cards.” He nodded, gripping his own deck and allowing Collei to steal a glance. His character cards, laid out on the table, weren’t the best, but he did have some good action cards. He was bluffing. “I’ll go easy on you if you go easy on me?”

“I’ll take it.” Collei agreed.

Across the table, Kaveh sputtered. “Wh— you can’t just keep forming alliances with Collei every time she has the upper hand! How come you never try that with me or Alhaitham?!”

Cyno simply shrugged, holding a neutral expression, though Collei could see the amusement in his eyes. If Tighnari were here, he would be being far less mischievous. Unfortunately, he had left about ten minutes ago to speak to somebody outside.

Only acting to fuel the flames, Alhaitham suddenly added his own comment. “Actually, there’s nothing in the rules that prevents that behaviour. I have suggested multiple times that we form our own alliance to counter it.”

“You have not once—!”

The pair of them continued bickering between themselves (Kaveh being far louder than Alhaitham), and Collei looked on in silence. Until Cyno nudged her gently with his arm.

“Hey. What are you thinking about?” He whispered, and Collei shuffled awkwardly in her seat. She wasn’t necessarily fantastic at communicating her feelings.

“Nothing. Just tired, probably.”

“You can feel it too, can’t you?” Cyno paused as Collei whirled around, confused. “Something’s wrong.”

Collei breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s not just me?”

“Nope. Tighnari said something earlier, but I don’t think he thinks it’s a big deal. I, on the other hand, am worried. It feels like, uh… someone else’s sadness. Right?”

Collei nodded. “Right. What do you think it could be?”

“I’m not sure. But it can’t spell anything good.”

And with that, like some kind of twisted fate, the door burst open, Tighnari racing to the table like a whirlwind and wafting a sheet of paper in the air. He was worried. Very, very worried. Even Kaveh stopped talking upon his entrance.

“What’s that?” Alhaitham finally asked, placing his cards down on the table as he realised the severity of the matter.

“A letter. From the Liyue Qixing.”

“What do you have to do with the Liyue Qixing?” Cyno scoffed, lighthearted as ever.

“I don’t. However, apparently there’s some kind of classified contingency disaster plan that involves Gandharva Ville—“

“Disaster? What disaster?” Kaveh’s eyes widened in alarm. Collei was quickly doing the same.

“If you lot would stop interrupting me, then I could explain rationally.” Tighnari huffed. “We don’t know exactly what’s happening, just that whatever’s going on originated in Mondstadt, and has been enough for Liyue to send out this letter naming us as the secondary arrival point for refugees, in case there are too many for Liyue to handle. Which, apparently, is on the brink of being the case.”

“So, something has happened in Mondstadt which had driven near the entire city out?” Alhaitham seemed perplexed. “How could that possibly happen so suddenly?”

“Like I said, I don’t know. Just that it’s probably going to get a lot more busy around here, at some point.”

“Well, I could always stay to help if you need a spare pair of hands.” Cyno shrugged.

“Same.” Kaveh followed, and Alhaitham raised his brows.

“Are you sure?”

“Yep. I think voluntary aid in an international crisis counts as a reason to extend my deadlines for work.”

Tighnari looked back to Collei, sudden concern creasing his face. “Are you alright, Collei? You look very pale.”

She was. She felt pale. And shaky, and vaguely like she was going to both throw up and float away into the sky somehow. Because this couldn’t be possible. If Mondstadt was in danger, that meant everyone was in danger. Amber and Sucrose and Albedo, all of them.

Collei started crying.

———
Earlier
———

“I’ve had word from the Millelith at the Stone Gate that Fatui moved out of Bishui Plains and Lisha at dawn. They’ve been heading for us since this morning.”

“That doesn’t at all explain why there are Fatui gathering at our gates, Eula.” Jean sighed, Eula walking briskly to keep up with her as she paced down the hall, heels tapping sharply against the tiled floor. “I’ve asked all patrolling Knights to keep them at bay, but it won’t hold for long. I need to talk to them.”

“That’s insane.” Kaeya protested, rushing over from where he was whispering something to another Knight. “You can’t just give them what they want.”

“We have to maintain diplomacy, Kaeya. If we ignore this, it only puts more pressure on both sides.”

“Or we could consider this a threat, in which case there is no diplomacy and we can, legally, make the first move.”

“You would prefer to start a war than try to make peace?” Eula scoffed, and though Jean couldn’t see the pair, she could picture the glares they were shooting each other.

“If it means that everyone is safe, then absolutely.”

“Both of you, please.” Jean threw open the front door, whirling around to the both of them and staring with a certain air of authority that both of them had to accept. “Kaeya, is Klee safely away from anything that might happen?”

“Yes, I dropped her off at Dawn Winery earlier.”

“Is… is Master Diluc alright with that?”

“Who knows?”

“Right.” Jean deadpanned. “Eula, I need you to keep the public away from the gate. I know it’s not really your job, but we’re a little short on staff.”

“Of course.” Eula nodded dutifully.

“Oh, and, on your rounds, find Amber. Get her out the side gate and away to the Stone Gate. Tell them to be on standby, code white.”

There was a risk ranking, a code created along with the Knights of Favonius to be passed along to other nations. White was a war footing, in effect, and as much as Jean wanted to deny it, the choices were looking grim. Fatui from all over Mondstadt, Dragonspine, and northern Liyue were gathered outside the city, all armed, and all refusing to speak a word of their orders. Plans needed to be made.

“I’ll do that as soon as I see her.”

“And I’ll come with you.” Kaeya stepped forward to be walking alongside Jean as Eula slipped out the door, rushing down the stairs.

“If you’re sure…” Jean creased her brows. “I don’t want you being put in danger if you have family or friends to go to. You’ve already done quite enough.”

“No, it’s fine.” Kaeya shook his head as they walked down the steps and began to head for the bottom of the city. “I think the people I consider to be friends can handle themselves. Well, except maybe Venti, but I don’t remember seeing him today, so he’s going to have to try.”

Jean grimaced at the irony of this statement. But continued onwards, regardless. As she made her way through the streets, much to Kaeya’s amusement, she would keep stopping to hurry people into their homes, or away from the bottom of the city. At one point, she even ordered a nearby Knight to walk a young boy all the way home.

But she couldn’t stall forever. Eventually, she found herself face to face with the city gates. Even with Kaeya and a small group of other armed Knights behind her, she didn’t feel any less intimidated by the sight that presented itself.

What must have been over two hundred Fatui agents were gathered at the gate, spilling backwards onto the bridge behind, and held back only by a few Knights. Everyone’s eyes were on Jean.

Oh, Archons, everyone’s eyes were on Jean. She didn’t want to do this, she realised. She wanted to be strong, of course, but she didn’t want this much responsibility. Her miles of paperwork, the stress of Varka’s expedition, even the Stormterror crisis couldn’t dream to rival this. She would take all of that over this, right now or any time at all.

Kaeya’s hand landed on her shoulder, and she turned to see him grinning encouragingly. Though her breathing hadn’t slowed, she took a few steps forward, only to find Sucrose at her side. Jean glanced down at her, but she refused to meet her gaze, only looking out into the crowd of Fatui.

“My name is Jean Gunnhildr.” She began, steeling herself. “I am the Acting Grandmaster of the Knights of Favonius, so it is my duty to find out why all of you are here.”

Jean was lucky that the public had been rushed out of the area, because this was a terrifying sight, even for her. And then, after a few moments of tense silence, two skirmishers moved aside to reveal a woman with dark hair and tanned skin. A bow was slung over her back, and she was wearing elaborate white and blue clothing. Most strange, however, were her blue eyes, pupils misshapen to appear as four pointed stars.

Like Kaeya’s.

“Kera. I work with the Abyss Order, and come here on behalf of them.”

Kaeya spoke before Jean had a chance to. “The Abyss? Then what’s with all the Fatui? Not that any of you have any reason to be here in the first place.”

Kera nodded shortly, folding her arms neatly over her chest. “I am working alongside them.”

“On what account?”

“On the account that we share a similar goal.” Kera grinned, staring between Kaeya and Jean with amusement. “How odd; for a woman who leads, you don’t seem to be doing much of the talking here, Miss Gunnhildr.”

Jean opted to ignore this, shaking her head as she felt Kaeya and Sucrose’s gaze on her. “I command that you state your intention, or I shall have no choice but to consider this a hostile attack on Mondstadt.”

“I don’t believe our intentions are for you to know. I only came to deliver an ultimatum.”

“Which would be…?”

“Within two hours, you will release control of the city to us, and hand over the Anemo Archon. Or else we shall take it by force. I, and all of my two hundred and seventy five troops, supplied by the Tsaritsa.”

Kaeya scoffed. “The Abyss Order condemns the Tsaritsa. And the other Archons. There is no way we will comply with your terms, and besides, nobody has seen the Anemo Archon in five hundred years.”

“We imagined you may have some… disbelief over our current power.” Kera gestured to one of the skirmishers, who nodded back to another agent. “So we procured some additional leverage on our way here.”

The agent behind the skirmisher suddenly made his way to the front, holding a knife to the throat of a man who was making a tactful lack of effort to struggle. Albedo.

Sucrose let out an audible gasp, but Kaeya had already broken ahead of Jean, diving to grab Kera’s arm and pull her back into the city. The Fatui at the front took a collective step forward to defend her, but the Knights were quicker, holding them back.

Kaeya shoved Kera to the side, another Knight grabbing her arms and holding them behind her back. The Cavalry Captain moved forward and pulled his sword from its scabbard, holding it up to the agent.

“I would advise you to let him go.” He hummed.

Jean wanted to grab him, take him back and stop him from accidentally causing a war within Mondstadt, but in all honesty, she wanted Albedo’s safety equally as much as Kaeya did. Speaking of Albedo, he seemed strangely unbothered about the whole thing. In fact, he looked as if his mind wasn’t on the blade at his throat at all.

The agent tore his face away from Kaeya (Jean could imagine the scowl beneath his mask) and looked to Kera. She still looked equally as loathing as before, but she had lost her grin and exchanged it for a stoic expression. Kera nodded, and the agent released Albedo.

As Kaeya took the silent alchemist away from the gates, and the Knight holding Kera wrapped a length of rope around her wrists, Jean breathed a short sigh of relief.

But Kera wasn’t finished. “Remember what I told you. Two hours, that is all. Or else your precious city shall be no more.”

Chapter Text

“Well, Albedo, the good news is that you don’t seem to be injured at all.” Jean nodded to herself, backing away from where Albedo was sat on one of the chairs in her office. “But I am worried. How did they get hold of you? I thought you were on Dragonspine?”

“I was.” Albedo rubbed his neck where he had the blade pressed against it. “And then I was kidnapped - I was out investigating the fauna.”

“Why kidnap you, though?” Kaeya huffed. “Just because I was stupid enough to go right in to get you back doesn’t mean it would’ve been the same if I wasn’t there.”

“That does seem like an awfully strange thing to do.” Sucrose agreed. “Wouldn’t they choose someone more… prolific than Mister Albedo? Or perhaps aim for quantity?”

“Well, thank you, Sucrose.” Albedo replied sarcastically. “Perhaps I just happened to be the closest person? Or the easiest to capture?”

“Never mind all that,” Diluc, who had somehow followed the group back to Jean’s office and had subsequently inserted himself into all following deliberations (assuring them that he had left Klee with Adelinde), folded his arms. “We need to figure out how to defend Mondstadt from both the Fatui and the Abyss Order at once.”

“Defend?” Jean laughed humourlessly. “Half of the Knights are away in Snezhnaya, and most of what we’re left with are untrained guards.”

“What about Liyue?”

“It’s too late to send word and ask them to militarise. All we can do is try to evacuate the city before our two hours are up and without being noticed.”

“That would never work.” Kaeya stood, pacing across the room. “They’re still at the gate, and there’s no other way off the island. The only chance we’d have is gathering everyone and getting them out simultaneously with them entering.”

“Or, we could fulfil their request.” Albedo said quietly from where he was sat, much to everyone else in the room’s shock.

“Albedo, have you gone mad—“

“It’s not like we have another choice. Logically speaking, this is the method that will save the most lives. The only way that everyone can survive.”

Kaeya scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Yeah. Right. Except everyone they choose to kill on their way in. And, you know, the Anemo Archon? The man they so desperately wanted us to hand over, despite the fact that we have no idea where he is?”

“Can anybody else think of a better idea?”

“Well, we do have a while to go.” Sucrose glanced up at the clock on the wall. She didn’t do well under pressure, and the situation at hand certainly fit that description. “I’m sure we can think up something else.”

“We could gather everyone at the church.” Jean sat down behind her desk again, pressing her fingers to her temples. “Barricade the door, then lead them down to the basement. If we bring rations, there should be sufficient resources to last until we can send word to Liyue to ask for aid.”

“That could work, but we would need immense amounts of supplies.” Kaeya said. “I could head down to the main street now, and begin collecting goods. Of course everything will be repaid to the vendors once the crisis is over.”

“No, I’ll go.” Diluc shook his head. “It’s probably important that you stay here, to sort things out. Besides, I could undoubtedly carry more than you.”

“Well, at least take a few Knights with you.” Jean warned. “We need all the help we can get.”

Diluc nodded, and quickly exited the room. Jean looked around at the three remaining Knights. Sucrose appeared to be studying Albedo intently (though he hadn’t noticed this yet), nervously fiddling with her vision. Kaeya seemed deep in thought, staring into the distance but seeming relatively calm.

And Albedo… was something wrong with him? He seemed so different. Why would he even dream to suggest giving up Mondstadt to the Fatui? And that Kera person seemed too quick to let him go; what if they had done something to him? Or what if this was part of their plan all along?

… no. How could Jean even bring herself to believe such a thing? Albedo was a friend; the stress of the situation had to have been getting to her. She had to get back to the matter at hand.

“So, does anyone else have any ideas? Before we officially begin this plan?” The group shook their heads. “Good. Then we shall begin. Amber should already be on her way to Stone Gate, so nobody needs to do that. Kaeya, I grant you permission to gather however many forces are necessary to get people to safety. Sucrose and Albedo, head to the church and spread the word of our plan carefully. I will be checking on Kera in solitary confinement.”

The three of them nodded in agreement, and Kaeya was quick to leave. As Jean stood to do so herself, however, she was halted by the sight of both Albedo and Sucrose remaining.

“What is it, both of you?”

Albedo stepped forward first, glancing over at Sucrose. “My query is one of… private nature. However, I believe it to be urgent enough to require your time.”

Jean sighed, but nodded. “Sucrose, please wait outside for a moment.”

Sucrose looked wary, but obliged anyway. As soon as the door had been closed, Albedo seemed to relax slightly. Nonchalant as ever, he then began to speak.

“So, I have been considering what was happening at the gate. The way that Kera spoke of Lord Barbatos… it’s as if she believes with absolute certainty that someone here knows him. Could it be that the Anemo Archon isn’t so elusive as Mondstadt thinks, Jean?”

Jean chuckled nervously. The last thing she wanted to do was give Venti away, but Albedo looked completely serious. “I don’t think I’m in any position to speak of such things with you, Albedo. With all due respect.”

“No, no. I understand. However, if Mondstadt’s fate is at stake, I could do with some hope.”

Jean considered this for a moment. It was definitely not her place to reveal something that Venti so desperately wanted to keep hidden, but… if she were to tell anyone, it would definitely be Albedo. He probably had some sort of idea in mind, and besides, he was right about one thing; the people needed a bit of hope.

“Alright. I trust that this will stay between the two of us?”

“Naturally.”

“Well, then… his name is Venti, a bard. I’m not sure if you’ve met?”

“I don’t believe so.”

“Ah. I see. Well, I hope that was of some help to you, anyway.”

“Indeed it was.” Albedo nodded shortly, before briskly walking over to the door again. “I shall be on my way to the church, now. Thank you, again.”

“It’s no trouble, Albedo.”

The door slammed shut. And then quickly opened again, a very flustered Sucrose popping out from behind it.

“Um… Grandmaster Jean?” She whispered as she came back inside, half-bowing before seeming to remember that was unnecessary and smoothing out her clothing.

“Yes, Sucrose?”

“Something’s wrong.” She paused, before clarifying. “With, with Albedo, I mean.”

As her body stiffened, Jean’s eyes widened. “What? What’s wrong?”

“He’s… oh, goodness… I’m afraid that he’s… not Albedo.”

When Jean had momentarily wondered about the reasoning behind Albedo’s strange ways, she hadn’t even considered that; it was just so absurd a thought. But coming from Sucrose, who never purposely told an ill-meaning lie, it put a rather dreadful feeling in her stomach.

“Sucrose, what do you mean?”

Sucrose drew a sharp breath. “Well, this winter, there was an… incident. You may have heard, it involved the Traveler and misuse of a whopperflower, but that’s not important.”

“Wh—“

“As it turns out, there was another Albedo. Mister Albedo didn’t elaborate on where he was from, but he did tell me that he had allowed him to go free, seeing as he believed he wouldn’t do any further harm. I’m not quite sure what harm he was doing in the first place - the second Albedo, I mean - but he seems to be doing quite a bit more, now.”

“Sucrose, what in Teyvat are you talking about?”

“I believe this second Albedo is working with the Abyss Order. Or the Fatui. Or… both. This situation is confusing.”

A second Albedo? Could this mean a twin? Or another sibling? Or some kind of creature made to look like him?

“And what evidence do you have that this is the supposed… second Albedo?”

“Well, I thought I noticed earlier that he was missing his mark on his neck. You know, the one that looks like a star? And then he mentioned giving the city up to the Fatui, and that was strange as well. But, I was listening from outside just now, which gave me the most convincing piece of evidence.”

“Which is?”

“He said that he’d never met Venti, which isn’t true. He met him at the Irodori Festival just last year, he told me himself. And Mister Albedo has a terribly good memory, he wouldn’t forget that.”

“That…” It was inconceivable. How could something like this have been allowed to happen? What was this fake Albedo planning on doing? And more importantly, was the real Albedo alright? “Oh, no. I just told him…”

“We should find him.” Sucrose decided. “Before he does something bad.”

“Agreed. You search the building, I’ll go out.”

But, try as she might, Jean couldn’t locate Albedo. With every door she knocked on, only to be met with a shaken head and a grim expression, her hope drained, little by little. Eventually she came back to the front of the city, attempting to stay out of sight of the front gate by slinking through alleys on her search.

Jean peered up to a clock in the window of Marjorie’s now abandoned store. Six minutes to make a choice. Six minutes to find Albedo, to assure that everyone’s in the church, until the Fatui come flooding through the gates. At least Kera was in custody; that made one less thing to worry about.

“Hey! Jean!”

Jean drew her sword at the sound, spinning around to see a figure emerging from around the side of the house that she was looming behind. Luckily, it turned out to only be Diluc, carrying a woven basket that was rather uncharacteristic of him.

Jean sighed, lowering her weapon and staring at the basket. “Diluc, what in Teyvat are you doing? You should be in the church, with the others.”

“I came for a mother’s baby clothes. She left them behind.” Diluc stated simply, as if this wasn’t an absurd thing to be hearing from someone like himself. “What are you doing here? Should you not be doing the same?”

“It’s a long story. Have you seen Albedo?”

Diluc frowned. “No, I don’t believe so. Why, has Albedo done something?”

“To put it plainly, he is not, in fact, Albedo. And he’s currently roaming Mondstadt whilst very possibly being in cahoots with the Abyss Order.” Jean drew a slow breath, before finishing with, “And he knows about Venti.”

“Well, that’s certainly not what I was expecting.”

“Indeed. And we have… four minutes to do something about that. Have you heard from Venti, at all?”

“No. And I didn’t see him in the church, either. I do vaguely recall him saying something about going to visit Dvalin, at some point, though…”

“Oh, thank goodness.”

Apparently, Jean had spoken too soon, because the next thing she heard was a cry for help, followed by a single word; fire. Jean and Diluc shared a glance, and then made a run for it.

“I’ll head back to the church.” Diluc called back as he ran a few steps in front of Jean; after all, he wasn’t wearing heels.

“Good, and stay there until we’ve found the root of the issue. Unless evacuation is entirely necessary, you are to keep everyone in the church, and that’s an order.” Diluc looked around, clearly about to protest, but Jean glared at him. “I’m trusting you.”

“… fine. But where are you going?”

Jean looked around as they came into full view of the upper city. Thick plumes of dark smoke were rising from the open windows of the Knights’ Headquarters, flames licking at the outside of the building. Within minutes, the fire would reach the wooden beams that held up the ceiling and the whole thing may just come tumbling down.

“I’m going up there. It’s my duty to assure the safety of the people, and with any luck, we can douse the flames.”

“If you insist.” Diluc veered off in the other direction as they came to the set of stairs that led upwards in the city. “Stay safe, Jean.”

Jean nodded, and then she was on her way. By the time she made it up to the level of Headquarters, the fire had burst through the glass and a few Knights were desperately trying to keep it from spreading to the bushes.

Outside, being held back by another Knight, was a smirking Kera. Jean approached her, narrowing her eyes. “What have you done? We still have two minutes.”

“Hey, I’m playing a fair game.” She replied. “But, as you’ve probably figured, I didn’t make that promise on behalf of any… allies.”

Jean took a step back, lowering her voice. “Albedo.”

“And I’d go in, if I were you. There’s a kid, he came to see you. I would hate for him to be burning up, right now.”

She couldn’t handle this. She couldn’t do this. But there was somebody inside, and it was her duty, and she couldn’t just leave him.

“I wouldn’t bother.” The Knight shook his head gravely. “That kid, Bennett, he’ll get you killed.”

“Where’s Lisa?” Jean replied, opting to ignore that last statement.

“She went to the church with Miss Sucrose, I believe, Grandmaster.”

“Good.” She was safe. “I will be right back out. Take Miss Kera somewhere else, somewhere secure, and then all of you, find Master Diluc in the church.”

“Of course, ma’am.”

Kera was dragged away, still smiling. Jean unclasped her cloak, pulling it over her mouth before using her vision to blow the fire on the door out. And then, leaving herself no time to change her mind, she rushed in.

Through the crackles of fire and the buildup of smoke, Jean tried to see or hear any kind of human life, but an initial survey yielded no results.

“Bennett?” She tried, yelling as loudly as she could through the fabric of her cloak.

A response quickly came, albeit muffled and unintelligible. Upstairs. Jean rushed through the room, keeping well away from the flaming walls, wallpaper smouldering before her eyes. If Bennett was still in here, was Albedo? Could there still be danger?

Another attempt to put out the fire on the stairs as she made her way up. There was no time to lose; she was already beginning to lose her breath. Honestly, if any of her friends were there, they would undoubtedly be telling her how idiotic she was being. But that was besides the point. She had to do this - she owed the people of Mondstadt, after being unable to stop this invasion.

She called out for Bennett again, and this time, the response was much closer.

“I’m in here! I—“ A pause, to cough. “There’s something blocking the door!”

Sure enough, part of the rafters had fallen in front of the door that Bennett’s voice seemed to be coming from, the fire still burning. That certainly wasn’t a viable way through. But how else could she reach him?

Hold on. That room was Albedo’s office. Which meant that it led directly to the equipment closet, which also had a door on the other side. Jean looked out to the second door in question, thankfully out of the way of any of the flames. But they were quickly approaching; she had to act fast.

“I’ll be right there, Bennett, try to keep away from any fire, and find something to cover your face with.”

Before gauging the boy’s reply, Jean threw herself down the hall, barging past the door and into the closet. And then, finally, finally, she made it into Albedo’s lab. By now, she was somewhat overcome with sporadic coughing fits, and the light of the fire was beginning to hurt her eyes, but she still had to get Bennett out.

Speaking of Bennett, he looked mostly alright. At the minute, he was in the middle of the room, using his collar to cover most of his face and looking very scared. Luckily, he seemed otherwise mostly okay, save for a burn on his left leg.

“Bennett! Follow me, we should get out as quickly as we can.”

Bennett looked up, eyes widening. “Oh— right!”

“Be careful of the fire,” Jean shouted over the blaze, trying to focus herself on Bennett’s path. When he got close enough, she ushered him forward with her spare hand. “Go on through first.”

Bennett nodded, stepping through the doorway just moments before it was set alight, parts of the top coming crashing to the ground, the door itself creating a tunnel of flame. Jean and Bennett shared a panicked glance.

“H-hey, Grandmaster!”

“Go on, Bennett. I’ll be out in a moment.”

As Bennett grimly ran off, Jean felt a searing pain in her lungs. She couldn’t do this for much longer; but she didn’t have the strength to leave. The window seemed like a good way to exit, but she couldn’t make that jump, nor could she get there in the first place, since the fire had made it there before her.

Jean was… she was trapped. There was no logical way out. Decisively, she pulled her cloak away from her mouth and threw it in the direction of the open window. If anyone saw it as it flew down, at least they’d know where she was.

Jean knew that she should move, to try and find another way out. But she was just so… tired.

Jean fell to the ground.

Chapter Text

The morning after Tighnari received the letter from the Qixing, Millelith began escorting Mondstadt’s refugees to Sumeru. There seemed to be a very elaborate system that was set in place to do so, not that Tighnari had ever heard anything of it; typical.

Most people went to the city, to be placed in hotels or spare rooms that had been generously offered up by residents. But the injured were taken to Gandharva Ville, and allowed one carer of friend to be with them. Much to Collei’s delight, Amber was sent to Sumeru to deal with the situation, meaning she spent a lot of her time in Gandharva Ville herself.

On the other hand, this whole situation had meant that everyone now had double the work and zero answers. Most of the people who came in didn’t have it in them to speak about what they’d seen, and the few that were left didn’t know much. There was a fire, and there were Fatui, and that was all anyone seemed to know.

In Collei’s eyes, this was all fine. She didn’t care about the fire, she didn’t care about the people that were coming in injured, she had her own goals regarding the matter. She wanted to know where the people she knew were, and she wanted to know what the Fatui were doing.

Cyno had told her that it wasn’t a good idea to get caught up in their schemes, since it brought up the events of her time with the Fatui again. Unfortunately, Collei was particularly headstrong when it came to things like this, so she decided to go around looking for answers anyway. As she did her job, of course.

Collei scanned through the beds that had been put up outside once indoor space had been filled. Most people were being attended to, or looked as if they already had been, but a few still hadn’t been seen. She walked over to one of these people, plastering a grin on her face.

“Hello! My name’s Collei, I’m a Forest Ranger. Would you mind if I just looked at your injuries?”

The woman smiled warmly, nodding. “My name’s Margaret. My injuries really aren’t that serious, I mean, I’ve seen people here with first degree burns. One of my employees had the fur on her ears completely burned off, but she’s gone to Liyue with the first batch of us.”

Margaret held out her hands to show painful looking wounds, looking like they’d been skinned on something. She then pulled up her dress slightly, revealing the same marks on her knees. Collei winced, but took out a few bandages from the bag she had at her waist.

“It doesn’t look like there’s any debris in here, so I should be fine to just cover it up. How did this happen?”

“Oh, really, it’s nothing. We were all in the church, and then when the Fatui came, we were ordered to evacuate. I got pushed over in the crowd, it’s nothing, seriously. If anyone needs help, it’s that guy over there.”

“Huh?” Collei tried to follow Margaret’s gaze as she wound a bandage around her knee, expecting to find a man who was severely injured.

“Over there, lying on the bed, in the black cloak. His name’s Venti; I work as a bartender, you know? He doesn’t frequent my bar - he’s allergic to cats - but he sure does try. He hasn’t said a word since he got here, not even to that fox eared colleague of yours. And it’s odd, he didn’t seem to have a suitcase or anything like most of us do, but he’s changed into mourning clothes.”

“Hm… I’ll go and see him. Thank you.” Collei put the remaining coil of bandage back in her bag, nodding. “You should be fine, by the way, so you can leave. But if you’re planning on going somewhere, you should wait for a Forest Ranger to come with you. It could be dangerous to just head out into Sumeru alone when you don’t know the environment.”

“Will do.” Margaret agreed, pulling up her suitcase from the ground and taking out a book. “In the meantime, I have company.”

Collei smiled, and walked away, heading over to Venti’s bed. He was facing away from her, unmoving; and Collei wasn’t the best at making people feel better, to say the least. This would be a challenge, but there was something strange about this man. That sorrow, that ‘off’ feeling that she had felt since the day before seemed to be so much worse when she was close to Venti.

“Hello, my name’s Collei, I’m a Forest Ranger.” Collei paused - no response. “… may I look at your injuries?”

Again, nothing. Perhaps this would be more difficult than she thought. But she had to find a way in… a way to get him to open up. It wasn’t good to just sit there like that, keeping everything to yourself. Collei knew that more than most. Well, if he wasn’t going to say anything without prompting, maybe she could try asking him a question.

“Do you… do you know Albedo? He’s the Chief Alchemist, with the Knights.”

Moments passed, and Collei’s heart sank. But then, Venti’s head lifted, revealing two tired looking, bright blue eyes. A cecilia had been tucked into his hair; it had been a long time since Collei had seen one of those.

“I haven’t seen him. Sorry. How do you know him?”

Collei brightened up at the prospect of having gotten him to talk. “Well, it might sound a little weird. But he’s… kind of like family. I met him when I went to Mondstadt a while ago, with my… other family. Cyno and Tighnari. And then we kept talking, and then he kept visiting, and it just kind of… happened. I’m worried about him, with everything that’s going on.”

To Collei’s surprise, Venti slowly sat up. His speech was slow, cautious perhaps, but at least he was still speaking. “Oh, you’re… that Collei. Aether’s friend.”

“You know Aether?”

“Yep. There was a… a, um, dragon. And then there was a poem thing, and… sorry. I’m a bit not right, at the moment. I can’t get my head in the right place to talk about that kind of thing.”

“I understand.” Collei nodded. “But I do need to check your injuries, though. It’s kind of my job.”

“Oh. Right. You might have a bit of trouble with treating them, though.” Venti hummed, as something revealed itself from underneath his black cloak.

Collei couldn’t help but let out a gasp at the sight of it; it looked as if it was meant to be a wing, but there were few feathers. Just long talons of bone in the shape of what the wing was supposed to look like. The top section of his feathers were mostly fine, but his secondaries and primaries had been decimated, and parts of the bone were blackened. The only obvious injury that Collei could do anything about, however, was a clear break in the ulna.

“This looks painful! What happened?”

“Long story.” Venti grimaced. “I guess you’ve heard about the fire?”

Collei winced. “Yeah… but nobody else’s wounds are this serious. And you’ve got a break in there! I’m going to have to get Tighnari to set that.”

“Sure. Just try to keep this on the down low, if at all possible.”

“Why? I know people with… strange qualities like yours. There’s Tighnari, and a mercenary I know, Dehya—“

“Just.” Venti paused, looking down at the ground. “Please. I’ll owe you a song?”

Collei tilted her head, but agreed anyway. She understood, in a way. “Alright, then. I’ll be back in a minute with Tighnari.”

———

Venti rushed through orange and red, ignoring the smoke that burned his lungs; he could heal it any time he liked. Furious vacuums in the air were created in his path and dispersed just as quickly in order to put out the fire so he could continue through. He ignored the screams and cries coming from further down, he just needed to see it. One last time.

Dvalin had advised him against it, and he partially agreed, but at some point he just kind of… broke. Maybe it was the sight of the flags on the front gate finally succumbing to the blaze that got him, but he suddenly found himself running helplessly through the city despite all better judgement, and knowing that in his current state, he could do nothing to stop it.

He didn’t know what he was running towards, but he kept running anyway. Just on, and on, and on, and up the stairs, and along the paths, and under streetlights, and—

Venti stopped beside the fire burning bright within the Knights’ Headquarters. On the ground beside the building, laying in a heap, was a cape. Jean’s cape. It had clearly been thrown out the window, yes, but had Jean originally come out along with it? Or was she still in the building?

He couldn’t even fly up to see; one of his wings was already far too damaged, and he didn’t want to risk the other. Instead, he just fell to the ground in a heap. The dread that had been slowly consuming him was delighted by this, and stalled him whole. How could Mondstadt possibly come back from this?

Overhead, a high pitched squawking rang out. A few moments later, a bird came and perched on the pavement beside Venti, before its shadow loomed and grew into something else. A woman with red hair and dark skin, looking rather pitiful at the minute.

“You should leave. It’s clearly not doing you any good to be here.” She muttered, leaning by Venti’s side as she sat down.

“I know,” Came the quiet, solemn response. “I know.”

“Dvalin is worried, though he’d never admit it. And if that doesn’t convince you, the Abyss Order have just arrived, and they should be storming this end of the city in a few minutes. Word has it that they’re looking for you.”

“I can’t leave.” Venti shook his head, staring down at the cape on the ground. “Not now, I can’t… it would make me a failure.”

“You will never be a failure. You don’t have your gnosis, you know that, so you can’t help in any of your usual ways. You have to let this happen, Venti.”

———

“Venti?” Venti looked up, and he noticed that Collei had returned, along with a man with green hair and tall, fox-like ears.

“Sorry,” He smiled. “Spaced out for a minute, there. Tighnari, I presume?”

“Yes.” Tighnari nodded, staring intently at his wing. “And I must say, I am quite interested in your wings. Are you descended from some kind of avian species? Or from a Mondstadtian type of magical being, like adepti?”

“Uhh…” Venti paused for a moment, fumbling with the clasp of his cape. He didn’t particularly know how to answer that question in any reasonable way. Usually, he would’ve just gone to Vennessa’s tree to heal it himself, but that wasn’t an option. “I’d rather not talk about it, if that’s okay.”

“Understood. Boundaries are helpful. I, for one, am descended from the Valuka Shuna, however I tend to discard questions regarding my qualities that match that of the species, namely my ears and tail.”

Venti blinked. “You really are like Albedo, huh?”

Tighnari tilted his head in confusion, but thankfully he didn’t seem offended. Venti’s offhand remarks did often land him in tight spots when it came to maintaining relationships. “Ah, you’re a friend of Albedo’s?”

“Well, I’d say more of an acquaintance.” Venti winced as Tighnari reached out to take both sides of the break in his wing in hand. “But, yeah.”

“And he knows Aether.” Collei piped up, still seeming very happy about this fact.

“Huh. Well connected, then. But what I’m wondering,” Without warning, Tighnari yanked the two sides of bone back into place with a crunch, causing Venti to yelp quietly. “Is why you haven’t gotten this fixed earlier. With an injury this severe, you should’ve been sent to Liyue for urgent treatment, not left behind for the second option.”

“Well, I kind of didn’t tell anyone.” Venti stared as Tighnari tucked the wing back under his cloak and wrapped a bandage around it to bind it into place. This was fine - he could just vanish it if he wanted to, to get the uncomfortable feeling gone.

Both Tighnari and Collei looked particularly concerned by this. The latter, especially so. “What?! But that must’ve been really painful!”

“Eh, it was nothing. I’m kind of used to stuff like that happening. Long story. Anyway, you all seem like very nice people, and I’d love to stay here to recover, but I have work to be doing.”

“Aren’t you a bard…?”

“Exactly. A new land makes a new anthology of music. Perhaps several? And I actually have people I need to see, so, you know.”

“It wouldn’t be wise to leave Gandharva Ville in your present state.” Tighnari warned.

“I’ll manage, I’m sure. Just got to go where the wind takes me!” Venti hopped up from his bed, straining to keep his signature grin from falling. The wind, in fact, had been rather melancholy since everything that had happened. “Thank you both sincerely, though! I’ll be sure to visit again if I can.”

With that, the man hopped away. Tighnari turned to Collei once he had walked far enough, humming to himself.

“Is it just me, or was there something strange about that guy?”

“He was so sad a minute ago…” Collei mumbled. “What happened?”

“Perhaps he simply decided to disguise his grief. It seems to be what a lot of people here are doing, after all. I can’t say I wouldn’t try to do the same, had I experienced what Mondstadt did.”

“No, but it’s not just that. Even when he’s smiling, he looks… hopeless. As if he had lost more than just a home, or a loved one. I’m worried about him, and any friend of Aether’s is surely worth worrying about.”

Tighnari seemed to think about this for a moment, folding his arms. “If you really wanted, I could get someone to cover for you whilst you trailed him, to make sure he’s alright and that he doesn’t get into any trouble.”

Collei beamed suddenly. “That would be great! Are you sure you can spare the extra hands, right now, though?”

Tighnari’s lips curled into a small smile. “This isn’t a work thing, Collei, this is you taking an interest in something of your own accord. You’re still allowed to do that, you know.”

“Oh!” Collei paused, fumbling with her hands for a moment. She really wasn’t used to having free time in which she had no duties or the fear of injury. “Well… thank you.”

“It’s no problem. Now, go on, I’ll fetch Kaveh and get him to cover you.”

Tighnari watched as Collei ran off, determined. That Venti would likely never see the end of her, now; she certainly wasn’t one to give up. If Cyno were there, he would be teasing him about his affection for the kid, to which Tighnari would point out the hypocrisy in that statement. They were certainly a strange, patchwork group, but they were doing as well as could be expected.

Chapter Text

Jean remembered brief glimpses between passing out in the office and waking up in Bubu Pharmacy in Liyue. She remembered being lifted off the burning ground - but not whom by. She remembered being hurriedly put onto a stretcher and then suddenly a Millelith soldier was looming over her. And she vaguely remembered the pain as ointment was applied to her abdomen and the world being… hazy.

And then she was awake again. She felt somewhat uncomfortable, but apparently that was to be expected. The doctor, Baizhu, told her that she had suffered minor burns to multiple areas of her body, but apparently they were much more treatable than they should’ve been. Whoever saved her did a good job of it.

He then went to collect “a group of others who had been quite a nuisance in coming to visit her”. Apparently, although it had been little more than a day, Jean’s friends had quite often come in to visit her. And now, even though it was quite late into the afternoon, the group was quick to return. Lisa, Diluc, and Sucrose all came through the door, with Baizhu in tow.

“There were others,” The doctor announced, forcing a smile. “But I limit visitors to three at a time.”

“Well, what can you expect for the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius?” Lisa crooned, stepping over to the bed hurriedly and wrapping an arm around Jean. “I was so worried… never do anything like that again, alright?”

“Your mother stopped by,” Diluc began, looking uncharacteristically meek. “She told me to assure you that she will be back, but she’s gone to Sumeru to find Seamus.”

Jean smiled lightly. “Ah, she worries too much. She shouldn’t have come back from the expedition for my sake. I, on the other hand, have many questions. I assume Mondstadt is…”

“Mostly destroyed.” Diluc finished bluntly. “The city was damaged in the fire; only the stonework remains structurally sound. Springvale got out mostly alright, however.”

“And the people?” Jean’s smile fell slightly.

“There’s a list of missing people that haven’t shown up here or in Sumeru yet. Hertha made it.” Sucrose explained. “Off the top of my head, there’s Albedo - the real Albedo, that is - Nymph, Kaeya—“

“Kaeya?”

Diluc sighed. “When we tried to evacuate everyone from the church through the side gate, he insisted on waiting for you. When you turned up with Otto but not Kaeya, we knew something was wrong. But it was already too late.”

That couldn’t be right. Kaeya was intelligent, he knew how to fight; he could undoubtedly get himself out of the city. It would be so easy. So why wasn’t he here? And why wasn’t Albedo? In fact, where had Albedo been to begin with? In an attempt to distract from the negative, Jean clung to the positive.

“So Bennett’s safe?” She looked up, and the group (except Baizhu, who was now crushing a plant across the room with a mortar and pestle) gave a collective nod. “And Otto got me out of the building? I should thank him.”

The group exchanged silent glances, and Lisa eventually looked back to Jean with a sigh. “Jean… Otto’s dead. He was incredibly wounded when he brought you to us, and he couldn’t be helped. I’m sorry.”

Even Diluc seemed to experience the sinking feeling at this statement, his voice softening accordingly when he spoke. “And Otto wasn’t the one who got you out of the building. He said that someone else told him to get you to Stone Gate, but he didn’t get to say who. That fact remains unknown.”

Jean thought for a moment. It was getting increasingly difficult to get her head around these things. It was like she had lost everything, and now she couldn’t even thank the person who had saved her life. “Master Diluc… is - ahem - is he on the list, by any chance? The list of missing people?”

“No. I checked.” Diluc, apparently getting the message, shook his head. “Apparently he went to Sumeru. He’s safe.”

“So, it could’ve been him?”

Diluc deliberated this for a moment, but ultimately shook his head. “Doubtful. He would have been elsewhere, I’m sure; he’d have to be an idiot to just go out into the city moments before the Abyss Order and the Fatui came in.”

“I can’t say I entirely know who you’re talking about, but if it’s who I think it is, then it at least tells us that the fake Albedo didn’t succeed in what he was trying to do.” Sucrose chimed in, and Lisa forced a smile.

“I sense that this is turning into something I’m not fully aware of.” The mage stood, leaning over to lightly kiss Jean on the cheek. “I did promise to visit Razor, so I should be off to do that. Stay safe, though, all of you. Or else you’ll have me to deal with.”

“Alright, Lisa. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” Jean hummed in response as Lisa left the room, although she felt considerably more disheartened. “It doesn’t feel right to exclude Lisa from these conversations. But I’ve already done enough damage in terms of certain identities, and it’s not my place to do any more.”

“Don’t blame yourself!” Sucrose shook her head hurriedly. “I would’ve been fooled too, if Mister Albedo hadn’t warned me. I just hope he’s okay now…”

“Speaking of that,” Diluc began. “Does anyone else know about the possibility of a ‘fake Albedo’? And do we know how that’s even possible?”

“No. Kaeya has no idea, and as far as I can tell, nobody else raised suspicion.” Jean said. “But he’s still out there, and that’s what matters. He could be on his way to find Venti as we speak.”

“Venti?” Sucrose raised her brows. “He’s the…” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “The Anemo Archon?”

And just like that, she’d done it again. Jean sighed; she would have a lot of apologising to do when she saw Venti again. But, in her defence, she did think Sucrose would’ve heard her tell Albedo. “Regardless, the person who is not Albedo could be useful. Maybe he knows what happened to our Albedo. Or Kaeya, for that matter.”

“Funny you say that,” A new voice came from the doorway, and Diluc’s frown lifted ever so slightly as he saw who it belonged to. “Because I am, in fact, right here.”

“Kaeya, you absolute imbecile.” Diluc muttered, and Kaeya, leaning against the doorframe, grinned.

“Hey, now, that was unnecessary. For all you know, I could’ve just narrowly escaped the claws of death.”

“You’ve been gone for two days, and now you come back looking like nothing happened?”

“What can I say, it takes a lot to keep me away from you lot.” Kaeya shrugged, looking over to Jean. “You certainly look like you’ve been in the wars. I’m glad you’re alright, though.”

Jean only stared back. He looked mostly the same as he did the last time she’d seen him. His clothes were different, much more monotonous than before, but he seemed unharmed. So why did she feel so unsure about his sudden appearance? Why did something feel so wrong?

“Kaeya, where have you been?” She eventually settled for.

“Oh, you know, just about. That Kera woman tried to recruit me something, or whatever, but that’s about it. All normal.”

“She did what?!”

“I got caught off guard while trying to leave.” Kaeya scratched the back of his neck. “It’s no big deal. When I refused, they just let me go.”

“But… why would they do that? Any of that?” Sucrose asked. “This makes just about as much sense as the Abyss teaming up with the Fatui in the first place.”

Jean tried to catch Diluc’s gaze, to no avail. She remembered when Kaeya had come to her home that night, brand new cryo vision in hand. He had told her what he told Diluc just hours before, and as far as she knew, they were the only ones that he ever told. Could… that have something to do with what Kaeya was telling them?

Diluc was probably thinking the same thing, she knew that. But he didn’t voice his ideas.

“Did they say anything else? About what they wanted the Anemo Archon for?” Diluc opted to ask instead.

“I don’t believe so…” Kaeya glanced upwards in thought. “They did ask if I knew where Albedo was, though. Which was strange, because wasn’t Albedo with us during the two hours?”

“That wasn’t Albedo.” Sucrose shook her head. “I don’t know all the details, but it was someone else who was pretending to be Albedo. He must’ve been working with the Abyss Order.”

“But if they don’t know where the real Albedo is, why risk handing over the fake one?” Jean muttered.

“Probably because they knew Albedo was too smart to go into the city at a time like that.” Kaeya replied. He looked concerned, which was only natural. But there was an underlying worry that he clearly wasn’t voicing. “So not only is Mondstadt gone, but the Anemo Archon is in danger, and Albedo is nowhere to be found?”

“Not to mention the Abyss Order’s partnership with the Fatui. Not exactly the most obvious of alliances, and they’ve still yet to make any public moves since the fire.” Diluc paused, looking back to Baizhu who seemed to be pretending not to listen in. “Excuse me, but do you know if the Fatui are still present in Liyue?”

Baizhu turned, shaking his head. “Lady Ningguang ordered their removal from the Harbour. Something about breaking a peace contract.”

“Liyue and Mondstadt are officially partnered, I’d imagine setting the latter on fire would constitute an act of war.”

“But they did that to find the Anemo Archon.” Jean sat up slightly, pushing herself up with her palms and grunting at the pain. “They knew that destroying the city would lure him out.”

“Clearly, that hasn’t worked.” Kaeya chuckled. “Nobody seemed to be in a particularly celebratory mood when I was present. It’s safe to say, whatever their plan is, they’ve encountered obstacles.”

“And it’s our job to make sure they keep doing so. The city may be no more, but we are still Knights - ah, except you, Diluc - and we need to protect the people of Mondstadt.”

“So what do you suggest?” Sucrose asked timidly.

“Well, we know that… you-know-who is safe for now. And I would like to think he can handle himself. So our priority should be Albedo.”

“… the real one, or the fake one?”

Jean looked down, realising her mistake. “Ah, the fake one. I’m sure wherever our Albedo is, he’s safe for now. But this fake Albedo could have other plans, and we should find him before he gets the chance to carry them out. First and foremost, we need to make sure that nobody else is fooled. Sucrose?”

“Y-yes?”

“Spread the word as far as you can. Give details of the differences between the two, and make sure the information extends to Sumeru, as well. If you need help, ask the Millelith on my behalf.”

“Of course.” Sucrose nodded dutifully. “I’ll get right to that.”

As she sprinted out of the room, repeating the instructions quietly to herself as she went, Jean turned to the others.

“I believe both of you have a reliable information network?”

Diluc and Kaeya both nodded, but Kaeya was the first to speak. “I imagine they’ll both be quite scattered after the attack, however.”

“That’s fine. Just find out anything you can. Besides, I have an idea of my own, too.” She swung her legs over the side of the bed and winced, looking over to Baizhu. “Since my legs seem to be… relatively uninjured, would it be possible to allow me to leave?”

“Hm… I believe so. As long as you don’t exert too much of your body aside from just walking. Don’t be getting into fights.”

Jean smiled in response, standing up and stumbling over to the doorway. It was more the way her hips moved when she walked that hurt more than anything. And the way she breathed. But she could… just about handle it.

“Hold on, where are you going?” Kaeya asked.

“I’m going to try to get myself in a meeting with the Tianquan. I can only hope she’ll receive me so that I can explain the situation in more detail.”

Chapter Text

Collei had been following Venti for an hour, now. The sun was beginning to set, and he was walking in a direction that definitely didn’t lead to the city, or Port Ormos, for that matter. He had almost immediately set off to go south, towards the giant ruin guard in Ardravi Valley. It was a strange place to go for anyone, but this journey seemed especially odd. Collei noticed the way his demeanour gradually changed, the further he got from Gandharva Ville, until he looked just as upset as he did before.

Collei had been deliberating the possibility that the sadness she felt had come from him, somehow, and she decided around twenty minutes ago that was, in fact, the case. But even that just presented her with more questions. Like how he was creating that feeling, and why (and how) he was hiding his wings, and if there was something more strange about him that she hadn’t noticed yet.

Collei prided herself on her noticing; it wasn’t on purpose, just another side effect of her years with Dottore. Sometimes, she noticed things that weren’t actually there; like a person watching her across the road, or someone looming in a window. But mostly, she was right. She noticed the man trying to take Tighnari’s medicine whilst he was outside treating a young woman. She noticed the early signs of Eleazar on a patient before anyone else did, once.

But she couldn’t successfully notice anything… useful about Venti. Not that it discouraged her at all. The further from Gandharva Ville they got, the stronger Collei’s resolve became. She was sure that there was more she could help Venti with. She, of all people, knew when someone was hurting. But for now, she mostly just wondered where he was going.

Venti came to a clearing in the forest, the edge of the mountain that overlooked the ruin guard. Collei hung back, far enough into the foliage that she knew he couldn’t see her. But instead of going any further, he just… stopped. Looking out into the area beyond, his black cape billowing in the wind. Collei leaned in curiously, furrowing her brows—

— and then something yanked her backwards by her collar, temporarily cutting off her breathing and preventing her from screaming. Within the span of a few moments, her bow was ripped from her back, she was forced onto her feet from her crouching position, and an arm was wrapped firmly around her neck.

“What are you doing here, kid?” A voice hissed in her ear, and Collei instinctively wrinkled her face in discomfort, trying to move away. She couldn’t handle this; she had barely gotten used to the most basic of touch. “You seem to be following a target of ours…”

“Shit, Lieutenant, he’s gone.” Another voice snapped, also behind Collei. Sure enough, through the bushes, she could see that Venti had disappeared.

She was completely alone. With no way to defend herself. The one time she let her guard down, and this happened.

———

“Just one more, and then I think we’re done for the day.” That voice - the only voice that it could ever be - hummed in disinterest.

Collei knew he had grown bored a while ago. But he hadn’t stopped. Why? Because though he didn’t enjoy the experiments, he certainly enjoyed the pain he inflicted. He grabbed the girl by the neck, curling his hand ever so slightly as a warning. It was too much touch, too dangerous, but she couldn’t do anything about it.

“Now, then. Allow me to locate a vein.”

A moment, and then a pinch. And then, pain.

———

“Kid! I’m talking to you.” The second voice was in front of her, all of a sudden; a masked Fatui agent. “What are you doing going after our bounty? You’re definitely not with us.”

“She could be. Fuck knows who they’re recruiting these days.” The one holding her joked, eliciting a chuckle from the agent and a wince from Collei, whose heart was now pounding out of her chest.

“I was just following.” Collei squeaked, her legs scrambling to keep a hold on the ground.

“Oh, yeah? And why was that? ‘Cause you heard about the shit loads of mora on his head?”

“I didn’t know about that!”

“Why else would you be following a buffoon from Mondstadt? How old are you, anyway, just a kid?” The agent moved to take a dagger from his jacket, slowly moving it closer to Collei’s chin.

“Hey! What in Teyvat are you two doing now?” A third voice, this one belonging to a woman, came yelling from behind Collei. The sound of running quickly followed as the agent snapped up straight.

Eventually, the voice revealed itself to be a tall woman with dark hair. She glared at Collei, but then turned to the agent with a new ferocity.

“If you must know, I’m doing my job.” The agent spat, holding the dagger behind his back.

The woman seemed unimpressed. “Right. And what part of that involves threatening the locals? The kid locals?”

“You’re not the boss of us, Kera.” The man holding Collei sneered, which only served to provoke the woman further.

“As a matter of fact, until further notice, I am. So unless this kid has anything to do with our target…”

“She does, actually. We saw her following him. With our own eyes.” The man replied, the agent nodding in agreement.

Kera seemed to consider this. Collei took the time to take in as much as she could about the situation. Two Fatui, by the looks of things. One woman who definitely wasn’t Fatui. Three enemies. No chance of escape. And the arm pressing into her throat was beginning to tighten, perhaps subconsciously.

“Hm.” Kera hummed, turning her stony gaze back to Collei. “You know the guy?”

“I don’t—“

Collei was cut off by the swift raising of Kera’s hand. “Shut up. What was that sound?”

“What sound?” The agent hissed.

And then, as if to answer his question, an arrow came flying downwards, planting itself expertly into the ground between Kera and the agent. The pair of them exchanged a glance of sudden alert, and then the agent grabbed Collei from the other man.

“Shit — retreat!” Kera whisper-shouted, just as another arrow skimmed the side of her arm and landed in the agent’s back.

The agent let go of Collei in alarm, who, light-headed, scrambled to crouch behind a log, firmly placing her hands over her ears and closing her eyes tightly. Muffled, as if distant, she could hear Kera yell at her companions to hurry up and move, but deafening was the sound of another arrow burrowing into a pile of dead leaves somewhere nearby. Everything seemed to be in the wrong place, nothing seemed to truly be happening, and Collei found herself tugging at a lock of hair in fear.

Eventually, the sound of the three strangers died out as they hurried in the opposite direction, but this was quickly followed by the sound of someone else coming towards her. Collei could see a shadow appearing in front of her through her closed eyes, but she only curled up tighter against the log, hoping that it would go away if she waited long enough.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, and a muffled voice rang in her ears.

“Hey… just try to breathe, alright?”

Between heaving breaths, Collei managed to get out a few words of her own. “Don’t… touch me.”

“It’s okay, I won’t. But I will stay here, just to make sure you’re safe.”

Collei said nothing. She only sat there, eventually managing to pry her hands away from her ears. They instead moved to protect her waist, and she could faintly feel her breathing begin to steady itself. The noises of the forest that seemed so loud only moments ago were starting to return to their normal levels. What seemed like hours later, Collei opened her eyes to see her knees and the forest floor past them.

No more Fatui. No more danger. Just her… and Venti, who was sitting cross legged in front of her.

Collei stared. He smiled back. And then, very slowly, she shuffled out of her protective position, leaning back against the log and whispering. “I’m sorry.”

Venti tilted his head. “For what?”

“For following you. I didn’t mean to get you in trouble, I just… I wanted to make sure you were okay.” She was still trembling, she realised. Still somewhat… out of it.

To her surprise, Venti laughed. Collei noticed that he seemed to be keeping quiet on purpose, probably for her sake. “I seriously don’t think you got me in trouble, don’t worry. Something tells me that those guys were looking for me anyway.”

“They… were? Why?” Collei’s eyes darted down to his side, to find a regal looking bow, decorated with whites and blues and purples. “… You were the one shooting.”

“Ehe, guilty… I didn’t hurt them properly or anything, I just wanted them gone.” Venti’s smile wavered slightly. “And I’m glad I did hear you behind me, because otherwise…”

Otherwise she probably would’ve been killed. Or worse. Collei felt a little embarrassed about the fact that she had been discovered, more so about the fact that she had to rely on someone else to save her. And more than anything, she was supposed to be the one helping Venti, not the other way around.

“Well, I’m still sorry.” Collei paused, needing to catch her breath again. “But… if the Fatui are after you, is it the best thing to be out in the open? They know where you are, now.”

“Eh, it’s no big deal. And it’s not just the Fatui. It’s the Abyss Order too.” Seeing Collei’s horror, Venti chuckled nervously. “Yeah, I’m in pretty hot water. But no worries! I’ve got better things to be doing than being arrested, you know.”

“How can you possibly be so calm?”

Venti shrugged, leaping to his feet. “Practice. Are you coming?”

“Coming where?”

“Well, actually, it’s just around the corner. Good thing those guys didn’t make it any further, or they might’ve seen.” He seemed to think for a moment. “Wait a minute, let me just—“

He let out a shrill whistle, leaving the forest in silence for a moment. Until the sun’s light was blotted out by a large silhouette overhead. One that was quickly getting bigger as it came closer to the ground. Collei almost shrank back into her last position, but instead found herself stumbling to her feet.

Her hands clamped back over her ears as something big and blue crashed down onto the ground in the clearing, but Venti didn’t seem too bothered by it. In fact, he began to rush towards it, placing a hand on the thing’s scales and looking back. Collei noticed a lack of a bulge where his wings would be underneath his cape, now.

“You can come over. He won’t hurt you, you know. It’s safe.”

Uncertain, Collei retrieved her bow from where the Fatui had tossed it aside. She trudged through the grass slowly, until she was only a few metres away from the thing. She could see its head, now; huge and coloured all different kinds of blue. Its bright eyes flicked back to look at her. And then, to her surprise, it spoke.

“… you’ve brought a child.” It said simply, its voice rumbling through the forest’s undergrowth.

“Be nice.” Venti chuckled. “This is Collei. Collei, this is Dvalin. He’s a friend of mine.”

Dvalin’s eyes blinked slowly, and he nodded his head. “Greetings.”

Collei opened and closed her mouth several times before thinking of something to say. “Your friend is a dragon? An actual, real dragon?”

“Yep! He looks scary, but he’s just grumpy a lot of the time, so not even close.” Venti grinned.

“Wait… Dvalin? The dragon that Aether fought.”

Venti patted the dragon’s side. “See? You’re famous.”

Dvalin grumbled softly. “I would prefer if my story was not told through the events of that battle.”

Venti turned back to Collei with a wink. “I told you. Grumpy.”

Collei’s brows creased in confusion. “How do you even go about befriending a dragon? Let alone one of the Four Winds.”

Dvalin’s head turned back. “She does not know?”

Venti harshly elbowed the dragon’s side, which seemed to do very little overall given the size of the thing. “We just happen to have known each other a while. He likes my music.”

“So you… you came this way because you knew Dvalin would be here? I did think it was strange that you didn’t go to the city.” Collei muttered.

“Well, yeah! Dvalin’s home wasn’t part of the attack, but he came over here anyways.” Venti lowered his voice. “He was worried about me.”

Dvalin seemed to have heard this, huffing. “You called for me. I did not worry.”

“Speaking of the attack…” Collei trailed off for a moment. “I still don’t really know much about what happened. I know there was a fire from all the people with burns, and another of the patients told me there were Fatui. Oh, and why are the Fatui after you?”

“The Fatui are looking for you?” Dvalin repeated incredulously. He seemed to be taking on the role of a worried parent - a bizarre thought to Collei.

“The Abyss Order, actually.” Venti corrected. “The Fatui are working with them. At least, that’s what I heard before the attack.”

“But why did they attack Mondstadt in the first place?” Collei asked.

“Apparently, they want to know where the Anemo Archon is. Which is weird, because why would the Abyss Order care about that? And to answer your other question, I have no idea why they’re looking for me.”

Ahead, Dvalin let out a small sigh that Collei pretended not to notice. “Well… since they are looking for you, you should come back to a safe place. Like Gandharva Ville. M— Tighnari is a good fighter. I can’t say we could harbour a dragon, though…”

“Aha, as much as I’d love to take you up on that offer right now, I actually have somewhere else I need to go, first. There’s a friend I haven’t seen in a while, and I wonder if she could help at all.”

“Shouldn’t you do that tomorrow? It’s getting pretty late.”

“Well, I was actually planning on staying out here tonight. With Dvalin.”

Dvalin made a sound of disagreement. “If you are indeed being searched for, it is not ideal to stay out here with me. I can’t keep myself hidden, so staying with me would only hurt your chances of not being found.”

Venti sighed deeply, running a hand over the dragon’s scales again. “As long as you’ll be alright… fine. I’ll come back to Gandharva Ville for the night.”

“Perfect!” Collei smiled, before putting a finger to her chin in thought. “But… if you are visiting a friend in the city tomorrow, then you should at least have people going there with you. To make sure you’re okay.”

“Hm, I suppose… would you happen to have any suggestions?”

Collei grinned.

Chapter Text

As it turned out, it was very easy to be allowed into the Jade Chamber. Jean only had to give her name to a man named Bu’yun for him to hurry her onto a strange floating platform to get up there.

Apparently, the Tianquan had given precise orders to welcome her into the Jade Chamber, should she wish to have an audience with her. Jean felt slightly nervous as she made her way up above Liyue Harbour. She had never met any of the Liyue Qixing before, not in person, and especially not as the Acting Grand Master of the Knights.

But what she was most concerned about was how intimidating she had heard the Tianquan could be. She had gone through plenty of difficult situations over the past day and a half, and she didn’t need a social one on top of all of that.

As the guard at the door guided her into the chamber and handed her off to one of the secretaries, who introduced herself as Baiwen, Jean began to realise just how strange it was to be there altogether. She wasn’t even the actual Grand Master of the Knights. Not even Varka had met with Lady Ningguang in person.

“Lady Ningguang is just down here, Miss Gunnhildr.” Baiwen ushered her down a set of stairs. “Green or oolong tea?”

Jean hesitated before giving a response, trying to take in the beautiful craftsmanship of the place. “Oh, green tea, thank you.”

Baiwen nodded, pointing Jean towards an office alcove and rushing off to supposedly prepare the tea.

Sitting at the desk in the alcove was none other than Lady Ningguang, Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing. Papers were sprawled about her desk, and she held a stapled set of sheets in one hand, gazing at them intently. She looked hard at work; Jean almost wanted to leave her to it. She knew that it did no good to be interrupted at work.

But then Ningguang looked up and smiled thinly, placing the papers down on top of the others. “Ah, Acting Grand Master. I did wonder if you would do me the honour of visiting. Here, take a seat.”

Jean gave a smile in response, stepping into the alcove and sitting in one of the wooden chairs off to the side of the desk. “Thank you. And the honour is all mine, Lady Ningguang.”

“Oh, please, call me Ningguang. It’s the least I can do to offer my friendship after all this. On behalf of Liyue, I would like to extend my deepest condolences for what has occurred in Mondstadt. I can only hope that our medical and financial aid is good enough help - and rest assured, every spare Millelith has been tasked with searching for those still missing.”

“Oh, that’s… incredibly generous.” Jean’s brows raised. “The Knights are grateful for your help and hospitality.”

Ningguang hummed as if expecting this kind of response, and then interlaced her fingers, resting her head on her knuckles. “Now that we have all of that out of the way… how about we cut the formalities, hm? I expect you are here for good reason, and I don’t wish to impede our conversation with scripted talk.”

“Oh, yes, I… suppose that makes sense.”

Ningguang laughed. “Not what you were expecting? Truth be told, it can’t be said I usually act this way. But you interest me, and I can appreciate a woman in power. Especially one who, like I expect you do, has the drive to do anything for those she is responsible for.”

“Well, I certainly respect you in the same way.” Jean nodded. “It’s a shame that we’re meeting in such a dire situation, however.”

“That’s true. I can’t say I know much about it, myself, except that it was initiated by the Fatui.”

“And the Abyss Order, who we believe may pose the larger threat, here.”

Ningguang’s eyes glimmered in interest. “Is that so…? Tell me more.”

“So far, the Abyss Order has openly stated their desire to locate the Anemo Archon for an unknown purpose, tried to recruit our Cavalry Captain into their ranks, and has successfully recruited a lookalike of our investigation team Chief to pose as him in order to gain information.”

“Do you know what they plan to do with this?”

“No. Which is why I’ve come to you.” Jean paused, taking a breath. “I’ve heard that your information network is unrivalled. I was hoping that you could try to use your connections to locate the lookalike in question. He’s our only plausible lead.”

“Well, my people could definitely get somewhere, assuming you have a sufficient description…” Ningguang reached below her desk, pulling out a blank sheet of paper. She took a pen in hand and scribbled something down. “Could you give me as many details as possible?”

Baiwen hurried in with a cup of tea as Jean thought, and fled again before she could be thanked.

“Blonde, shoulder length hair, blue eyes, five foot five, medium build…” Jean thought back to recall what Sucrose had said. “If it’s the lookalike, there will be a lack of a gold star on his chest, sort of like a tattoo. His name is Albedo. I’m not aware of his surname.”

Ningguang took a moment to finish writing all this down, and then nodded to herself, skimming back over her hurried notes. Jean took a sip of the tea - it was, admittedly, beautifully made.

“Baishi!” Ningguang suddenly called, holding up the paper. A different secretary hurried into the room.

“Yes, Lady Ningguang?”

“Take this out and pass it on. I want this to be fast tracked, it’s a matter of utmost importance.”

“Of course.” Baishi took the paper with a slight bow and hurried back out of the alcove, running back up the stairs.

“The word should be out within the hour.” Ningguang assured, looking to the cup of tea in Jean’s hands. “Ah, that’s interesting. I wonder if it was a conscious decision on Baiwen’s part?”

Jean pulled the cup away from her lips, staring down at it. “What is it?”

“That cup, I acquired at an auction in Mondstadt. I believe it belonged to one of the previous Grand Masters of the Knights, long before either of us lived. It caught my eye when I saw the inside.”

“The inside?” Jean peered down to look, but the image was distorted and discoloured by the tea.

“It depicts the anemo symbol comprised of feathers and flowers. Quite beautiful, yet unrecognisable when drinking from it. Needless to say, once it caught my eye, I spared no expense to win it. I intended to sell it on for a higher price, but I grew fond of the artwork.”

Jean didn’t quite know what to say. Or at least, what Ningguang expected her to say. Moments passed, and then Ningguang shrugged.

“I would turn that into a metaphor, but really, I just wanted to tell you about the cup. Besides, I’m more of a direct kind of person. I think the point I’m trying to arrive at is that Mondstadt is not without hope. That cup still exists. The people are, for the most part, safe. Isn’t that what matters?”

“Of course it is.”

Ningguang searched Jean’s expression for a moment. “Then you don’t believe everyone is safe. Unless, of course, you’re denying the existence of the cup in your hands, instead.”

“How did you come to that conclusion?”

“You look as if you need more hope than just a majority of positives. You need everything to be right again. Not that I blame you, of course, this situation is unprecedented. However, you should still try to focus on the things that you can help, rather than what you can’t. You can help your people who remain in Liyue and Sumeru. You cannot take down the entire Abyss Order single-handedly.”

“I don’t expect to. But this is the second time they’ve tried to reach the Anemo Archon through Mondstadt’s suffering. Last time…” Jean paused, recalling the work it took to save Dvalin. “Last time they might have succeeded without the aid that was given. And this time we don’t seem to be in a position to give aid.”

“Perhaps not. But you still have the aid of Liyue whenever you need it. Besides, do they know where the Anemo Archon is?”

“Not to my knowledge, no. But I can’t be sure.”

Ningguang smirked. “In that case, I’ll be sure to have my people find that out, too. If you need my help, or the Millelith, I would be happy to give it. I would also like to offer now to donate a generous amount of mora to fund the rebuilding of the city. After all, I do have quite a bit to spare.”

A smile crossed Jean’s face. That was another problem at least partially solved. “Thank you. That would be lovely.”

“It’s nothing.” Ningguang waved her hand dismissively. “Now, did you have anything else that you came here for?”

“No, but thank you for all your help.” Jean replied, standing to leave.

“Come back any time you would like.” Ningguang reached out to shake Jean’s hand. “In the meantime, it was nice to meet you for today.”

———

A figure watched as a spectacled woman weaved through the street in front of her, clutching a folded sheet of paper in one hand. She ran a hand through her hair, straightening the collar of her dress in preparation. She stood out among the people of Liyue, with her foreign clothing and darker skin, but nobody would care. Why would they have any reason to?

As the woman neared her, hurrying along the path, the figure stepped out in front of her, too late to be stepped around. The spectacled woman crashed into her shoulder, stumbling backwards as her paper dropped to the floor.

The second woman took her chance, swooping down and picking the paper up again, subtly unfolding it as she handed it back. It was only a moment, but a moment was all she needed.

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” The intruding woman feigned a gasp of surprise. “Here’s your note.”

“Thank you.” The spectacled woman huffed. “This is a very important note, supposedly. I’m glad it didn’t get blown away.”

“So am I.” The second woman muttered as the first rushed away, holding the note close to her chest.

She had already memorised the details of the note, and inferred that it was a search order from the Qixing. A search for one of her creations, no less. She tipped her mage’s hat down over her brows and began to walk away, lips pursed. Things weren’t going according to plan at all.

First, the Knights had caught onto Subject Two’s ruse far too quickly, so they had to rush the destruction of the city, thus removing the majority of their leverage.

Second, that idiot of a Captain, Kera, had failed to capture the Anemo Archon and contain the Alberich boy. The Princess had assured her that once, Kera had been a valiant warrior. Clearly that was no longer the case.

And then there was the matter of Subject Two’s actions following the destruction of the city. It seemed to have thought the Abyss Order wouldn’t notice that it dragged Gunnhildr from the flames. It thought nobody would find out that it had asked about the Anemo Archon’s identity, when that information was strictly classified.

Before all else, it seemed to think it was any more than a pawn in the larger scheme. It was so desperate to be involved that it failed to notice that nobody cared about it at all; what she wanted was Albedo. Subject Two was but a temporary replacement for the real thing.

That boldness made it a liability. And now, everyone in Liyue would be on the lookout for it. The woman scowled. This was getting out of hand. And she needed to put a stop to that.

Once sufficiently out of view of the public, the woman threw her hand outwards, and the atmosphere ahead of her gave way to an opening into darkness and a palace of stone. The moment she stepped through, it sprung closed behind her.

“Anybody who happens to have a clue where my failure of an artwork is, now would be the time to tell me.” She called out into the large hall, her voice echoing.

Figures stood to attention on either side of the room, none of them moving an inch.

The woman sighed. “Typical. Does nobody in this place know how to surveil at all? This could jeopardise everything, and none of you have a clue.” She snapped her fingers, turning to a young woman with a clipboard. “You, have you prepared the venue, at least?”

“Y-yes, of course.” She bowed, her voice trembling. “Is… is it happening soon, then?”

“I haven’t the slightest idea. If the Captain could do her job properly, then perhaps. Where is the Princess?”

“J-just in her office. She’s… working.”

The woman nodded, heels clicking against the floor. “Well, then, I shall update her. When I get out, someone in this room will have found Subject Two. Or else the consequences will be dire.”

Chapter Text

Night fell over Teyvat for the second time since the skies burned and choked in thick smoke. Jean reluctantly returned to Bubu Pharmacy for overnight observation, and others took refuge wherever they could. In the abyss, nobody rested easily.

But in Sumeru, Gandharva Ville was silent. Most were too tired to stay awake, or too injured. Others knew they had to get as much rest for a full day of treatment in the morning. There was one, however, who couldn’t bring himself to fall asleep.

Venti simply sat on the bed he had been given, cradling his injured wing in his arms. The bed itself was outdoors, but far enough away from the beds of the injured that he didn’t have to worry about anyone seeing. Usually, he would be easily coaxed into slumber by the sight of the stars above him, but not tonight.

Tonight, he simply made a mental list of all the people he hadn’t seen since Mondstadt was destroyed. Not on purpose, but the names just kept coming. They wormed their way into his brain at regular intervals, their tone accusatory. Mondstadt was burned, people were hurt, all because he didn’t show his face.

He could’ve helped them all if he handed himself over. He hadn’t the faintest idea what the Abyss Order wanted from him, but if it was serious enough to warrant an alliance with the Fatui, it couldn’t be anything good.

He had considered the idea that they just wanted him to suffer, like the first time they came after him. But if that were the case, why be so open about the fact that they were looking for him? That wasn’t the Abyss Order’s style in the slightest.

… so it had to be something worse than that.

Venti’s teal eyes darted around, searching in the dark of the rainforest for figures watching, waiting. He couldn’t see anything… but who’s to say they weren’t simply hiding? They could just be really good at staying quiet.

At long last, Venti slipped into the bed’s blanket, his wings vanishing as he curled up. And he tried his best to sleep through the paranoia.

———

The sun was bright in the sky, now, and Venti was walking along a paved road in the middle of Sumeru City. It had been a while since he’d been; everything was just as vibrant and friendly as he recalled. Even he was vibrant again - he figured that maybe changing back into happier clothing would lift his own spirits, so he had donned his green cape and hat once more.

“So who’s this friend we’re going to see?” Amber asked, walking in front of the other pair. “And why did you ask me to come, Collei?”

Venti looked to Collei curiously. The girl smiled nervously in reply. Apparently, she hadn’t told her. That was… nice.

“I just wanted the opportunity to spend more time with you while you’re here!” Collei replied. “Also, I figured you’d probably know each other.”

Amber nodded, beaming at Venti. “Yep! He’s pretty hard to miss around the city. And he’s friends with Kaeya.”

Venti chuckled. “That I am. I’m glad that both of you are happy to accompany me.”

“Where do we go to find your friend?” Collei asked. “We’ve kind of just been walking around for a while…”

“Ah, well, no actually. I haven’t the slightest clue where she would be.”

“What’s her name?” Amber turned around. “Maybe Collei would know her?”

“Ah…” Venti scratched the back of his neck. “Would it be incredibly strange if I said I was looking for the Dendro Archon?”

Collei and Amber exchanged an odd glance, but eventually the former spoke. “I actually don’t know where you could find Lesser Lord Kusanali… but from what I hear, she’s out a lot these days. So if we keep walking around, maybe we’ll find her?”

“I guess so…” Amber muttered. “Wait, how have you managed to befriend the Dendro Archon?”

Venti shrugged, a grin tugging at his lips. “What can I say? Everyone loves my music, right? Even the gods, themselves.”

“Well, Lesser Lord Kusanali is very friendly.” Collei looked around, her eyes eventually landing on a market stall of various seasonal crops. “Oh! There!”

The group looked around to see a very small girl speaking happily with the vendor of the stall. Suddenly, a gust of wind rushed through the girl’s hair, and she turned, startled. Her eyes softened, however, once she came to notice Venti standing on the other side of the path, and she walked across.

“Hm…” She looked the bard up and down. “I like your clothes.”

“Why, thank you, great Dendro Archon. You look very nice, as well.”

“Don’t call me that! Just Nahida. And it’s great to see you again…?”

“Venti.” Venti prompted, oddly enough. Collei couldn’t help but wonder why this needed to be said if they were already friends.

“Right. Venti. It’s been a long time… so what brings you here, now?” Nahida looked between Venti and Amber. “I’m very sorry about what happened in Mondstadt. That was terrible.”

Amber nodded solemnly, and Venti gave a sad smile. “It was, yeah. But that’s actually not why I’m here now.”

“I thought you were in Sumeru because you were injured?” Amber folded her arms, and Collei winced.

She had made a point not to tell anyone about Venti’s wing, like he asked, but that just made people more confused. It seemed everyone knew Venti the bard, and they were all wondering what happened to him that they couldn’t see.

“Well, yes, that too. But I also wanted a word with you, Nahida.”

“Oh? What about?” Nahida’s brows raised in interest.

“You’re the God of Wisdom, right? As it happens, I do need a bit of wisdom at the moment. I was wondering if you knew anything about…” Venti leaned down to whisper into Nahida’s ear.

Collei couldn’t hear what he said, but she could see the worry that flickered over the Archon’s face in response. Amber gently reached out to touch her shoulder, gesturing with her head for them to leave.

She wondered if Venti was asking Nahida about the Fatui. Or the Abyss Order. Or what happened to Mondstadt. Honestly, at this point, he could be asking about anything, really. But whatever it was, he wanted to be left alone. And Amber was leading her over to a market stall selling very nice jewellery.

“So, what’s going on with Venti?” Amber asked, picking up a pair of silver earrings.

“… I don’t know. Why would I know?” Collei squeaked.

Amber furrowed her brows, seeming confused. “Oh, I just thought you’d become friends. He’s usually weird, but not this weird. And he’s certainly never gone around looking for Archons before.”

Meanwhile, Venti and Nahida had stepped under the shelter of an awning, as if this gave them any more privacy than they had a moment ago.

“Well, you could always stay here. It wouldn’t be easy for the Abyss to find you if you’re staying with me.” Nahida suggested.

“Ah, no thanks. I think they know about me, so I reckon you’d be the first person they go to. I just wanted to know if you knew anything, really.”

“Well… I have heard that the Abyss Order is planning something big.” She lowered her voice, leaning in. “It has something to do with Khaenri’ah.”

“Doesn’t everything they do have something to do with… that?”

“Well, yes, but this is supposed to be important. Very important. Apparently, so important that they want the Anemo Archon.”

“And that they’d burn Mondstadt to the ground to get to him.” He paused. “If I’d gotten there in time—“

Nahida grabbed Venti’s hand. “Don’t do that. It’s not your fault. Besides, the Abyss is much stronger with the Fatui on their side. Especially the Jester’s soldiers.”

Venti looked down. “The Jester? Isn’t he one of the Fatui Harbingers?”

“He’s the Director of the Fatui Harbingers.” Nahida corrected. “He’s the one who agreed to the alliance with the Abyss Order, supposedly an under the table kind of deal. And, from what I can tell, he’s also from Khaenri’ah, so that makes sense.”

“Well, that explains the Fatui’s involvement.”

“It explains a lot, actually. It’s unlikely they want the Anemo Archon specifically, it might just be that they know yo— he is at his weakest. And that he’s also likely the weakest.”

Venti frowned. “That just sounds insulting when it’s not one of us saying it.”

“Well, it might not even be true! You’ve managed to get past them so far.”

“Only because I physically fought them off when they were attacking Collei. I wouldn’t have done that otherwise, I don’t think I could afford to. You’ve lost your gnosis, right? You know how it is?”

“Yeah… but, then again, I didn’t have a huge amount of power that I had a chance to use in the first place.” Nahida sighed. “You know, you really should just stay here… even if I couldn’t protect you personally, surely they wouldn’t do anything out in the open like that?”

“I think it’s just better to stick back at Gandharva Ville. Collei’s already offered, and she’s… kind of involved now. They know that she knows me.”

“Ah, so it’s because you’re worried about Collei.”

Venti looked down at Nahida, who was grinning, now. “I’ll have you know, I’m a very caring person! I want to leave, but I just… can’t. Oh, and, hey, while I’m here, is it okay if Dvalin lives in the forest for a bit? Far away from people, obviously, but I think he secretly wants to be nearby.”

“Of course! Anything to help you out. I think I might’ve seen Vennessa flying over the Akademiya earlier, too.”

“That definitely sounds like Vennessa…” Venti sighed. “Thanks for the info, by the way. I hope I can find some use from it. At the very least it’ll make a good verse in my biographical epic if I die.”

“You won’t die.” Nahida suddenly frowned, looking deadly serious despite the half-joking nature of Venti’s words. “And if you’re attacked again… just call for me. I’ll be on the lookout, but just in case.”

“You know, you’re pretty good Archon for someone who’s so small.”

Nahida folded her arms. “You’re a pretty good Archon for someone who has such a bad fashion sense.”

“I’m wounded!” Venti put his hand to his chest, taking a step backwards. “Seriously, though, thank you. I should be going - I hope to peruse Sumeru’s market while I’m here… not that I have any mora to pay with.”

“I could come with you! I have a purse with me. And I haven’t seen you in forever, it would be a shame to let this opportunity go to waste.” Nahida rushed after Venti as he began to walk back out into the street.

“A moment ago, you were telling me to lay low.” Venti looked over to Amber and Collei standing over between two stands. “Hey~! Want to go around with us?”

The two girls seemed as if they were trying not to outwardly question the bond between the Dendro Archon and slightly eccentric bard. But eventually, Amber gently locked hands with Collei and began to walk over.

“Sure! If that’s alright with you two, obviously. U-uh, I mean, you, Venti, and… the Dendro Archon. Of Sumeru. The actual Dendro Archon.”

“Yep! Fine by me!” Nahida smiled, and Venti chuckled lightly.

“Sounds like we have a plan for the day, then.”

———

Rhinedottir threw her hand out accusingly. “She let Alberich go, and she failed to acquire the Archon. I don’t know why you told me what you did, Princess, but she is not suited to this mission.”

Kera scowled. “I have explicit orders to not force Alberich’s hand unless it absolutely comes to it. And I will not lead men into a massacre, whether they are mine or those idiots in Snezhnaya.”

“Careful, Captain. You may just be insulting the training of a Khaenri’ahn.” Rhinedottir cooed, a drop of malice to her tone as she moved to carefully inspect her nails.

“Pierro is no more Khaenri’ahn than an average Fontanian. If he was, he wouldn’t be on the side of an Archon.”

“Says the woman who just spared an Archon.”

“Enough.” A young woman with golden hair stood from her desk. Kera stood to attention, while Rhinedottir’s eyes only flickered in interest. “This is supposed to be a joyous occasion. The pair of you bickering is not making this mission any easier. You both have faults—“

Rhinedottir scoffed. “My work has been flawless, your highness—“

“You both have faults. Captain, Alberich was with you for not even a day before you gave up. And Gold, I thought you said your subject’s loyalty was absolute?”

“We’ve hit a minor snag, that is all.” Rhinedottir waved her hand dismissively. “It will come running back to me soon. And if it doesn’t, it shouldn’t be long until I locate a suitable replacement.”

“Well, then.” The Princess nodded shortly. “Until that happens, and until the Anemo Archon is captured, consider yourselves held equally accountable for how much of a mess this has been. The ceremony could be completed by now, you know. Our people could be rejoicing in their newfound freedom. But they aren’t. So both of you, get back to your jobs.”

The pair shot each other one last unamused glance, pursed their lips, and left the room with their heads bowed. The Princess sighed, sitting back down and pulling the inteyvat from her hair. It wouldn’t be long, now, and then those flowers would be able to thrive and reproduce in their home soil once more.

She looked down to the board in front of her; it resembled a game of chess, in a way. Except instead of simple, monotonous squares, beneath the grid was a map of Teyvat. It wasn’t difficult to keep the map updated, since she had eyes everywhere. Everywhere but…

To the side of the board was a piece with the head of a four pointed star, gold and white in colour. Around the base it read ‘Kreideprinz’ in ever so small lettering. Somehow, he had evaded her gaze. Not that she minded, much. He didn’t particularly matter to her; just Rhinedottir.

Sometimes, she thought Rhinedottir may not care either. But it was just one of those things, wasn’t it? Something you could never really know.

Chapter Text

The sun was arching over Liyue Harbour, by now. People had filled the streets, selling their wares for the day or taking a midday stroll. It was pleasant for them - less so for Kaeya, who was sat outside a tea house, listening to two of his team bickering about who saw what correctly. He understood, of course, everyone was shaken up.

And to be fair, Kaeya was rather unnerved by the present situation, as well. Not the part about Mondstadt being burned to the ground; he’d long since accepted that his home was gone, at least until the catastrophe was sorted and people were sent back to build it up again.

No, he was more intrigued by the events that had followed that. Most recently, of course, there was the rather bizarre time he spent with the Abyss Order.

———

He was rushing towards Stone Gate, just nearing the riverbank. The other civilians fleeing were far ahead - he had stayed behind to make sure everyone got out - and he was in no rush to get back to them.

And then, Kera grabbed his arm. He turned around, unsheathing his sword and slashing at the air. Kera very easily managed to dodge this by ducking underneath the blow and reaching up to grab Kaeya’s wrist. Within a moment, she had captured his blade and held it aloft triumphantly.

“Prince Alberich,” Kera began, beaming as she tossed the sword back to him. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Kaeya waited a moment, looking her up and down, and then began to walk away.

“Alberich!” Kera called after him, though she made no move to follow as he began to walk along the riverbank. “Alberich, you’ll want to hear what I have to say.”

“I don’t know you, and no, I doubt I will.”

“Your father is dead.”

Kaeya almost paused, but his frown only deepened. “I’m aware. Sir Ragnvindr died a good four years ago, now.”

Finally, Kera started chasing after him. “Your real father, Prince Alberich. Don’t you want to know how it happened?”

“Not particularly. And stop calling me a prince. I am by no means royalty.” Kaeya then added, under his breath, “Besides, someone may hear.”

“Actually, by law, you are.”

Kaeya finally sighed, turning around. “And what does that mean?”

“Follow me back to our camp. I’ll explain, don’t worry. And, you should know, I mean no harm to you.”

“I don’t doubt that for a moment. In fact, you seem as if you want something from me.”

“Then there’s no reason for any unnecessary conflict. Just come with me, and we can discuss this.”

Kaeya didn’t know why he agreed to follow her. Nor did he know why he did so in silence, never questioning the flames that were only now being quenched over on Cider Lake. Perhaps it was curiosity; perhaps naivety. All he knew was, when he got there, he felt slightly strange. As if he had seen the sights before him already, once before.

Fatui were bandaging each other’s wounds on the ground. Some were sitting around a campfire, eating. A few were simply lounging around, cleaning their masks. They all looked as if nothing had happened, and Kaeya loathed it.

“Come in here. We’ll have some privacy then.” Kera pulled back a canvas tent flap, stepping in and allowing Kaeya to do so as well. “Hey! Can one of you get our guest some clothes— what size are you?”

Kaeya furrowed his brows. “I don’t need clothes. I came here to talk.”

“Get him a medium.” Kera yelled out of the tent, and then rolled the door shut.

It was a large tent, enough for a group of soldiers to stand in. In the middle was a table, currently empty, and two chairs, though he could tell there were usually more. Kera sat down in the seat closest to the door, and Kaeya hesitantly followed.

“I appreciate you agreeing to this.” Kera nodded.

“Trust me, if I didn’t want answers from you as well, I wouldn’t be here.” Kaeya answered bitterly, though he didn’t quite know if it were true.

“Well, then, this is mutually beneficial. How about we take turns saying what we need to?”

“Alright. Why is my home a pile of ash?”

“Orders from above. We have a plan, we needed to get things moving. I don’t always necessarily know why we do things.”

Strangely enough, Kaeya couldn’t read her face well enough to know if she was lying or not.

“Your turn, then, I suppose.”

Kera nodded, leaning on the table with both her arms, her face entirely solemn. “Your father killed himself. Poison, we think.”

Kaeya’s brows arced in intrigue. He didn’t care much for his biological father, but he did know he wasn’t the kind of person to do that. “Excuse me?”

“It was soon after the reigning king of Khaenri’ah disappeared and showed up dead in a ditch somewhere a few weeks later. And with him, the family’s hold on the crown slipped. Leaving your family as the only option.”

“Why does Khaenri’ah even need a monarch? It’s decimated.”

“That’s where you come in.” Kera tried to take hold of Kaeya’s hand over the table, but Kaeya swiftly withdrew it. “You’re the heir. And we have plans in place—“

“The answer is ‘no’.”

“— plans that will restore the land to its former glory and bring justice to our homeland.”

“Your homeland. I do not align myself with any of your morals. I happen to know that your organisation does their research, so you should know that.” Kaeya made a move to stand. “Now, unless you have anything else…”

“I do, actually. And I’m sure you do, too. Besides, you won’t make it back to Liyue before sundown, now. You may as well stay here for the night.”

Kera looked rather smug about this fact, but Kaeya knew she was right. And he knew that nobody in the camp would try anything in his sleep, if he understood what they were doing clearly enough.

“… fine. Let’s just get this conversation over with.”

“My question regards your friend Albedo.”

“Albedo? What do you want with him? Other than holding him hostage, earlier, I mean.”

Kera studied his expression for a moment, and then began to chuckle lightly. “Aha, oh, that’s rich. That is hilarious.”

“I fail to see the humour.”

“He hasn’t told you, has he? He hasn’t told you about any of it?”

Kaeya couldn’t help but feel quite the sinking feeling in his chest. What could he possibly be missing, here? “Told me about what?”

Kera rose from her seat, seemingly holding back a second bout of laughter. “I’m sure it’ll become clear in time. I can’t help but wonder what made your father - rest his soul - think you’d make a good field agent. All this time, and you still don’t know the slightest thing about the people you care about, do you?”

“You can’t honestly be planning on… leaving.”

“I’ll be back in the morning. Sleep here for tonight. There’s a spare mat in the corner.” She paused as she rolled up the door again. “And, for the record, I was going to ask where he is. But it seems you don’t even know who he is. So there’s not really any point, is there?”

———

“I saw him by the market, earlier.”

“That’s impossible, I have a guy telling me he saw him in Snezhnaya!”

Kaeya sighed, drumming his fingers on the table gently. “Look, we’re looking for two of them. So both of you can be right. Johanna, you said you saw him at the market?”

“Yes.” Johanna nodded, running a hand over her stomach. “He asked to feel the baby. Seemed slightly desolate.”

“Probably not the real one, then. Albedo’s not a great emotion guy, but I don’t think babies upset him. But that’s good, we can keep an eye on him now. Emil?”

“Apparently, Albedo showed up at a hotel and almost got turned away. But he eventually got a room. My guy lost sight of him after that.”

“Yeah, that sounds more like him.” Kaeya chuckled. “Any other news?”

“Well, after that there was some sort of disturbance in the Jester’s training centre. Something about an intruder or two. Supposedly, they didn’t get away alive, but the Fatui seem unsettled. I think there’s something else going on.”

“There’s no guarantee that it was Albedo, though,” Johanna pointed out, rather helpfully, since Kaeya has begun to slowly slip into a worried frown. “Unrest in Snezhnaya won’t be uncommon now that everything’s happened.”

“And damn right it shouldn’t!” Emil huffed. “You’ve been left homeless and pregnant. And that good for nothing husband of yours ran off.”

“Emil.” Johanna sighed, turning back to Kaeya. “Is there anything else you’d like us to do?”

Kaeya blinked, looking back around the table from where he’d been staring off into the distance. “Oh, yes, actually. Emil, go and try and find out more about that Snezhnaya situation. Johanna, go and rest, you’re what, eight months? And I’m going to check on the market.”

Johanna looked like she wanted to argue against this, but then she stared down at her abdomen and sighed. “You’re right, I suppose. All this stress isn’t good for baby.”

“Precisely.” Emil nodded. “In fact, right after I do my job, I’m coming to take you to see a doctor to check on him— a-ah, or her.”

“Fine. But only if you don’t start trying to name it again.”

Kaeya chuckled as he stood up and walked away. Anybody could tell that the pair of them were in love but themselves. Well, Johanna, at least. Emil was absolutely smitten, while Johanna was more married to her work than anything else. In fact, when one really thought about it, Emil barely… knew… her…

Damn it. Fucking Kera, getting in his head about Albedo.

Kaeya shook his head and began to head to the market, suddenly deciding that finding not-Albedo was definitely a priority. Maybe he could lead him to the real one. And explain everything, preferably.

Thankfully, Kaeya kept a photo of himself, Klee and Albedo on him at all times. Not for any particular reason, he just liked having it around. Albedo had been given another copy, but Kaeya wasn’t sure if he had kept it. In fact, when he received it, he seemed quite… put off by it, somehow.

Kaeya pulled the photo from his coat (the only item of clothing that wasn’t completely ruined in the fire and Kera couldn’t convince him to change) and walked up to the first of the stands, an old woman selling toys.

“Excuse me, have you seen a man who looks anything like this?” He asked. “I’m with the Knights of Favonius, following up on disappearances since the fire in Mondstadt.”

The woman squinted, leaning closely. “Hm… I don’t think so, dearie. Terrible what happened in Mondstadt, though. I hope Liyue Harbour can be a satisfactory home for all of you in the meantime.”

“Thank you. It’s very beautiful.”

Kaeya then moved over to a man selling jades. Another man selling varied soups. A jeweller. A fisherman. But none of them seemed to have seen not-Albedo, and honestly, Kaeya was running out of options. He was just about to give up for the afternoon when a middle aged man approached him.

“Excuse me? May I see that photo?” He paused. “My name is Dongsheng, I run the grocery stand; I closed up a while ago, but I happen to be passing back through.”

“Oh, here you go.” Kaeya held out the photo. “Do you know him?”

“Huh. As a matter of fact, I do. I saw him earlier, he was buying out my stock! When I asked, he said he was going on a trip.”

“He did?” Kaeya’s heart leapt. “And… where was he going? Did he say?”

“Sumeru, I think. Said something about family business.”

Now Kaeya was just confused. Was this the real Albedo or not? Albedo did have family in Sumeru - he certainly considered Cyno and Tighnari as such - and not-Albedo couldn’t know that. But why would Albedo be in Liyue and not come and find him? He thought… well, he thought they were closer.

“Thank you.” Kaeya frowned, tucking the photo back in his coat. “I suppose I’ll be off to Sumeru, then…”

“Oh, is he your partner?” Dongsheng asked, entirely innocently.

Kaeya scoffed. “No, no, of course not. Just a friend. Not even a friend! He’s… not my friend. Probably. He’s my friend’s twin, I suppose. I don’t really understand the logistics.”

“… right.” Dongsheng definitely didn’t believe him. “Well, I wish you luck in finding your friend.”

Kaeya sighed. He needed to find Jean.

Chapter Text

When Collei got back to Gandharva Ville, Amber and Venti deep in conversation a few metres behind, everyone was in full swing. Kaveh was rooting around in one of the larger supply crates they kept outside, looking like he had no idea what he was doing.

Collei rushed over, grabbing the edge of the crate. It was a recent shipment of pain relief drugs - but why did they need that?

“Kaveh! What are you looking for?”

“Uh… Tighnari asked me for… five hundred of this stuff. I didn’t know what that means, but it looked serious.”

“Five hundred milligrams, that’s two of these little vials.” Collei took them out of the box, handing them to the very flustered Kaveh. “Would you like me to come and help?”

“Actually, Tighnari told me to keep you out.” Kaveh stepped back, kicking one foot against the ground nervously. “Something about not worrying you.”

“What? Why? Who’s in there? … Is it Cyno?”

Amber and Venti suddenly caught up, and Amber looked to Kaveh, equally concerned.

“Hey, what’s going on? Is it someone else from Mondstadt? If it is, I should get in there. I’m a Knight of Favonius.”

“Well…” Kaveh paused as a loud shout rang out from one of the huts. A flock of birds hurried away from a nearby tree at the sound. “Alright, then. But it is quite gory.”

Amber nodded, looking at Collei. “Are you okay to wait out here with Venti?”

“Cyno’s somewhere around here, as well.” Kaveh added. “Tighnari kicked him out on account of the… well, it’s the same reason he won’t let you in.”

Collei felt ill. But she still nodded, and Amber and Kaveh still left. She didn’t know who could possibly be being treated, but at the very least, it wasn’t either of her guardians, or Amber. It could be Alhaitham. Oh, Archons, what if it was Alhaitham? No wonder Kaveh looked so devastated.

“Hey, Collei, why not sit down?” Venti suggested softly, gently pointing to a bench off to the side of the path. “Just try to take a breath.”

“I… can you go and see what’s going on?” Collei squeaked, gently lowering herself onto the bench and sinking her nails into the wood, softened by time.

“No, I’m going to keep an eye on you like Amber said. Can’t defy a Knight’s orders, I’m afraid.”

Another yell came from the hut, this time somewhat muffled. This was followed by the sound of glass smashing against the ground.

“What was that?!” Collei jolted, looking up.

“I’m sure someone just knocked something over, it’s fine. Uh… blondie just said something about a Cyno inside?”

“He’s kind of like a dad. Not really, though, he just takes care of me with Tighnari.”

“Great.” Venti looked around. Everyone had rushed off to help with other patients or the screaming one in the hut. “Want me to find him?”

“No need. I’m here.” Venti, surprisingly, didn’t flinch as a voice spoke from behind the bench, quickly walking around and sliding down next to Collei, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Are you okay? I haven’t seen you all day.”

Collei leaned into the embrace, brows furrowed as she tried to process what was happening. “Yeah. I was in the city with Amber. And Venti. And the Dendro Archon. We went shopping.”

“With the Dendro Archon? Well, she’s nice, I’ll give you that.” Cyno raised his brows, looking across the bench to Venti. “You must be the bard. With the… wing problem?”

Venti scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, and Collei lightly poked Cyno in the shoulder.

“Cyno!”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realise it was private information. Tighnari seemed pretty interested, in all honesty. But we both respect your privacy.” Cyno looked back down at Collei. “You, however, seem like you want to say something.”

“Who is it? The person being treated? Is it Alhaitham?”

“Oh, no, it’s not Alhaitham. He’s still in the city.” Cyno paused, sighing deeply. “I’m not exactly sure how to say this. You should know, before I say anything, that if anyone asks, it wasn’t me who told you. And I shouldn’t be telling you this, because we’re not exactly sure how well he’s going to pull through.”

“Just tell me.” Collei sat up again, her hands clutching her clothes tightly. “I want to know.”

“It’s Albedo.” Cyno paused to try and gauge Collei’s reaction, and took her silence as a sign to continue. “He’s in pretty rough shape… he looks like he’s been through a lot.”

“… does Tighnari know what to do about it?”

“Well… mostly. He has quite a deep wound on his arm, it looks dangerous. When I left, he hadn’t figured out what to do about it.”

Collei was trembling, now, but looking very much like she was trying to hide it in order to get more information. “Dangerous how?”

“Hm, dangerous purple? It looks as if something cut his arm, and spread something into the surrounding blood vessels.”

Venti very abruptly stood up. “I can help.”

“Are you a doctor?”

“… yes?”

Cyno narrowed his eyes. “That feels like a lie.”

Collei shook her head, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. “Let him try. I trust him. Besides, he knows Albedo, and Aether.”

“I can’t say I agree with you…” Cyno looked Venti up and down. “But alright. I’ll bring you over and try to get you in there - Collei, stay here. I’ll be right back.”

Collei nodded, and Cyno and Venti raced off. They quickly arrived at the entrance of the hut, where the scene ahead of them was nothing but chaos. Amber was bandaging a gory wound on Albedo’s torso, while a younger man was hanging a warming seelie in a bottle over the bed. Tighnari was staring down at Albedo’s arm, seemingly perplexed.

Albedo himself, fortunately had quietened down, probably having been dosed with painkillers. He still looked in pretty rough shape, however - it was a miracle he hadn’t lost consciousness, yet.

“Tighnari! You’ve got a visitor.” Cyno called, and Tighnari looked up, arching his brows.

“It’s you. But actually, I’m very busy at the minute, as you can probably see.”

“He and Collei seem to think he can help.”

Tighnari shook his head. “I don’t think that’s very wise.”

“I do have an idea, though, I promise. Worst comes to worst, I won’t cause any damage. I promise.” Venti stepped over the threshold of the hut, looking at Tighnari with an uncharacteristic determination to his gaze. “At least let me have a try?”

Tighnari tapped one foot on the floor, looking back at Albedo. And then he sighed. “Fine. But it’d be a miracle if you could figure out what’s going on.”

Venti grinned, sprinting over to the bed and gently lifting Albedo’s arm to the light. “Hey, Albedo. It’s me, Venti. We spoke at the Irodori Festival?”

Albedo nodded slowly, his eyes closed. “I remember.”

“Ah, if at all possible, do you remember what did this?”

His pale skin was pulsing with somewhere between a midnight black and a bright magenta, though the scrape itself was quite superficial. Venti didn’t know if his idea would work at all, but he could certainly try. It had been a long time since he’d even tried to do anything like this. If only Aether were there to do it instead.

“… Pierro…”

“The Fatui? What in Teyvat were you doing to get attacked by them?” Tighnari muttered, sighing. Albedo didn’t respond.

“Well, hopefully, I can try and do something about this. If not, well… we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” Venti moved so that he was holding Albedo’s arm in front of him, blocking anyone’s view but Tighnari’s. “Bear with me for a second, it’s been a while.”

Slowly, a bright teal band of light locked around Albedo’s arm. Venti never broke focus, but he could feel Tighnari’s eyes on him the entire time, even as the purple tint began to slowly fade away. He knew he’d want to ask questions. This was just one big way of messing up all the effort he’d put into keeping his identity a secret, really.

But, at the very least, Albedo wouldn’t have to suffer through being poisoned from the inside out. Venti knew how much that hurt, and it filled him with relief to know that what he was doing was working, purifying the wound. He didn’t necessarily think it would.

He tried to do it to Dvalin when they first met after he awoke, but he was interrupted, and then Aether did it instead. Since he lost his gnosis, he assumed he wouldn’t be able to in the future, either, but it seemed that he still had enough power to do it now.

Eventually, the light over the arm and in Venti’s hair faded away, and he took a deep breath as he lowered the limb to Albedo’s side. It had taken a lot of effort, and now he was exceedingly tired. At least as few people had seen what he did as possible.

“Venti! You fixed it!” Amber exclaimed, stepping around the bed and peering down at what was now a small cut tinged with pink that could be easily cleaned away by a sterile wipe.

Venti stood, and then to his surprise, she wrapped her arms tightly around him in celebration.

“Oh, there’s no task too big for Mondstadt’s greatest bard…” He joked.

“No kidding! You’re a lifesaver, literally. No wonder Jean looks up to you so much.” Amber let go, moving to Albedo’s bedside.

Tighnari’s expression was now unreadable, his lips pressed into a thin line in some kind of judgement. “That was certainly quite the feat, Mr Venti. I assume you know what the problem was, then?”

“Poison. From the Abyss. I, uh, have this friend who was affected by the same thing, you might’ve heard about it from Aether? I guess the Fatui got hold of the stuff, somehow.”

“I see. We’ll definitely need to discuss this in more detail, later.” Tighnari looked back to the bed. “Albedo, are you okay with me bringing Cyno and Collei in?”

Albedo frowned in thought, finally opening his eyes. “Alright. But I don’t want Collei knowing what happened.”

“Well, what do you want me to tell her? Besides, that would be pretty difficult when you won’t even tell me what happened. You’ve been on a missing persons list for two days, Albedo.”

“Just… tell her the injuries are from Mondstadt. And don’t tell her about the poison.” Albedo’s voice was somehow even quieter than usual. “I don’t want to make this more serious than it is.”

“Serious? You could’ve died.” Tighnari huffed. “Everyone out unless you know the patient, please.”

A few people scattered around left, and Venti made to do the same. Tighnari, however, seemed to have other plans, and grabbed his cape.

“Not you. I have questions.”

Oh, Venti was so screwed.

———

A figure watched silently from atop a hill, not too far off. He could see the well-lit room through a window, and he could see the people inside. He spotted a glimpse of a man in green pass by, and felt a pang. He should be going down there and killing that man where he stood. Perhaps he would strangle him to death, or stab him, or use blunt force.

But he didn’t do any of those things. He could almost feel his master’s disappointment, but he didn’t go down there at all. Instead, he watched the people in the room. Watched the man on the bed try to sit up, only to be ushered back down by a man with large ears. He sighed, and then stood back up.

“Having a nice afternoon stroll, are we?”

The figure snapped around, holding his hands in front of himself, almost defensively. What - or rather whom - he saw was horrifying.

“I’ve been looking for you, Subject Two.” Rhinedottir hummed, shaking her head gently. Her face was overshadowed by her hat. It made her look just about as terrifying as Subject Two knew her to be.

“I’ve been investigating.” The figure replied, almost too quickly.

“Investigating what, my dear?”

“I… I was looking for the Anemo Archon. I didn’t find him.”

“Hm.” Rhinedottir glared into his eyes, trying to discern any signs of lying. Luckily, he’d been built to be very good at hiding those. “No need. That’s not your job, as well you know. In fact, speaking of your job… you failed that one, didn’t you?”

“I’m not sure what you mean, master.”

“Of course you do. You’ve disobeyed orders at every turn. Most unbelievably of all, you saved the Gunnhildr girl. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’d developed a conscience.”

“I’m sorry.” Subject Two bit the inside of his cheek. “I just felt she was a needless casualty. Her death would cause more issues than it would solve.”

“She was onto you!” Rhinedottir snapped, her mouth twisting into a fearsome scowl. “You could have been compromised. In fact, you were. They’re searching for you in Liyue as we speak. Your job was to infiltrate their ranks to locate Kreideprinz and acquire the Archon, and you’ve messed it all up. And then you go and abandon your post altogether!”

“I was just—“

“You’re useless. This is why my first choice would’ve been Kreideprinz, not you. Instead, I’ve just gotten word that he’s been trying to infiltrate the Fatui training centres to find out what we’re doing. Do I not deserve my life to be made the slightest bit easier?”

Subject Two seemed to wilt slightly. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Rhinedottir took a deep breath, pinching her nose. “Just… come with me. We’ll find a way to sort this out, alright?”

Rhinedottir turned away. Subject Two took one, hesitant look back down to the hut. One last look at Kreideprinz and all his companions around him. And then he followed meekly in his master’s steps.

Chapter Text

Around Albedo’s bed sat Amber, Venti, Cyno, Collei, and Tighnari. A surprisingly large number of people, considering when he appeared in Sumeru, he hadn’t expected anyone to find him. When the Forest Rangers did pick him up, he had been trying to use a large leaf as a tourniquet for his torso, a strange and incredibly stupid act of delirium.

On the other hand, in exchange for that frankly embarrassing loss of dignity, he had managed to get himself from the bottom of Snezhnaya to the east of Sumeru without dying and all within twenty four hours. Which he was now going to have to explain.

Tighnari had tried to keep Collei out of the following conversation, but she was rather headstrong about the whole thing. And Albedo didn’t necessarily mind Amber and Venti being there, since they’d done so much to help, but he didn’t know them very well. So he felt this was going to be a rather awkward exchange.

“So, ‘Bedo, how did you manage to do… all this?” Cyno asked, deciding to end the awkward silence himself.

“Well, that’s a rather long story. And I’d rather tell it while not confined to a laying position.”

“Oh, stop complaining. We’re all worried about you.” Tighnari sighed.

Albedo begrudgingly began to recount his experiences.

“Alright, well, I left Mondstadt on the day of the attack and headed directly for Snezhnaya.”

“Why’d you leave?” Amber asked.

Because he knew what was going on, and he wasn’t safe there anymore. But it was probably better to improvise. “Because I wanted to find Grandmaster Varka. And I did.”

“You spoke with Grandmaster Varka?!”

“Yes. He helped me to get a room at a hotel with what little mora I had, and then told me his plan to infiltrate the Jester’s training centre, since he’d heard about his involvement. Everyone else on the expedition had left to see their families after everything that happened, so it was just the two of us. We showed up, and managed to get in just fine.”

“So what happened after that…?” Tighnari whispered, seeming exasperated. Albedo didn’t blame him, honestly, he would feel the same way if their roles were reversed. It was a horrible idea.

“Well…”

———

“I’m not sure I like the feel of this place.” Varka hummed.

He was an older man, his hair tinged grey right down to his beard. He wasn’t wearing his uniform, these days; he’d replaced that with thicker clothing to account for Snezhnaya’s freezing temperatures. Albedo didn’t need to worry about that, thanks to perfectly crafted thermoregulation.

“It belongs to the Fatui, so I’d be surprised if you did.” Albedo replied. “If my instincts serve me well, the Jester’s office should be right down this hall. It’ll likely be guarded.”

“That’s fine. I don’t think we’re legally obligated to treat the Fatui with kindness anymore.” Varka gave a grim look, peering around the corner. “And, as usual, Albedo, you were right. Big set of double doors down the bottom, two agents guarding them. I think that’s our way in.”

“I certainly hope so, because I don’t have a map. Are you ready?”

“Yep. Let’s get going.”

Varka quickly rounded the corner, Albedo in tow. The two agents at the door - pyro, Albedo noted - didn’t waste any time in charging down the corridor towards them. Luckily, they weren’t too strong, and between the pair of Knights, it was easy to overpower them.

Moments later, both of them were on the ground, unconscious. Varka pushed the heavy office doors open, revealing a large and very elegant room. Heavy drapes blocked light from the room, leaving it ominously dark. The walls were lined with bookshelves and artwork that was very obviously depicting Khaenri’ah.

“Some of these must be worth millions.” Albedo mused, reaching up to touch an oil painting.

“Well, the Fatui is a funded organisation. I’m sure all the Harbingers are rich.” Varka walked around the desk, rummaging through drawers. “I can’t see anything in here…”

“He wouldn’t put anything out in the open.” Albedo brought his hand away from the beautiful painting, spinning around. “We should be checking for safes, hidden compartments, and the like.”

“Right, right…” Varka chuckled. “It’s been a while since I’ve been out on the field doing espionage and things like this. I’ll check the bookshelves.”

Albedo nodded, his focus still on the paintings. They depicted all sorts of traditional Khaenri’ahn buildings, all of which he learned about from his master. The palace, which was said to stand over the whole nation. The fields of inteyvats, which were said to stretch for miles even in the harshest weather. There was even a piece that seemed to be little more than a framed sketch, depicting a very familiar woman. Gold.

Albedo narrowed his eyes, reaching up to the painting and tilting it so that it was ever so slightly crooked. Then, satisfied with his admittedly petty work, he stood back. It was a small act of rebellion, and rather strange for him, but necessary. And then, a moment later, he leaned forwards and straightened the frame again. That was a step too far.

Suddenly, a thump rang out from the other side of the room, and Albedo looked over to see Varka holding a large slab of wood. Where one of the shelves was, there was now a large blackness.

“One of the panels was loose. Turns out it’s a secret compartment.” Varka raised his brows, flipping the wood in his hands and placing it gently down on the floor. “And look at this; a bunch of papers.”

“What do they say?” Albedo watched as Varka hauled a stack of crumpled sheets of paper from the compartment.

“Odd. I can’t read them. They’re not in common Teyvatian, or Mondstadtian. And this definitely isn’t the script that Snezhnaya uses.”

Albedo walked over, holding a hand out. “Here, let me try.”

“Alright. Have at it. I don’t want to have to take these away with us, lest someone notice they’re gone.”

As expected, all the papers were written in Khaenri’ahn. They all seemed to be letters between several different people. The Jester, someone’s assistant, a woman named Kera, and… oh, this was bad. Very bad. Because Gold never left her communications without protection. Especially not ones that contained every detail of the most important scheme in modern history.

Just from skimming through each letter in order, he could see exactly what was going on. This team had discreetly gotten their roots into every facet of the future. This didn’t just affect Khaenri’ah, this had the potential to affect the entirety of Teyvat.

“We need to leave. I know who some of these letters are from.” Albedo threw the letters onto the desk, pacing over to the door. “Come on.”

“Wait, Albedo—“

Albedo threw open the door despite Varka’s bewilderment, already making his way down the corridor to the side entrance they used to get in. Varka kept calling after him as quietly as he could, but Albedo was too deep in thought to respond. He left his bag back at the hotel, so he had nothing but his sword on him. If his master showed up now, he certainly wouldn’t be able to fend her off.

Taking a deep breath, Albedo opened the door to the back field of the training centre. He took two steps into the snow… and found himself face to face with a horde of Fatui. Headed by a rather ominous man staring over at him and Varka with what appeared to be amusement.

“You must be the Jester.” Albedo said, his tone curt.

“Call me Pierro. I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting. And here you are. Breaking into my private property.”

Varka stepped in front of Albedo, cracking his knuckles. “Well, Pierro, we happen to be carrying our an official investigation on account of your organisation committing an act of war.”

“Oh, we have nothing against Mondstadt, believe me. I wish I could reveal our mechanisms to you, as a diplomatic partner, but that would harm the integrity of what we’re doing, unfortunately.” Pierro drew a hand from his cloak, gesturing to the group behind him. “Unfortunately, you have trespassed, and so I am legally in my right to do this. Which is a shame, because I’d really like a chance to speak with your Chief Alchemist.”

He knew. He definitely knew. Albedo drew his sword.

“This is far from a fair fight. A dozen to two.”

“Oh.” Pierro lowered his head. “Unfortunately, I didn’t mean for this to be a fair fight. I hope you all have fun.”

And then, in a flash of elemental energy, the dozen Fatui charged at Varka and Albedo, and Pierro began to walk away. Albedo couldn’t recall much from the fight itself, only that he had no problem at all until one cicin mage threw an ornate dagger at his arm, slicing through skin and dripping slightly purple as it fell to the ground in the snow. After that, he couldn’t do much.

And then, not being able to do much turned into not being able to do anything at all. He could barely fend off the Fatuus that was being particularly relentless with attacking him. And that was when he saw it.

———

“Saw… what?” Amber asked quietly, leaning in on her chair, now.

Albedo didn’t really understand delicacy with speech. He would much prefer it if everyone were direct. But he felt that this, of all situations, needed to be handled with great care.

“Grandmaster Varka… I believe him to be dead.” He replied, folding his arms on his stomach in an attempt to look as dignified as he could while laying, injured, in a bed. “I managed to escape as he was… on the ground. He was bleeding.”

Tighnari swore softly under his breath, but Amber just sat there, mouth agape.

“He’s… dead. As in, gone. For good?” Amber took a sharp inhale. “But you’re safe. That’s good. You got away.”

“I’m so sorry for your loss, truly, but this is bad.” Cyno commented. “What exactly did you see in those papers, Albedo?”

“I don’t think I’m at liberty to say. I certainly would, but that would involve divulging information that I cannot, for a number of reasons.”

“I think there are more important things than classified information right now. For example, Albedo, the fact that you were poisoned. If it weren’t for Tighnari—“

“Actually,” Tighnari cut in. “That was Venti.”

Venti looked particularly uncomfortable with being called out like this. Clearly, nobody else could see it, but Albedo was strangely adept at reading facial expressions. His smile was too strained, his eyes too quick to flit from person to person. Albedo could tell this wasn’t his usual tell, too. If it was, he would’ve learned to hide it better.

“Oh. So he did manage to fix it after all.” Cyno nodded. “Good work for a bard, I’ll admit.”

“What? No, the point is how he managed it.” Tighnari corrected.

“Well, that is a fair point. I never took you as the kind of person that would be able to do that sort of thing.” Amber agreed quietly, clearly still processing the fact of Varka’s death. Her gaze was somewhat vacant, not bothering to turn her head when she spoke. Albedo empathised with her, in a way - he and Varka weren’t particularly close, but he was a respectable man.

“Magic?” Venti shrugged. “Shouldn’t the important thing here be that Albedo is alive and well? I mean, that stuff could’ve turned nasty pretty quickly.”

“He’s not wrong,” Albedo agreed. His throat was still sore from running through the cold of Snezhnaya. Though his homeostasis was without flaws, the quality of his inner body was little more than human. “What they had was dangerous. They couldn’t have gotten it from anyone but the Abyss Order, and even they tend to stay far away from it as much as they can.”

Tighnari sighed. “I understand that, and I understand that privacy is necessary - I’m a doctor, for gods’ sakes - but this whole thing needs to be treated with suspicion. And I really don’t know you, Venti.”

“But I trust him.” Collei frowned. “He saved my life, yesterday. From a group of Fatui who were going to kill me.”

“He what?” Tighnari stressed, placing two fingers on his temple and rubbing lightly.

“They were… after him… really…” Collei added quietly, which really didn’t seem to ease anyone’s panic. “Oops. Sorry, Venti.”

“It’s fine. It was bound to be public info eventually. But, uh… I get that does sound a little weird.” Venti chuckled nervously, keeping his grin even under Tighnari’s threatening dagger of a glare.

Albedo, on the other hand, was perplexed. There was nothing in the Fatui’s plans that suggested anything about kidnapping the citizens of Mondstadt. From the bits he read, they were just looking for Kaeya, and whatever they needed to get to Kaeya. Albedo highly doubted Kaeya and Venti’s relationship meant enough for that, so why did they want him at all?

“Well…” Cyno leaned forward in his seat, crossing his legs. “If you’re Collei’s friend, and you managed to save Bedo, that’s enough for me. You’ve been doing a lot of saving people by the sounds of it, though I would like to know more about that incident with Collei. So you seem alright, right, Tighnari?”

Tighnari responded to what was definitely a leading question with a simple pursing of the lips and a small hum of agreement.

“Fantastic. Then let’s get back to the situation at hand. What do we do next?”

Albedo once more made an attempt to sit up in bed, this time successfully. “Well, you don’t do anything. This has nothing to do with Sumeru, so there’s no need for the General Mahamatra to get involved, I’m sure. I just need to find Kaeya.”

“What? What’s Kaeya got to do with anything?” Amber asked.

“It doesn’t matter. I just need to know where he is.”

“Well, he’s in Liyue, I think. I checked the register earlier, he was gone for a bit, but then appeared again yesterday. And don’t worry, Klee is alright. She’s with Lisa.”

“You’re in no state to be going anywhere.” Tighnari muttered, standing up and moving over to the bed. He motioned for Albedo to lay back down and then pulled a flannel from a bowl of water, putting it onto his forehead. “You still need to recover. You’re wounded, and the move from Snezhnaya to Sumeru would’ve taken a while, but while injured that’s one hell of a temperature variation. Give your body time.”

Though this irritated Albedo, he knew he was right. He had experience in this field, too, and he would say the same to any patient that came to him.

“… fine. As long as Kaeya is definitely safe.” He paused, looking around the room. “I deeply apologise, I didn’t mean to keep everyone for so long.”

“Don’t be like that!” Amber folded her arms. “The only reason I’m not going to stay here any longer is because I need to go and find a messenger to update the register and let them know you’re safe.”

Other farewells went in a similar vein to this. It was tiring - probably because Albedo was tired already - and needless. He just wanted time to himself. But first, seeing as Venti was the last to leave, he had a question to ask.

“Venti, could you fetch the paper on the floor in the doorway?”

Venti turned, confused. “Paper? I don’t— ah. Here.”

Venti picked up a small, folded piece of parchment from the ground and sent it over to the bed with a small swirl of anemo.

“Thank you. Goodnight. And I suppose more thanks are due, for earlier.” Albedo picked up the paper as he spoke. Waiting to see if Venti would take the bait.

“Night! And it’s no trouble.”

Venti skipped away. He was nothing if not clever. Or perhaps just very humble. Either way, he clearly didn’t particularly want to discuss the preceding events of the afternoon. But that wasn’t a priority to Albedo. He pulled open the scrap of paper, reading its brief contents through.

She wants you.

- II

Subject Two, or whatever name he may go by presently, was rather good at sneaking information, it seemed.

Chapter Text

It was dark, by now. Once more, the last dregs of daylight had been washed away from the sky, which left very few out and about. Kaeya, Diluc, and Jean had settled down in a tent for the night, somewhere just beyond the border between Sumeru and Liyue.

Elsewhere, Albedo was waking every few dozen minutes in a cold sweat, unable to recall what horrors had haunted his unconscious mind just moments before.

In the ruins of Khaenri’ah that some made their home, few were asleep. Rhinedottir was walking Subject Two through a large, stone hall.

Usually, this hall would’ve been empty - the entire ceremonial palace had been empty until people had been moved there for the event. But over the past few weeks, it had been completely reworked. Windows that were once shattered had been replaced with new, stained glass. The old wooden benches had been swapped for lavish seating. Blood splattered floors had been scrubbed clean, and singed carpets had been replaced.

Ribbons were being draped between the ceiling beams. Baskets of flowers were hung from nails dig into pillars, and the hall rang with the noise of two women fussing over a gown.

“You see?” Rhinedottir snapped, gesturing around the hall. “Everyone is working toward this. Everyone. And what have you done for the cause?”

“I distracted the Knights long enough to execute the first stage, Master.” Came the deadpanned reply.

“And did the first stage work? No! It did not! We are a godless nation, but I never thought we’d be so godless at a time like this. We need that Archon, you fool.”

“Is there a problem, Gold?” A stone faced man turned from where he was inspecting an offering table at the front of the hall. Rhinedottir seemed to be rather irritated by his presence.

“Of course not, Pierro, dear. Everything is going perfectly.”

“Good. Because I certainly didn’t take the gamble of two hundred and seventy five men for there to be a problem.”

Rhinedottir’s smile wavered. “Please, remember that I am still your superior.”

Subject Two got the impression that his master didn’t like Pierro very much.

“Please remember that, should I choose to withdraw from this plan, it will have very little chance of succeeding. I want the homeland’s rejuvenation as much as you do. But I also don’t like my patience being tested. Three nights, and what progress do we have? A party for a scattered nation.”

“And what have you done, save for kill a civilian out of sheer boredom and let my precious masterpiece escape?”

Suddenly, and rather unexpectedly, both parties broke out into a sly grin. Rhinedottir rushed down the hall and wrapped Pierro in a warm embrace, which he gladly returned.

“It’s lovely to see you home, dear. Khaenri’ah welcomes you back with open arms.”

“I’m glad to hear it, after the aid I’ve given.” Pierro replied, nodding as he broke away. “I hope to get on with the new monarch better than I did Irmin.”

“Oh, don’t we all. But enough of that man - he’s preoccupied in the mortuary, at the minute. Will you be here for the ceremony?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Subject Two remembered a time when Rhinedottir regarded him with such friendliness. She was so fascinated by him, by how he worked, if only for a short while. Even if he was a failure, she at least kept him around until she had run out of flaws to make note of.

She had taken him to Liyue. They ate lunch together, even if it was only to determine whether there were any issues with his digestive system. She chased him through the streets of the harbour like he was a child, because really, that’s all he was, even if she just wanted to measure his respiratory rates.

Sometimes, Subject Two saw that same love in her eyes. That same admiration for what she created. But only when in reference to Albedo. He didn’t know why he had agreed to work for her again in the first place… no. He did.

It was because he loathed Albedo. Loathed everything about him. If they could look identical, if they could act identically, why wouldn’t Rhinedottir ever love him instead of Albedo? What was stopping her from doing so? Going to see him in Sumeru, surrounded by allies, was a mistake. Now his envy only burned higher inside of him. Envy; such a crude emotion. Perhaps that was why he had been tossed aside so quickly.

Rhinedottir rushed back to Subject Two, ushering him over to Pierro. “This is the replacement. Should Kreideprinz truly be that stubborn, he will act as the witness to the ceremony. We’ll just have to sort out that lack of a mark on his neck, and nobody will ever know the difference!”

Pierro nodded shortly, his expression serious once more, looking Subject Two up and down. “Hello. I wish you luck with your duties.”

“Thank you.” Subject Two responded softly. “It’s my honour.”

“Now,” Rhinedottir clapped her hands together. “Where is our dear girl?”

A dark haired, dark skinned young woman stood from where she had been kneeling behind the offering table, hidden behind the draped cloth. She smoothed out her robes, trying to appear as professional as possible for someone who had just stood from behind a table.

“Great Mage, it’s a pleasure to meet you. And Gold, it’s… nice to see you again.”

“Ah, there you are, Azra.”

———

Kaeya dreamed of darkened halls and a crying child. Of his arms wrapped around a woman, sobbing into her shoulder. The woman muttered an apology and hurried to the other side of the room, taking an infant from her crib and holding her to her chest. And then a man grabbed the child and pulled him away, away, away.

The child was suddenly cold, and he was wet. The man had left, but he could still hear his words. The child somehow knew he would never see his family again, and so he cried. He slumped down beside a tree, and cried.

And then, sweat dripping from his brow, Kaeya awoke, springing up from his sleeping mat. His breath was quickened, his eyes wide, as if he expected someone to come for him at any moment. He looked across the tent; Diluc was still sound asleep, and Jean was sitting up against the canvas wall, idly polishing her sword.

“Jean,” He whispered softly, wiping the sweat from his brow. “What are you doing?”

Jean blinked, looking up. Apparently, she hadn’t noticed Kaeya was awake. “I just woke up early. The sun is already rising.”

Kaeya grabbed his coat from where he had been using it as a blanket, sliding it over his arms. His boots quickly followed. “It’s a bit early to be preparing for battle, though, wouldn’t you say?”

“I thought I heard something a while ago, so I decided to stay on lookout. Are you alright?”

Kaeya recalled his nightmare. And then promptly shook his head. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? I can imagine it must’ve been quite terrifying to be approached by the Abyss Order like that. If you need to talk about it…”

Jean couldn’t imagine. But she was also just trying to be nice, so Kaeya didn’t say that. “It’s fine. It was bound to happen at some point, right?”

Jean sighed. “I went to speak to Lady Ningguang before we left. The man who isn’t Albedo was seen in Sumeru. There was a suspicious woman following him, apparently. And Lord Barbatos is alright… for now.”

“Ominous. You said you heard something?”

“Yes, I could’ve sworn I heard a group of people whispering. But I went out, and there was nobody around. I was probably being paranoid, anyway. It could’ve just been people who got up particularly early.”

“Could have. But who knows? It also could’ve been the Abyss, or the Fatui, or Albedo’s doppelgänger. Seriously, who would be rude enough to mimic him like that, just to sneak his way into the Knights?”

“Well, we don’t know the situation. He could have a brother?”

“He would’ve mentioned it.” Kaeya sighed. “I thought we were close enough for that.”

“Hey, everyone has their secrets, as well you know. I get that this is stressful, but there’s no use being like that, is there?”

“He’s just been rather distant, recently. I worry it was my fault. I told him I thought of him as one of my closest friends.”

“Why would that have caused problems? That’s a lovely compliment, and I’m glad you’re able to admit that about people.”

“Well, after that, he started avoiding me.” Kaeya drew his knees to his chest. “You know, don’t tell anyone about this, I have a reputation to uphold, but I was actually going to tell him I—“

A shout came from somewhere outside the tent - a call for help.

“That doesn’t sound good.” Jean stood, stumbling out of the tent. “Wake Diluc. It sounds like trouble.”

Kaeya obliged, picking up his sword and nudging Diluc gently with the side of the blade to wake him. He opened his eyes, initially confused. But then the voice cried out again.

“Somebody! Come quick! There’s Fatui in Gandharva Ville!”

Diluc sat up, reaching for his claymore. Apparently, he was quick to full alertness. “Fatui?”

“Gandharva Ville… that’s where Collei lives.” Kaeya stood. “Definitely trouble.”

Jean had already rushed away to look for the person calling out down the path, so Diluc and Kaeya wasted no time in following her. A few moments later, they found him - a man in pyjamas and walking boots, armed with a flimsy looking bow and a mostly full quiver. He looked up at the group almost immediately, drawing his bow.

“You! Have you… come to help?”

Kaeya stepped forward. “You’re a Forest Ranger, yes? We’re Knights of Favonius. Well, except him.” He nodded to Diluc. “We want to help you.”

The man shook as he lowered his bow. “Come with me. Quickly. Forest Watcher Tighnari sent me to get help.”

The man began to run off, and the others followed.

“What’s going on?” Jean asked. “Why are the Fatui there?”

“Nobody knows, but they’re everywhere. They’ve restrained almost everyone. A few have barricaded themselves in one of the huts with a patient.”

“Then how do we get to them?”

“W-well… you have visions, don’t you?” The man stammered, even as he ran.

“That doesn’t mean we can take on a whole horde of Fatui without consequence.” Diluc huffed. “Is there any other way in?”

“No. Only through. Come here.” The man tiptoed up to a tree, pressing himself against it and lowering his voice. “The path up to the hut is through here. All the Fatui are further down with everyone they managed to catch. As long as we’re quiet, and stay behind things, we should be fine.”

“Well, then, we’ll just have to be swift about this.”

“Agreed.” Jean looked around at the group. “Is everyone ready?”

“Ready when you are, Jean.” Kaeya nodded. The other pair simply made gestures of agreement.

Then, cautiously, Jean leaned around the corner, taking one small step forward. She placed one hand on the tree trunk, and nodded.

“Clear. Come on.”

The group slowly hurried around the tree, crouching behind a stack of crates for a few moments as Jean looked out again.

“Is that where we’re going? That big hut up there? It’s being guarded by two Fatui Skirmishers.”

The man nodded. “That’s it. As soon as we get them out of the way, the Fatui will know we’re here. But then we’ll have everyone inside to help… I think there’s… two dendro vision holders, one pyro, and one electro. I’ve never seen the girl with the pyro vision before, though.”

Jean turned her head. “Her name isn’t Amber, is it?”

“Hm… now you mention it, maybe.”

“Perfect. That’ll be a big help. Right, everyone, we’re going to go fast, and we’re going to go straight for the Fatui at the door, no hesitation. Move with me.”

A few moments passed, and then Jean stood, skidding around the corner and rushing up the path to the Fatui. They noticed her almost immediately, of course, and the two masked figures readied their own weapons in anticipation.

The rest of the group quickly followed, and nobody wasted any time in starting the fight. Moments in, Kaeya looked back to notice the nervous Forest Ranger standing right in the path of a bolt of electro energy from one of the Skirmishers’ hammer. He quickly tackled him to the side out of the way, turning to see Diluc’s claymore slice right across his mask, a flurry of flame following behind it.

The electro Skirmisher fell to the ground, his hammer rolling across the floor and landing at Kaeya’s feet. Diluc pressed a foot to his chest, gesturing for Kaeya to help Jean with the cyro Skirmisher a few metres away. Unsurprisingly, she didn’t need this aid at all, and while Kaeya was briefly checking if the Forest Ranger was alright, she managed to get him to the ground with a well-timed gust of anemo to trip him up.

“Fatui incoming.” Diluc called out. “Kaeya, get those doors open. Forest Ranger, do you have anything to restrain these two?”

“I have some rope, if one of you can cut it, we can use that.”

“Great, get it over here.”

The Forest Ranger rushed to the two Skirmishers, and Kaeya attempted to open the doors, only to find them blocked on the other side.

“Hey, Amber, are you in there? Do you think you could open the door? It’s Kaeya.”

A muffled voice came from the other side. “Oh! Kaeya! Hold on, let me just—“

The screeching of a table moving away from the door came from the other side. Kaeya looked back to see a group of Fatui closing in.

“Any moment now, Amber.”

“Yeah, just one second! Hey, could you help me out?”

“What did you block this door with, brick and mortar?”

“Nice to see you again, too, Captain.” A shadow appeared at the door, and Kaeya smiled slightly.

“Cyno. Now can you please hurry, because the Fatui are very quickly approaching, and—“ Kaeya looked back to see the Fatui running right past them, an unconscious figure slung over one of their shoulders. A very familiar figure, at that. “What in Teyvat…?”

Jean held out a hand as if to grab the Fatui, despite them already being far past her and paying her no mind. “Venti!”

Meanwhile, Diluc had managed to grab someone off the path, holding him by the collar as he completely failed to show any signs of struggle whatsoever. The door finally creaked open, and Diluc looked around at everyone.

“I believe we’ve found our imposter.”

Chapter Text

Tighnari had been quick to leave the hut and move downwards to where the other Forest Rangers (and his Mondstadter patients, as a matter of fact) had been restrained in a group. Jean and Amber were hugging gladly by the doorway, and Collei had stumbled over with her cane to greet her, too.

“Get him into the hut.” Kaeya folded his arms, glaring at the man who decidedly wasn’t Albedo as he passed.

“Kaeya…” Cyno began, appearing behind him. “There’s something else.”

Kaeya’s eyes fixed on a figure in the distance, overseeing the evacuation of the rest of the Fatui from Gandharva Ville. A figure that he definitely didn’t appreciate seeing.

“One second.”

Kaeya stepped down the path, and the figure moved behind a tree. But he wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass; Kaeya sped up, following the figure’s movements behind a thick bush. He caught her arm, turning her around.

“Hey. What was that?”

Kera grinned. “Have you figured your friend out yet? Or have you put that on hold to figure everything else out, instead?”

“What are you doing with Venti?” Kaeya asked again, tapping his foot on the ground impatiently.

“Taking him back with us. What did you think?”

“But why?”

Kera gently brought her arm away from Kaeya’s grip, reaching into a pocket of her uniform and holding out a small card. “If you change your mind about my offer… come here.”

Kaeya looked down at the card as she placed it into his hand. It was a small, drawn map, with a certain area circled on it.

“And why would I change my mind?”

“Who knows? I’m not omnipotent.” Kera shrugged. “But I think you will. And in that case, I’ll be there. Don’t try anything, though. It won’t work, trust me.”

“You’re going to leave again? Just like that?”

“Well, I do have work to do, too.” Kera winked. “Between you and me, those Fatui are idiots. They’ll probably drop the guy on the way and then not notice until I say anything.”

Kera began to walk away, heading towards the distant group of Fatui. Kaeya was, quite frankly, too irritated (and worried for Venti) to say anything as she did. What he did know was that he really, really didn’t like her.

Glancing over to Kera once more, Kaeya reluctantly made his way back over to the hut, where Cyno was still waiting. Everyone else appeared to have already gone inside.

“Who were you chasing?”

“The Fatui. I clearly wasn’t fast enough.” Kaeya shrugged. “What did you want to tell me?”

“You’re calm, considering that bard just got kidnapped. I thought you were friends?”

Now Kaeya just felt bad. “Of course. But I can’t do anything just yet. So what was it?”

“Well, I was just going to say that Albedo’s inside. I figured you’d want to know.”

Kaeya’s heart leapt. “Albedo’s safe? And he’s in there?”

“Yes. He was in Snezhnaya, and he got poisoned, but somehow Venti managed to fix that, and…” Cyno’s eyes followed Kaeya as he ran to the door, apparently not needing to hear the rest of the story. “Oh. Alright, then. Archons, someone’s eager.”

Inside, people were gladly reuniting. Amber was now deep in conversation with Jean and Tighnari, and Collei was sat on the edge of Albedo’s bed. Diluc was on the other side of the room, sitting at a table across from the fake Albedo and apparently interrogating him.

Kaeya walked straight over to the bed, looking down at Albedo, beaming widely. Albedo looked up at him, too, a faint smile crossing his face. “You’re here.”

“Indeed. It’s good to see that you’re safe, Kaeya.” Albedo nodded.

“Any reason I shouldn’t be?”

Albedo frowned, clearly not understanding this as a joke. “I just thought that perhaps you would’ve been… you know.”

“Would’ve been what?”

“Amber told me you were in Liyue, but then I heard you outside, and you didn’t come in. I thought that perhaps, since the Fatui were here…” Albedo shook his head. “Never mind.”

“How do you know about that?” Kaeya raised his brows in surprise.

Collei looked between the pair of adults uncertainly, and then politely cleared her throat. “Um, Kaeya…?”

“Oh. Hello, Collei.”

“I was just wondering if you knew where they were taking Venti.” She paused. “It’s just, they’ve been trying to find him for a couple of days, now, and I don’t think it’s for anything good. He even went to the Dendro Archon about it.”

“Unfortunately, we don’t know anything yet.” Kaeya sighed, looking over to Diluc and the stranger in the corner. “But I’ll bet that he has something to do with it.”

“I doubt that very much.” Albedo sat up slowly, bringing his legs over the side of his bed. Several parts of his body were bandaged, Kaeya noticed. “Don’t worry, I know him.”

“Seriously? We’ve been tracking him for days, thinking he was impersonating you or something, and you just know him?”

“I’ll explain later.”

“Right.” Kaeya muttered.

Albedo looked back at him, his expression showing no malice whatsoever. “I promise you. You deserve that much, at least.”

“Does… that mean you know what’s going on, now?” Collei asked. “You said before that you couldn’t say.”

“I did.” Albedo stood, wincing slightly as he did so. “But I think I’ve figured it out, fully, now, and it’s a bit late for keeping secrets. I just need confirmation.”

Not-Albedo had his lips pursed, refusing to answer any of Diluc’s questions. Upon seeing Albedo walk toward him, however, he tensed slightly. Albedo took a seat between the two others, placing his hands on the table as Diluc stared at him in interest.

“Hello, again.” Albedo leaned forward. “If we’re going to do this, I imagine you’ll need a name. Everyone here knows how to differentiate the pair of us, so there’s no need to pretend to be me anymore.”

Not-Albedo seemed to think about this for a moment. He didn’t seem as if he was going to be uncooperative, strangely enough. In fact, he seemed almost too willing to find an answer to his request.

“But I don’t have a name, as you already know. Not all of us are afforded that opportunity.”

Albedo said nothing for a moment, and then looked at Tighnari. “Could we have the room?”

“Alright,” Tighnari gave Albedo a pointed look. “But stay safe, alright?”

“Naturally.”

Tighnari began to usher people out of the room. Diluc was the last to leave, if not somewhat unwillingly and after a harsh look from Jean. Finally, for the first time in a long while, Albedo and his counterpart were in a room, alone.

“It’s nice to meet you. Properly.” Albedo began. “Name or no name, it would be nicer if I had something to call you.”

“Allos. If you must.”

“So you have considered it? A name?”

Allos frowned. “If you’re here to ask me about the plan, just do it.”

“I believe I already know most of it. But what I can’t quite understand is Venti’s involvement in all of this. It’s evident who he is, so I understand why you’ve taken him. But I don’t know what you plan to do with him.”

“Don’t overthink it.”

“… Ah.” Albedo nodded slowly. “That makes sense. Unfortunately, I can’t allow that.”

Allos tilted his head. “I’ll never understand why Master likes you more than me. Here you are, openly admitting that you’d revolt against the homeland. And here I am, doing my best to help her. Still, she’d choose you.”

“It’s not my homeland. I’ll never know what it was like before the Cataclysm, and I don’t align myself with the idea that restoring it will solve anything. At best, it provides home to the few survivors. At worst, it provides a repeat of historical events. My loyalties don’t lie with the gods of Celestia, but they don’t lie with the suffering the Abyss Order has caused, either.”

“Then what are you going to do?”

“Well, I suppose I’ll have to go and save Venti myself, somehow. And I was hoping you would join me.”

“Why would I do that? Unlike you, I’m loyal to the job I’ve been given.”

Albedo looked at Allos with something akin to pity. “I have nothing against our Master. But, like everyone, she can be wrong. And from what I know of what’s happening, I think that this is one of those times.”

“And why are you telling me all this?”

“It’s like I said. I hope that you’ll come with me.”

“Absolutely not. Why not bring your partner, instead?”

“My partner?”

Allos smiled slightly. “Alberich, of course.”

“He’s not my partner, in work or in romance.” Albedo frowned. “And besides, it wouldn’t be safe for Kaeya down there. He’s what they want in the first place.”

“He’s not? That’s surprising. I was right here when he came in. I thought I saw it.”

“Well, you must’ve been mistaken.” Albedo insisted.

(“You know, you’re really one of my closest friends. I’m glad I know you.”)

(“…”)

(“Uh… Albedo?”)

(“I’m sorry, I have to go. I’m late for a meeting with Timaeus.”)

(Albedo felt guiltier than ever. But still, he tried his best to hold on to what his master had taught him.)

“I wish you luck with your plans.” Allos shrugged. “I don’t doubt that you’ll succeed, either. Master trusts you. She’d probably stand there and watch it happen.”

“But?”

“But, she’ll never believe you if you turn up there alone.”

Albedo nodded slowly. This made sense, he supposed. But what other options did he have? “I see… what do you propose?”

“I want to come with you.”

“Didn’t you just say you didn’t want that?”

“I changed my mind.” Allos looked out the window. “Master has never loved me. Not like she loves you. There’s no point in chasing her affection when she doesn’t believe in such a concept in the first place.”

Albedo hummed in agreement. “I don’t doubt I received the same training as you did, in that regard.”

(“The worth of a thing, whether that be an object or a person, relies on its ability to give you power or knowledge.”)

(Then, was Kaeya worth anything at all? Or Klee? Or Cyno, or Tighnari, or Collei? What could they possibly mean to him?)

“I have one condition.” Allos continued, paying no mind to Albedo’s thoughtfulness. “You bring Alberich with us.”

“That’s an odd request, not to mention a dangerous one. And Kaeya has a name.”

“Fine. I’d like… Kaeya… to come with us.”

“But why would you want that?” Albedo’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“You clearly don’t trust me. And you don’t know how strong I’d be if, theoretically, we turned on each other. So I thought it would be better for you if we had a buffer.”

“How unusually considerate.” Albedo frowned. “I’ll need to consider your offer. In the meantime, I’m sure Diluc will keep you company. That meaning, he’ll keep you from leaving. As long as Tighnari can find somewhere to put you, that is.”

“You’ve found people you care about.” Allos observed. “All those people, they are like your family, in a way.”

“What is your point, Allos?”

“How did you do it?”

That, Albedo was not expecting. In all honesty, none of this was particularly expected, but that was the strangest question he had been asked in a long while.

In fact, he didn’t even know the answer. He never asked for friendship. He never asked for people to come to him, even after he started work in the Knights. But then he started caring for Klee as a favour to Alice, Kaeya began trying to befriend him, and through him he met everyone else.

Kaeya… Kaeya had first come to him when he was unpacking his equipment in his office.

———

“Need a hand?”

Albedo turned to see a blue haired stranger leaning against the doorway, grinning. He didn’t know who he was, and quite frankly, he didn’t care.

“No, thank you.” Albedo placed down the box holding his books on the floor beside an empty bookshelf. “Though I am fascinated by your eye patch. Was it an injury? Or a birth defect?”

The man shrugged. “My grandfather was a pirate. It’s a hand-me-down.”

“That makes very little sense.”

The man suddenly held out his hand, chuckling. “I like you. Kaeya Alberich, Cavalry Captain. I heard from Jean that you’re the new alchemist. Now, I have specific orders not to bother you on your first day, but you are very interesting. What’s your name?”

Albedo hesitated as he took the hand offered to him, shaking it up and down in a very controlled manner, as he had been taught. “Albedo.”

“Just that? Well then, Albedo, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. And, might I add, you’re very pretty.”

“Thank you.” Albedo retracted his hand. For a moment, Kaeya’s grin faltered, as if taken off guard by Albedo’s words. “Apologies. I… thought that was an appropriate response to such a compliment?”

“Hm? Oh, right, right.” Kaeya shook his head. “I suppose I came on a bit strong, there. So I’ll ask again, perhaps, if you’d like some help with your things?”

Albedo didn’t know what the backtracking was for. Nor did he know why a stranger was asking to help him set up his office. But he was curious.

“Alright. These books need to go on the shelf.”

Kaeya nodded, reaching down. “Right. Hey, I don’t suppose you’d want to come with Outrider Amber and I to the Good Hunter after work? Rumours are you’re new to Mondstadt, so I wanted to show you the best place to eat out.”

“That would be beneficial, I suppose.” Albedo nodded. “Alright.”

———

Albedo stood. “A lot of time. That’s how I did it. I don’t doubt you’re capable of such a thing, too.”

Chapter Text

When Venti awoke, he was faced with the sight of thick metal bars and a woman beaming at him from the other side, leaning against the opposite wall. His surroundings were unfamiliar, with furniture too plentiful and well-made to constitute a regular prison cell. And yet, he knew exactly where he was, despite the comfortable bedding and varnished vanity he had been granted.

He sat up, looking down to find himself dressed in plain, white clothes, oddly perfectly in his size. And then he looked back up to the smug face of the woman outside the cell.

“I see the sedative has finally worn off.” The woman began. “I was wondering if they had killed you with their foolishness. That would be a shame, after all.”

Venti furrowed his brows. He had been so careful… until Albedo. But saving the life of someone who called Mondstadt their home had to have been worth it, surely?

“We meet again, then, Gold.” Venti nodded.

“I believe it’s been a few hundred years, now. Last time we crossed paths, I believe you were destroying my home?”

“We both know my part in that was unwilling,” Venti shuffled off his bed, stepping weakly over to the bars. He noted that his wings trailed behind him, still singed and broken - few had ever been able to force him into another form. And he was still weak from helping Albedo, unable to change back. “So why are you keeping me here?”

“Oh, it’s nothing personal. You were just the easiest to acquire. Don’t go flattering yourself over it.”

“What are your plans?” Venti asked, leaning on the bars of the cell for support. “You can tell me now I’m here, surely?”

“That’s true… you’re certainly not making it out of here in your state.” Rhinedottir chuckled, pulling something from underneath her hat. Venti thought that was a strange place to put anything. “Recognise this?”

Venti’s eyes widened in sudden horror. “The gnosis. My gnosis.”

“A generous donation from the Fatui… but it won’t belong to you for much longer, don’t worry. Would you like to know what I’m going to do with this? What unfathomable beauties we will uncover with it?”

“Whatever you think you’re going to do with that, you’re wrong. Whatever you’re planning, it won’t work.” Venti wrapped his hands tightly around the bars, his knuckles paling.

“Oh, but it will, Barbatos.” Rhinedottir span the thing between her fingers with an excellent dexterity. “When a god dies, their power is dispersed unless correctly directed. But when it is directed… say, through a heavenly power source… it has the power to restore glory to even the most damned of places. You recall the story of Lupus Boreas, I’m certain.”

Venti’s eyes shone in realisation. “You can’t. You can’t expect that to work.”

Rhinedottir scowled. “Your kind have left us with shockingly few options, Barbatos. Your war. Your heartless genocide. It has led only to our glorious return at your death. Besides, if the Wolf of the North could restore Mondstadt by himself, imagine what you, an Archon, could do for Khaenri’ah.”

“I’m weak. I don’t have much power left, in truth. I doubt I’ll be doing much of anything at all.”

“Hah! And how wrong you are, once more. If our research doesn’t fail us, which we expect it not to do, the gnosis still contains your amplified power. With that and your life force, perhaps we could even grow overworld crops down here.”

“Why now?”

“Well, wouldn’t a ritualistic sacrifice to save our land make a coronation all the more meaningful?”

“A coronation…” Venti thought for a moment. “Kaeya?”

“Well done. You’re not as stupid as I thought.”

“Leave him alone.” Venti said quietly, knowing full well that whatever he did say would have no effect on Rhinedottir’s determination.

“My, Barbatos. I genuinely can’t tell if you’re saying that as a god or a friend. But if it is the latter, do you think you’ll continue to be friends after he finds the truth? Even if you weren’t to die?”

“… that’s none of my business.”

Rhinedottir took a step back, and with a flick of her wrist, the gnosis disappeared, much like a magician’s trick.

“Right. The God of Freedom. So why not let this happen? For our freedom?”

“Because this isn’t right. None of it. You can’t take Kaeya from his home—“

“This is his home.” Rhinedottir snapped. “Khaenri’ah is his birthright. And nobody here will let a false god change that for their own benefit. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have places to be going. Someone should be in here soon to fix your wing and get you into more suitable clothing.”

Venti watched as Rhinedottir walked briskly away, sighing to himself. If this was truly his fate, there wasn’t much he could do to prolong it. All he could hope was that some other forces would be able to intervene in time to fix everything.

———

A girl, still rather small, looked up at her mother. She in turn was frozen to her seat at the dinner table an hour after dinner ended. The butler had not yet come to take her empty plate, as he knew all too well of the grief that she faced, and wished not to so cruelly interrupt it.

The girl, on the other hand, was innocent and oblivious to the hurt in her mother’s eyes as she stared vacantly into the distance, her head tilted ever so slightly to the left. So she took her finger in between her own smaller ones, and tugged gently.

“Mama?”

As if awoken from a spell, her mother shook her head, looking down at her expressionlessly. “Yes, Azra?”

“Papa says that you’re sad today. But he won’t tell me why.”

Her mother sighed, finally rising from her seat and taking the girl’s hand more firmly, guiding her out of the dining hall.

“Azra, darling, have I told you about your brother?”

“Mmm…” The girl frowned. “I don’t think so. You said he used to sing me songs when I was a baby.”

“Indeed, he did. And he was the loveliest son one mother could ever ask for.” In the middle of the hallway, she stopped, kneeling down in front of the girl, her gown creasing on the floor. “You know that I’m ill, don’t you, my little finch?”

The girl nodded, her voice coming quietly. “Yes, mama.”

“And you know that I will die soon?”

“… yes.”

“Then I would like to tell you what happened to your brother. The whole truth, for I know that when I am gone, nobody will do the same until it’s too late for you to process it. It’s going to be difficult and confusing, but I need you to know, okay?”

“Why now?” The girl frowned.

Her mother moved a palm lightly to her cheek, a faint smile passing over her face. “Because until your father returns, I can speak freely. He doesn’t want you knowing, darling. But I do. Your brother… he is playing a very important part in our family, and our homeland. And that part might mean that one day, one day you’ll be alone, but—“

“Mama, you’re scaring me.”

“— but it’s not going to be for long. When your father and I are gone, your brother will come home to you. And he’ll take care of you. And everything will be as it was before the war.”

“Mama…”

A tear fell from her mother’s eye. “I know, darling. I know.”

———

Rhinedottir walked into the hall, now fully decorated, and clapped her hands together to announce her entry.

“I’m back, and I come with joyous news.” She beamed, looking to the pair at the front of the hall. “Ah, Princess. And… Princess.”

Lumine and Azra turned from where they were facing one another. It was likely their first meeting, or at least close to being so. Azra had been slippery as a child, always managing to find a way out of the Abyss Order’s affairs. From what Rhinedottir had gathered, she was only little more than indifferent, however, so that shouldn’t pose a problem. Besides, she was only sixteen, and what could a teen do?

“Good day, Gold.” Azra nodded slightly. “Her highness was just discussing the arrangements with me. She says that you raided a new location, this morning?”

“Yes, and in fact, that mission was an absolute success.” Rhinedottir looked to Lumine smugly. “The Anemo Archon has been acquired.”

“Perfect.” Lumine smiled. “No interference, I presume? Everything went smoothly?”

“Well…” Rhinedottir’s eyes shot to Azra, who was completely motionless - too much like her mother. “Alberich and his coconspirators arrived midway through. Luckily, they posed a minimal risk. We also lost Subject Two, but that matters little to me.”

“Oh, that doesn’t matter. We’ve gotten a hold of the most difficult of the people we need. Good work, on everyone’s part. I’ve heard from Captain Kera that she’s given Alberich the meeting place, and he should be arriving at some point, if all goes to plan.”

Azra looked between the two women, brows furrowed in sudden confusion. “Hold on, what does that mean? Nobody has actually explained to me why any of this means my brother would be coming at all.”

“Friendship, my dear.” Rhinedottir hummed with an unmistakable hint of condescension. “It seems that his highness has befriended the Anemo Archon. So, naturally, he’ll be coming here in the misguided but understandable hope to save him.”

“Befriended the Anemo Archon? What’s that supposed to mean? I thought you said he was a Knight.”

“He is,” Lumine nodded, placing a comforting hand on Azra’s shoulder. “He doesn’t know Barbatos’ identity, don’t worry. My sources tell me that he keeps his true self well hidden.”

“And what are your sources?”

“… my brother’s own travels.” Lumine muttered solemnly, and Azra sighed.

“I’m sorry. I forgot that you also understand the pain caused by being separated from a sibling.” She paused, folding her arms. “Then again, at least you can see him whenever you like. I’m stuck down here.”

“But you’re carrying out an important duty.” Rhinedottir reminded her. “You’re keeping the throne warm for your brother, so to speak.”

“Brilliant.” Azra backed away from the pair, smiling thinly and somewhat sarcastically. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m retreating to my quarters.”

Azra walked away without another word, digging her nails into her palms. She had no idea what her brother would be like, but she had decided long ago that if he had been entrusted with this sacred duty, then he would probably grow to be… well, an entitled prick, for lack of a better term. An entitled prick, just like her father was, and just like Gold was, now.

Oh, how she loathed that woman. Prancing about Khaenri’ah as if she had any claim to the throne when, as far as Azra could tell, the war was practically her fault in the first place. Manipulative, vain, egotistical. These were all things that everyone knew Rhinedottir was, but nobody ever said anything because her plan was the only thing keeping them sane.

At the very least, she could hope for the people’s sake that her mysterious, unknown brother would be a better ruler than Gold could be. Not that she held out much hope.

Chapter Text

Albedo stepped out the door, closing it firmly behind him. Only Kaeya was outside, oddly enough. But also, perfectly convenient for the conversation that would have to follow.

“Where did everyone else go?”

Kaeya looked Albedo up and down. “You’re limping.”

“Yes, well, I sustained an injury to my abdomen, so walking is a tad painful. Where did they go?”

“Inside. Amber told us about Varka, and… Jean was understandably upset, so I think Tighnari went to make tea.”

“But you decided to wait for me.” Albedo mumbled. “Were you eavesdropping?”

“Of course not. I just wanted to make sure you were alright when you got out. It’s been a while since we’ve had a proper conversation, you know.”

Albedo sighed. Perhaps it would’ve been better if he were eavesdropping - then he wouldn’t have to relay his entire conversation with Allos. This was just going to be a pain.

“Can we sit down somewhere? I want to discuss something with you.”

“Well, as it happens, I have things I want to say to you as well. So yes, that’s perfect. There’s a table down there.” Kaeya gestured to the bottom of the ramp up to the hut.

“Perfect.”

Albedo began to limp down the ramp, clutching a hand to his front as if his intestines were going to fall right out. Eventually, after Kaeya had been watching his struggles for a few moments, he let out a long, mildly irritating sigh.

“Have you taken any pain medication this morning, Albedo?”

“No. Unfortunately, the raid prevented that, as you probably could have guessed.”

Kaeya shook his head, pacing over to Albedo and slinging his arm around his shoulder. “Here, lean on me.”

“If you insist,” Albedo began to walk in time with Kaeya’s movements. “But I’m not pleased about it.”

Kaeya chuckled lightly, stopping at the table and allowing Albedo to take a seat on the bench. “I knew you wouldn’t. I’ve known you for a good while now.”

“Yes, that was one of the things I wanted to mention.” Albedo took a deep breath, leaning on the table. “I am… sorry. For ignoring you, recently. It was childish of me, especially since you did nothing wrong. And I would also like to apologise for not being entirely honest with you.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say the whole ignoring me thing necessarily matters.” Kaeya was still smiling. Clearly, he didn’t understand the gravity of the situation. Or… he was hiding his emotions. Strategic, at the very least. “But I do think I deserve an explanation regarding your friend in there.”

“Yes, that makes sense. The man in there, you can call him Allos. He is my… prototype.”

“Prototype?” Kaeya nodded slowly. “You’re not human, are you? I should’ve guessed.”

“No, I am not. But I’m just about as close as it gets. You’ve heard of the alchemist Gold, I presume? There’s no need to lie, I know of your heritage, and I’ve seen their plans.”

“I see… then, yes. I have. I was taught history from a young age.”

“We are both her creations. I was the final product of her Primordial Human Project, and joined her in her research until she dropped me in Mondstadt, which is when I met you. Allos was an earlier iteration who, in my opinion, was treated unfairly. A while ago, I allowed him to live after he tried to take my place. What I didn’t expect was for him to return to our master.”

Kaeya looked down at the table, remaining silent. “Well, this is a lot to process. I didn’t think anyone else would know about myself, but I guess it makes sense for another Khaenri’ahn to recognise it.”

“I’m not Khaenri’ahn. I don’t identify as such.”

“But still. Gold? I’ve learned more about her since I came to Mondstadt. From what I can see, she’s a dangerous person.”

“Dangerous or not, she is my progenitor, and other than Klee, the closest I have to family. Even when I don’t agree with her, and this is one of those times, she knows far more than I do about Khaenri’ah. There is no black and white when it comes to this.”

“I guess so.” Kaeya paused, looking out into the forest. “I must say, I’m certainly learning a lot about you right now. But it seems you already know everything about me.”

“That’s not true. I could ask you questions, if you want.”

“Go on, then.”

“Who else knows? About you, I mean.”

“Hm… Jean, Diluc, and Aether. And I think that’s it.”

“And Venti.”

“Excuse me?”

Albedo cleared his throat. “Right. The reason that he was kidnapped was because he’s the Anemo Archon, so, he obviously knows. To the best of my knowledge, he’s part of the ceremony somehow. I should’ve realised it sooner, then perhaps I could have stopped this from happening at all.”

“In a moment you’re going to tell me that Jean is running an underground mafia.” Kaeya sighed.

“Well, that would just be absurd.”

“What do we do now, then?”

“My master is looking for you and I. And now, she’s looking for Allos as well. But, strangely, and very illogically, I feel indebted to that bard. He saved my life, after all - though that’s a story for another time - and he’s your friend.”

Kaeya drummed his fingers on the table nervously. He peered over to the smaller hut in which Tighnari was presumably offering tea, and then back to the larger, where Allos was most likely sitting in complete and utter silence.

“I want to help him. I really do. He’s been a friend to me, and I guess he’s also the god who allowed someone like me to reside in Mondstadt for so long? That’s a dynamic I’m yet to get my head around. I’m not sure I can, after the many months I’ve been drinking with him for. But what’s stopping us from finding a way in there, only to be caught before we can even get to Venti?”

“I believe Allos can help with that.”

“Allos? As in the man who burned Mondstadt to the ground? The man who Diluc just caught trying to escape the scene of a kidnapping? And above all, the man who impersonated you to bait me into taking him in, risking myself in the process, if only briefly?”

Albedo arched his brows, and he felt a twinge of something within him. “I… didn’t know he did that last one. And I didn’t know— well, I didn’t know you did that.”

“It was a spur of the moment thing. I wouldn’t usually reach into a crowd of Fatui to pick someone out, believe me.” Kaeya waved his hand dismissively. “Regardless, that man is nothing but trouble.”

“I don’t mean to offend, Kaeya, but you don’t understand the circumstances. If I hadn’t spent the last few years in Mondstadt, I could be the one in his exact position. And he knows that, which is why he was doing this to begin with. He was looking for… acceptance.”

“You’re going to let him get away with his hand in the destruction of the city for acceptance?”

“Of course not.” To both parties’ surprise, Albedo reached a hand across the table to steady Kaeya’s. He noted Kaeya’s flinch in response. “He will be tried for his crimes as any regular person. But first, we need his help. He can get us safely in and out of Khaenri’ah, he knows the place.”

Kaeya, as if in an attempt to best Albedo somehow, placed his other palm on top. “I do trust you. But I don’t trust him, and I don’t trust anyone down there. I don’t want to go.”

“You’re going to have to. Allos specifically asked for you, and his reasons are logical enough, if not uncharacteristic. But I wouldn’t let him hurt you in any way.”

Eventually, Kaeya removed his hands, placing them in his lap. Albedo found himself missing the warmth.

“I swore I’d never go back there willingly. I swore they’d have to take me kicking and screaming, after I realised the truth of my situation.”

He was, of course, referring to that night. Before he appeared at Jean’s door, and before the first strike came. Just about visionless, and staring down his worst nightmare in the form of his brother and best friend. But Albedo couldn’t possibly know that.

“And I swore I would never form personal connections. Clearly, I’ve done an excellent job of that.” Albedo shrugged gently. “Things change, as plain as that must sound.”

“You’re right on that front. I mean, look at me. I’m practically your favourite person.”

“You’re joking?” Albedo frowned.

“Yes. Yes, Albedo, I am joking.”

“I’m not.”

The words came as a surprise to Albedo, and something was telling him to stop even as they floated through the air. A child following their master through the streets of Inazuma, admiring the jellyfish. Albedo ignored the child, foolish of a decision as it may have been. The child took a deep breath, and dived down into the river.

“You, Kaeya Alberich, are one of my favourite people.”

He turned his hand on the table so his palm was facing up. When a rather perplexed Kaeya locked his hand between, Albedo raised his arm and shook firmly.

“What was that for?” Kaeya laughed.

“A public display of affection.” Albedo responded simply. Kaeya seemed unimpressed.

“That was a handshake.”

“Yes, it was. Why?”

“Well, That’s not necessarily how you do public displays of affection. Usually between friends, it’s more of a hug, or something.”

“Well, I thought it best to start small. So I knew that we were friends. Officially. I did have another idea, but, much like you on our first day knowing each other, I supposed it was too ‘forward’.”

“Oh? And what would the Chief Alchemist be doing that was so forward?” Kaeya’s lips turned up into a sly smile. “I assure you, it can’t be that bad.”

Albedo pictured the jellyfish in his mind. They were beautiful, now that he was swimming amongst them, dazzling in the light. Their dance was mesmerising, their bells shimmering in all different hues of all different shades.

When he surfaced again, and the creatures were far below him, he was back at the bench. Back in Sumeru. And Kaeya’s lips were pressed firmly against his. Or rather, his were against Kaeya’s.

Albedo pulled back, brushing a stray hair out of his eyes. Somewhere in his mind, the child could finally breathe. Kaeya looked shocked. Albedo felt shocked, but likely didn’t look it.

A million excuses passed through his mind at once, but none seemed adequate. He could say it was Allos’ words that got to him, or that it was an honest mistake. But none of it made sense when he couldn’t make sense of it himself.

Finally, Kaeya cleared his throat. “For the record, you are one of my favourite people, too.”

Albedo nodded, the faintest smile coming to him. “That’s good to know.”

“I… I will come with you, to find Venti. Because I trust your judgement, and because I have the perfect means to get you in, which I doubt Allos does.” Kaeya’s hand trembled as he pulled a small card from his coat. “Kera. Abyss Order. Gave this to me, in case I changed my mind. Which it… seems I have.”

Albedo looked down at the card, at the small map it showed. “This is perfect. Thank you.”

“Thank you.” Kaeya returned. “For telling me all of this, I mean. I’ll tolerate Allos if it means I don’t lose you again.”

“Kaeya, you last saw me less than a week ago when I headed up to Dragonspine.”

“You know what I mean. Don’t go dying when there isn’t an Archon around to heal you. Or, preferably, when there is. Amber just told me all about that, too.”

“That will be quite difficult when you’re there too, I imagine. But don’t worry. I have certainly learned my lesson about sneaking into Fatui workplaces to steal valuable information.”

“I’m glad.”

The table was left in an uncomfortable silence for a few moments. Once again, Albedo considered apologising for what he had done, but Kaeya didn’t seem to mind as much as he did. In fact, Kaeya seemed in higher spirits. It was strange - amongst the terror of disappointing his master that happened to be rapidly dispersing, there was something else. Albedo thought he could call it relief.

Suddenly, Kaeya stood. “Well, then, we should fetch Allos, right?”

The moment was over. “Shouldn’t we tell the others where we’re going?”

“Yeah… something tells me that wouldn’t go down well with Jean. Or anyone else, for that matter. And I don’t want anybody tagging along.”

“Alright. We should leave as soon as possible, then.”

“You’re still getting something for the pain, first.”

“… fine.”

Chapter Text

KOLTSYC : 16 : faith

“The place should be just around here.” Albedo looked down at the map, and then back up at the clearing in the forest. “Yes, just down this way, if I’m reading this right. If that way is the Statue of the Seven, and up there is this hill…”

“Would you like me to take the map?” Allos huffed, trailing a few paces behind the others.

“No, I am perfectly capable of map reading. But if you truly wanted to be useful, you could allow me to think in peace.”

“I get the impression that the pair of you enjoy each other’s company about as much as Master Diluc enjoys mine.”

“I certainly wouldn’t say we’re the best of friends.” Albedo muttered, still staring at the card.

Allos folded his arms, still smiling despite the poorly hidden insult. “Do you even have a proper plan? Because you can’t just expect to show up in Khaenri’ah and grab your friend.”

“Here,” Albedo reached into the bag he had brought with him and tossed a sketchbook in Allos’ direction, never meeting his eyes. “For you to draw the layout of the place he’s being kept.”

“I’ll need a pencil.”

A pencil quickly followed the book through the air. Meanwhile, Kaeya sank down against a tree trunk, idly fiddling with his sword. “I hate to say it, ‘Bedo, but he has a point. We need a plan.”

“I have a plan.” Albedo shrugged. “But it’s going to involve deception from all of us. Obviously, when that woman arrives, she’s going to think that you’ve chosen to side with them, Kaeya, so you need to make her believe that.”

“Luckily for you, I’m a fantastic liar. What about you two, though?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Allos asked, deeply focused on his drawing as he paced back and forth in the grass. “He’s there to protect you, and I’m there because I’m going back to my master. It shouldn’t be that difficult to believe, given the circumstances.”

“What circumstances?”

“The pair of you keep displaying signs of reluctance whenever you walk together. Believe it or not, I have had experience with humans before. So it doesn’t take being a human myself to know precisely why.”

Kaeya looked up to Albedo uncertainly, but he was walking away.

“I… think we should get back to the plan.” Kaeya chuckled, slightly nervously. “Kera could be here any moment now.”

“On the contrary,” Albedo called, from where he was next to a tree in the distance. He ripped a piece of paper from where it had been hammered into the trunk. “I think we’ll have some time to wait.”

The paper had some words scrawled into it in large text.

ALBERICH,
BE RIGHT BACK
- K

“Clearly we picked a bad time.” Kaeya scoffed. “How long do we have to wait, now?”

“I don’t know the Captain too well. If she’s gone, it’s probably to check in with the Abyss Order. So really, that depends on how long she’s been gone already.” Allos replied, taking a seat across from Kaeya. “Kreideprinz. I’ve got your map.”

“Albedo will do perfectly well, thank you.” Albedo sighed as he returned to the others, kneeling down.

Kaeya gave an odd look. “That’s a strange nickname.”

“It’s not a nickname. It’s a given name. A title, really, and one that bears no consequence except for when I use it as a surname on official forms, at which point it is rather helpful. Now, this map. Where would we arrive from?”

Allos pointed to one of the larger rooms he had drawn, near the front of the building. “This is the lobby. The place they plan to hold the ceremony is a palace of sorts that nobody’s used in years, but luckily I was created when they did use it. The dungeons are on the lower floor, here.”

Kaeya looked the sketchbook up and down, almost hesitant of the safety of the drawing itself. “And… the room they want to hold the ceremony in?”

“Just down this hall at the end. With any luck, we won’t have to go in here.”

“What about Kera?” Albedo asked. “She’d be with us the entire time.”

“I can distract her. It wouldn’t necessarily take much. Besides, I have no intention of standing before the Anemo Archon on any occasion, even if that would be to save his life.”

“So you’re going to stay there. With our master.”

“I’ll find a way out somehow. That’s besides the point.”

“I don’t think it is. With all due respect, you said it yourself. She doesn’t want you. To stay with her when we manage to get away… it could be dangerous.”

“I know that she is dangerous. As do you. I don’t believe that fact has ever deterred either of us from following her. I am here to make sure that her plans fall through, because I want her to experience downfall as I did when she imprisoned me.”

The pair met each other’s gaze. Albedo saw nothing but pure and plain defiance. He didn’t know how to feel about that. So he picked up the sketchbook and placed it back into his bag. And then, he stood, Kaeya and Allos following.

“If you insist. It has been nice to truly meet you, Allos.” He held his hand out.

Allos’s palm hovered beside Albedo’s for a moment. And then he tentatively shook hands with him, nodding. It felt wrong, for both parties in fact. Allos couldn’t help but feel a slight sinking feeling as he took his hand away again, wiping it subtly on his trouser leg.

“I suppose it wasn’t… horrible to meet you.”

“Touching.” Kaeya smirked. “But let’s not forget that you did burn my home to the ground.”

“He saved Jean’s life, though.” Albedo pointed out, still watching Allos with a cold, calculating stare. “He probably wasn’t expecting me to know that, but as it happens, a few Fatui in Snezhnaya were discussing her miraculous survival in an adjoining hotel room.”

Allos narrowed his eyes. “And I suppose you worked the rest out entirely by yourself.”

“As a matter of fact, I did.”

“Do I really need to split the two of you up?” Kaeya groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Honestly, you can’t exchange two words without arguing. No wonder I needed to be here.”

“I have nothing against Allos, in fact I am willing to give him a chance. He, on the other hand, insists on making himself look like a worse person.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this passionate about a person in my life. You can tell you’re related.” Allos and Albedo shared an incredulous look, and Kaeya snorted. “You’re not doing anything to disprove my point.”

“Well, for a start, we’re not biologically related at all.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t really matter, though. Believe me, you two act just like brothers.”

“Klee is more of a sibling to me than he is. We barely even know each other.”

Kaeya chuckled. “You know, when Diluc and I didn’t get along, Crepus just put us in a room together until we did. I would honestly pay to see what you’d come up with if you were in the same situation.”

“Who’s Crepus?” Allos asked. “The Mondstadter you were left with?”

“Yes. And he was a good man.”

Allos shrugged. “I wasn’t going to say anything.”

Kaeya narrowed his eyes. He definitely was. But he didn’t get a chance to accuse him of this before Albedo took a hold of his arm and pulled him away.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

Albedo stopped on the other side of the clearing, glancing back at Allos before taking a deep breath. “I have been considering certain principles that I held dearly before today. And I have decided that they are severely misguided.”

Kaeya furrowed his brows. “O…kay…?”

Albedo seemed frustrated by this response, somehow. Kaeya didn’t really know why - he hadn’t exactly explained anything, yet. He just stopped.

“As I briefly told you earlier, I grew up believing that interpersonal relationships were an obstacle to overcome. That was something I learned from my Master, who, as I also told you, is not always correct. And I have come to the conclusion that perhaps those relationships… are not as bad as they seemed. And if you reciprocate that feeling, I was wondering if you would perhaps like to embark on a… romantic relationship.” He paused, before clarifying. “With me, specifically.”

Kaeya smirked playfully. He put a finger to his chin in mock thought for a moment, and Albedo rolled his eyes. But Kaeya wasn’t done yet.

“Hm… with you, you say? Definitely with you?”

“Yes, Kaeya.” Albedo huffed.

“Will there be tax benefits?”

“That’s for marriage, so no.”

“Oh, hard pass, then. Unless…?”

Albedo rolled his eyes. “I am not asking you to marry me.”

“Well, never say never.”

“Kaeya…”

“Fine, fine. I’ll stop joking for thirty seconds maximum. I would love to be in a relationship with you.” Kaeya reached out and took Albedo’s hand, grinning. “I’ve got to say, this does seem like a very strange time to ask.”

“Yes, well, it’s a very strange time all round. And I didn’t want to be thinking about it while we’re rescuing Venti, so now felt like a good time.”

“Huh,” Kaeya tilted his head. “So what you’re saying is that the suspense of asking me to be your partner was so distracting that you thought it would interfere with a life or death situation.”

“If you would like.”

“Oh, I definitely would. This is brilliant. I’m definitely reminding you of this annually. Biannually, in fact. You’ll have to move to Inazuma.” He paused. “Can I kiss you?”

“Again?”

“Hey, you started it the first time, not me.”

To Kaeya’s surprise, Albedo leaned in and kissed him again before he could continue his playful banter. When both parties finally pulled away, Kaeya was blushing rather heavily.

Albedo gave him a pointed look. “You asked.”

“I did.” Kaeya agreed. “I regret nothing. You’re pretty good at this, you know. A solid six out of ten.”

“Good enough to make up for the lack of tax benefits?”

“Oh, well, I wouldn’t go that far.”

“Gentlemen,” Allos suddenly said loudly. Kaeya looked over to see that he had stood up and presumably hidden the sketchbook somewhere out of sight. “Incoming.”

Albedo quickly let go of Kaeya’s hand, apparently noticing what Allos was referring to moments before Kaeya did.

“What?” Kaeya whispered, looking to Albedo.

“Just over there.” Came the response.

Kaeya followed Albedo’s gaze beyond the clearing, into the trees. “Ah.”

Kera stepped over a low growing bush into the clearing, smiling pleasantly despite the tense atmosphere.

“Hello again.” She looked between the three of them, tilting her head. “Oh, Gold is going to love me for this one. Which will make a change, really, because that woman wants to stick a dagger through my neck and watch the blood gush out about ninety percent of the time.”

“Let’s just get this over with.” Kaeya bit back. His stature had changed entirely from the moments prior. He had folded his arms and straightened his back, and his frown was cold.

“You’re eager. What happened to Mister ‘What Makes You Think I’ll Come Find You’? I’m actually quite curious.”

“Well, I’d rather come the easy way instead of being dragged by the ear. Which was pretty much your Plan B, wasn’t it?”

“I mean, you’re not wrong. But what’s with Grim and Grimmer? Obviously it’s great that they’re here, but still. Unexpected.” Kera looked between Albedo and Allos with a hint of suspicion, though that was outweighed by amusement.

Allos cleared his throat. “We came to—“

“No, no. Not you. I want to hear it from eyepatch.” Kera rolled her eyes, as if that fact were obvious. Apparently, her delight had gotten in the way of her obligation to call Kaeya by his surname.

Kaeya shot Albedo a look (which he didn’t return) before continuing. “Albedo came for my sake. I’m not sure what you’re calling the other one—“ Allos pursed his lips in distaste. “— but I think he’s just here for Rhinedottir.”

“Good luck with that one. I think she’ll be too busy obsessing over her golden child.” Kera snapped her fingers, and a swirling portal of deep blues and purples appeared in midair behind her. “Any last wishes before we leave? No? Off we go, then. Ladies first.”

Kaeya sighed, stepping forward and stopping just before the portal. He looked back, waiting for Albedo to come up behind him. There was no comfort on either of their faces, and he certainly wouldn’t find any with Allos. Kera looked an awful lot like how Kaeya must’ve looked like the majority of the time - seeing his own knowing grin on her face was incredibly irritating.

“Come on, we don’t have all day.” Kera paused. “I mean, we do, it’s not like we’ve set a date for anything. But the sooner we get back, the sooner I can take a well needed break.”

Kaeya turned his face away, closing his eyes for a moment as if to mentally prepare himself. And then he stepped through the portal.

He could’ve sworn he heard his father’s voice telling him ‘welcome home’.

Chapter Text

The experience of going through the portal was nauseating. Once he reached the place on the other side, Kaeya almost fell to the floor and threw up, which would not have been ideal given how little he had eaten that day. Instead of doing anything along those lines, thank goodness, he just bent over and placed his hands on his knees, breathing deeply.

Kera was the last to come through, but Kaeya still hadn’t fully recovered by the time she did. This unfortunately resulted in her slapping a hand on his back playfully, laughing.

“Oh, my bad. I forgot it was your first time travelling in… what, two decades, more or less?”

Kaeya stood up in time to see Albedo’s face crease in annoyance as he approached, placing a hand to Kaeya’s forehead. “Are you alright? You seem well enough.”

“How come you were alright with that?” Kaeya mumbled in reply.

“I’m particularly good with holding down my meals. Also, I’ve done that before, many times.”

“Of course you have.” He sighed, before looking back to Kera. “Where are we now, then?”

“The palace. Well, the palace we’re holding your coronation in, anyway. Gold should be somewhere around here…”

As Kera began to scan the lobby they found themselves in, Allos stepped forward, glancing subtly to Kaeya and Albedo as he did so. “Captain, do you think you could escort me to Master… alone, first?”

“I mean, I’d rather not let these two wander off on their own… why?”

“Well, it’s… a private matter. I can explain on the way.” The pair exchanged a knowing look that Kera apparently understood without need for explanation.

“Alright, then.” She turned to Kaeya and bowed. “Your highness. We’ll be right back. Don’t cause any trouble, or else one of the guards will take care of you.”

Kera began to walk out of the lobby, and Allos looked back and nodded before following. A few moments after both had left the room, Kaeya moved to rest his hand to the sword at his side and looked to Albedo.

“Honestly, I can’t believe that worked.”

“Neither can I… it was almost too easy.” Albedo shook his head. “Nevertheless, it did work, and we don’t know how things work around here. So we may as well make use of the opportunity we’ve been given.”

“Off we go, then. I suppose you somehow managed to commit the entire map to memory.”

“Naturally. We should go through that arch over to the side, there.” Albedo paced over to the other side of the lobby, placing a hand on the marble. “Brilliant architecture, though. Imagine how this would look in an arcade.”

“Incredibly old fashioned?” Kaeya suggested, glaring up at a painting of what he could only assume was the fantasised destruction of Celestia. “This decor is incredibly bleak.”

“I think it just depends on your taste.”

“Well, you’re the artist.” Kaeya looked down from the painting to see Albedo wandering out into the hallway, and quickly made to follow him. “I just want to be out of here as quickly as humanly possible.”

“Do we even have an escape strategy?”

“Uh… Venti?”

Albedo sighed. “You can’t just assume Venti has the solution to everything.”

“Can’t I? Because it feels like everything I thought wasn’t true about Venti, is. Can gods even get drunk? What if he heard all my prayers? I went to church for years with Crepus, so that would just be embarrassing.”

“Gods aren’t omnipotent, Kaeya.” Albedo paused, apparently debating this statement for a moment, before shrugging. “Or, I suppose, they could be.”

“You’re not helping me.”

“I’m just lending my own opinion. Also in my opinion, I think there are far too few guards in this hallway. In this building as a whole, in fact.”

“I don’t remember security ever being particularly tight around here. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“But they’re expecting a coronation. Don’t you think that constitutes more staff?” Albedo stopped in front of a door. “This should be the last hall.”

“Don’t even remind me about what they’re expecting. And yeah, it is weird, but I think they probably keep most of the guards with the people that matter. Like the Archon they’re keeping in the basement.”

“That would make sense if it weren’t for the fact that that over there is supposed to be the door that leads to the stairwell.” Albedo nodded towards a large double door that was very much unguarded.

“Well, that’s a very grand looking stairwell, then. Honestly, I’m not surprised. Of course they’d make the stairs this important looking, I mean, the doorframe is gold, for Celestia’s sake.”

“I really don’t trust this.”

Kaeya was about to reply, when the unmistakable sound of a pained cry echoed from beyond the door. The voice that the sound came from was also all too familiar - Venti. He drew his sword. “Do you trust it now?”

“Kaeya, wait—“

Albedo reached to grab Kaeya’s hand, but he was already bursting through the door. He had already made it to the centre of the room by the time he noticed that it was definitely not a stairwell. In fact, it was a rather large hall that looked somewhat like the inside of the Favonius Cathedral. Before all the pews, however, was a long table covered by a cloth.

Venti was still screaming, except he wasn’t. On the table was a large gramophone, the record on the turntable spinning with a soft hum.

“Shit.”

Kaeya turned to see a group of men and women with various weapons and navy uniform storm the hall from every entrance. A pair guided Albedo further through the doorway with their swords, shoving him slightly when they decided he wasn’t going fast enough. Kaeya rushed forward, trying to reach him, but he was held back by two more guards who sent his sword gliding across the ground.

Kaeya struggled against their grip as they dragged him further and further away from Albedo, who seemed oddly calm about this situation. Even so, he had to check.

“Are you alright?” Kaeya asked. “And someone… turn that off.”

Surprisingly, one guard did as he asked, stepping over to the gramophone, taking the needle off the record and finally putting an end to the horrifying sound. It still echoed through the room for a moment after the gramophone stopped playing it, filling the silence.

Kaeya didn’t understand at first. How could they have ended up in this hall? How could they have come all the way here just to be jumped at the last moment? And then he realised, just in time.

A woman that Kaeya was sure he’d never seen before, but recognised either way, glided into the hall. Allos, looking like he regretted nothing in the slightest, followed behind like a signet following his mother. Which, in a way, he was.

“Did you enjoy the music? Wonderful idea, wasn’t it?” Rhinedottir hummed, clasping her hands together.

“Why are you doing this?” Kaeya asked softly.

“It appears you’ve come across the ceremony hall.” Rhinedottir smirked, apparently opting to ignore this question. “No need to look so irked, this was always going to happen eventually. You didn’t honestly believe that Subject Two would let you get away with this?”

“Allos…” Albedo muttered, looking to where the man in question was stood at Gold’s right hand side. He sounded somewhat pitiful.

“It’s like I said.” Allos frowned. “I am loyal to the task at hand.”

“And what about everything else you said? The things that made you say you wanted to help us? Do you truly disbelieve them?”

“Of course. I knew that this is what Master would’ve wanted. So I knew that these were the steps I had to take.”

Rhinedottir stepped forward with a soft laugh, holding a hand out to Albedo’s cheek and brushing back his hair. “Oh, my darling. You’re so adorably naive. If it weren’t for that silly fact, I do believe you’d be completely… perfect. The purest human of us all. But you’re back now, and that’s all that matters.”

Kaeya knew that Albedo was growing increasingly uncomfortable with the situation. He hated even more that he could do nothing to stop it from where he was being held in place by the guards. He wrestled slightly in their grip, but nothing came from it.

“I’m not here for you,” Albedo began, before adding, slightly quieter, “With all due respect.”

“Hm. A shame, really. But never mind, you’ll see the light soon enough.” She turned around suddenly, clapping her hands at the guards holding Kaeya in place. “Let go of our young monarch, he won’t be going anywhere. And I want to see him.”

The guards reluctantly released Kaeya’s arms, and he shifted in place, now rather sore. Rhinedottir folded her arms, stepping closer and tilting her head.

“I remember when you were just an infant. You’ve grown to be so… handsome. And, despite all odds, you look just like your father. He would be so proud.” Rhinedottir held a finger to the corner of her eye, imitating wiping away a tear. “Well, now that you’re here, finally preparations can finally begin. Subject Two?”

Allos stood to attention, even though Gold’s back was turned to him. “Yes?”

“You’re dismissed.”

Allos said nothing in return. And then, faltering slightly, he spoke once more. “I… Master…?”

“You’ve served your purpose. And I have what I needed, now. So you can… leave. Perhaps climb back into Durin’s stomach where I placed you in the first place.” Only Kaeya saw the way Rhinedottir held back a laugh at that last part.

“Even after everything I’ve done? I helped. I was the one who brought you what you needed, not Kreideprinz.”

“I’m not going to ask you again.” Rhinedottir shut her eyes, maintaining a calm expression.

“How… how can you—“

A sharp sound rang throughout the large room. Kaeya looked up from where he was purposely avoiding meeting either party’s gaze to see Allos clutching his cheek in shock, Rhinedottir working to put her glove back on. She still didn’t seem all that angry, or amused, or… anything, really.

“Guards, please escort his highness to his room. And take this disgrace with you. I don’t want to see him here again.”

The guards jumped into action, holding Kaeya’s hands behind his back again as two more emerged to take hold of Allos. Kaeya scrambled to look back to Albedo as he was led away, glancing at him with concern as if to ask if he’d be okay. He received a vacant stare and a subtle nod in reply.

He then turned to Allos. His cheek was quickly blooming a bright red, and he refused to look anywhere near Kaeya. Still, he allowed himself to be moved along, dragging his feet.

“Allos—“

“Be quiet.” Allos hissed. “Have a nice life, Kaeya Alberich.”

Kaeya said nothing more as the pair parted ways, being led down two separate corridors.

Chapter Text

They had left Kaeya, very stupidly, with all his belongings. Granted, without his sword, he didn’t have very much, but he still had his vision, which was the important thing. Not only that, but the bedroom he was locked into had a very large bay window that was, conveniently, able to be opened from the inside.

So, after a few minutes of sitting on the bed, trying to devise a plan to grab Albedo and leave (a near impossible feat at the moment), he decided to finally investigate the window. He pressed down on the latch and swung it open, exposing him, for the first time in many years, to the outside air of Khaenri’ah.

He couldn’t see much in the distance, but the area below him looked stable, if not a little dark. If this were the house he was initially raised in, he would be able to navigate the area with ease. But, unfortunately, it was not, which meant he would just have to guess.

He stepped back into the room, picking up one of the chairs at the wooden table in one corner and turning it over. Within a few moments, he had unscrewed one leg in the hopes of using it as a weapon and rushed back to the window, perching on the ledge and thrusting the chair leg downwards.

His vision shone proudly as an icy slide of sorts was formed, reaching all the way to the bottom of the palace and flattening out at the end. It looked like it ended just above ground. Perfect. Holding his breath, he swung one of his legs over the window ledge and onto the slide.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Kaeya looked around to see a girl standing by the door, which was now wide open. “That plain at the bottom? It looks like land, but it’s a reservoir. And ice cold. You’d be unconscious before you surfaced and dead before you could wake up again.”

The girl was wearing a detailed navy gown and white corset, her hair freshly styled, decorated with beads, and intertwined with golden strings. She certainly looked uncomfortable in the ensemble, however.

“Who are you?” Kaeya asked, not at all intimidated by the blank stare she was giving him.

“Mother sends her regards.” The girl replied, her tone bordering on tedium.

Kaeya’s visible eye widened in realisation as he climbed down from the window, standing up. “Azra?”

“So you do remember me. That’s surprising.” Azra motioned to the remaining chair at the table. “May I?”

“I guess so.” Kaeya moved to sit on the edge of the four poster bed opposite the table, clutching the duvet tightly. “You’re good with Teyvatian language. I had to learn while I was up there. Nobody ever taught me.”

“You and Mother were the only members of the royal court who never knew. I’ve no idea why Father never taught you, but… who knows? That man was a lunatic.”

“Where is she? Mother?”

“Dead. For many years, now. Supposedly, she had an incurable illness. Looking back, I believe that she quite certainly went mad with grief. You’re not looking particularly worse for wear, though.”

Kaeya felt those last words hit like arrows to the chest. He couldn’t specify the reason behind the tinge of spite to her voice, but he could imagine. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You have far more important things to worry about at the moment than my wellbeing, I’m sure.” Azra leaned on the table, resting her cheeks in her hands. “That’s actually why I came to talk to you. I’m not technically supposed to, but I figured nobody had told you what’s going to happen.”

“I think I can figure most of that out for myself, and Albedo told me the rest.”

“What about the god they’re keeping in the basement? Because I’ve had years to ask these questions, and you’ve been here for little more than five minutes. Or are you really just as attached to your high horse as I imagined you to be?”

Kaeya forced a thin smile and a quiet laugh. “I don’t think so? But I already know that they’re going to kill him. Venti, I mean.”

“So you really don’t know, then? They’re not going to kill anyone, brother. You are. They’ve got the royal dagger out and everything.” She paused. “That last bit was a joke. There is no royal dagger.”

Kaeya nodded slowly. The reality of that fact would probably dawn on him later, but for now, it felt anything but true. The idea that he would have the blood of one of his friends on his hands, and the idea that that friend was Lord Barbatos himself. None of it felt truly real.

“I… probably should’ve guessed that earlier.”

“Probably,” Azra agreed. “But it’s alright. I’d be rather out of it if I were in your position, so to speak. I honestly expected you to be much more like Father than you are.”

“I’m not sure whether to take that as an insult or a compliment.”

“Hm… both?” Azra shrugged. “You’re not the one who had to put up with him. You simply don’t realise how good you’ve had it, these past years. Even if you’ve been cornered now, from what I can gather, that was your own fault. I mean, really. You’re in your twenties, and Gold’s a mage in her five hundreds at least. I can’t comprehend why you thought you could outsmart her.”

“It would’ve been fine if it weren’t for Allos.”

“Who— oh, you mean Subject Two? You’d think he would’ve figured that handing you over wouldn’t have changed anything, so I was surprised when they told me about that. Not that they tell me about anything unless I specifically ask for it.”

Kaeya scoffed. “This place sounds as sexist as ever.”

“How would you know?” Kaeya gave Azra a pointed look, and her expression softened. “Oh. I’m… sorry, the fact completely slipped my mind. Things do that, sometimes.”

“Yes, well, it wasn’t until after I left that I actually figured anything out. But, hey, maybe the fact that you forgot is a good thing. Probably means nobody else thinks it’s a big deal.”

“You’ve got a point, there. Hey, if it helps, Mother never had a problem with it. She never spoke about you much, but when she did… she was always respectful. I think young me even managed to alter what few memories I had of you.”

“And Father?”

“Ah… that was different. I don’t think he ever really understood at best, ignored it at worst. Sometimes he would just refer to you as ‘my child’. As if there was only one child he could possibly be referring to. Otherwise, it was ‘my daughter, which was just as quite frankly insulting.”

“To be honest, it sounds like you hate him.”

“Hate is a strong word. And if it weren’t for him, you’d have been crowned the moment you turned eighteen. Or earlier.”

“If it weren’t for him, Mother would still be alive.”

“If it weren’t for him, neither of us would.”

“Yes, thank you, I have had the talk.”

Azra blinked. And then, to Kaeya’s surprise, she began to laugh. And she kept going, and going, until quite frankly, it became a tad unnerving. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“I can’t think of much that’s particularly funny about the situation.”

“Of course, of course.” Azra’s laughter tapered off. “It’s just… all my life I’ve wanted to have an exchange like that. Between siblings. I never thought it would be about Father, though. And I never thought it would sound so petty.”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“It’s just… look at us. Life as you know it is coming to an end, and you’re getting desperate enough to jump into a freezing lake. I hate you. I really do. And I hate Father for what he’s done to both of us, and I hate Gold for being so insufferable, and I hate Celestia for inadvertently bringing me into this existence. But unlike all those other people, I also can’t help but love you.

“And yes, maybe it’s because we are siblings, but maybe it’s also because we are the only people who possibly understand what the other has been through, without even needing to explain. I know everything about what was planned for you, and you know everything that could have happened to me in your absence, even if you don’t think you do.”

Kaeya smiled. “Or maybe you’re just going mad.”

“That wouldn’t surprise me.”

Silence.

“Do you really hate me? I thought hate was a strong word.”

“Oh, without a doubt. You’ve lived a great life up until now, all things considered, so…” She shook her head. “But now, clearly you have some issues to be overcoming. And I would honestly do anything I can to help you with them. Anything to derail Gold’s plans even slightly.”

“Well, thank you, I guess. But I don’t even know what I’m going to do, yet.”

“I’d suggest not trying to jump out the window again. There’s no way you’re getting out of here any time soon, this palace is like a prison. Even more so than our family home.”

“Then—“

“Hush.” Azra suddenly held up a hand, and slowly pointed to the door, lowering her voice. “In just one second…”

A knock came at the door. Kaeya looked to Azra in confusion before responding. “Come in?”

A key rattled in the lock before the noise halted, realising that the door was already unlocked. Azra smirked, hiding the key beneath the neckline of her gown.

An older looking woman walked in, lingering in the doorway and looking between the two people inside skittishly. Azra was looking entirely innocent, now, her eyes wide and childlike.

“Y-your highnesses… Princess, however did you unlock the door?” The woman muttered.

“Why, I didn’t. I came to check on my dear brother, and the door was already unlocked. Those guards must have left it so.”

“Oh, of course. I didn’t expect anything less.” The woman bowed slightly, seeming relieved. She held up a regal looking gown on a hanger, a rich purple. “I was just… I came to give his highness some proper clothes, courtesy of the King’s - rest in tranquility - closet.”

“Just give it to me, I’ll deal with it.”

The woman tentatively handed Azra the robe, who in turn folded it in her lap. “I was also sent to explain tomorrow’s proceedings…”

“I believe I’ll be able to do that as well. But thank you. You’re dismissed.”

The woman looked hesitant to leave, but she did so anyway, closing the door behind her. The moment she was gone, Azra smiled triumphantly.

“What was that?” Kaeya asked.

“Just a little something I’ve learned.” Azra looked down to the robe in her lap. “I guarantee they were perusing Mother’s closet before someone told them off. Even this is just about the most feminine thing he owned. Sorry.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m sure I’ve worn worse. But… tomorrow, she said. Tomorrow is the day.”

“Yes. It is. The day you’re crowned king, if all goes to plan. I expect, though, that you’ll find a way to prevent that.” Azra stood, hanging the robe on the back of her chair. “At least, for your sake, I truly hope that you do.”

“I’m trying my hardest.”

“Good.” Azra reached for the door handle, taking the key out from my dress. “Sorry, I have to lock the door again before someone figures out I stole this. Dinner should arrive in a few minutes.”

“It’s fine. I’m sure I’ll live.”

Azra nodded slowly, looking to the floor. “Can you make me a promise, Kaeya?”

Kaeya straightened slightly. “I can try.”

“If you do find a way to get out of here, take me with you. Because if you don’t, I swear to all you hold dear that I will never forgive you. I will not spend another moment rotting down here while you live your… I don’t know, pirate dreams, or whatever - seriously, what is that eyepatch for - up there in Teyvat. I can’t do that again.”

Azra didn’t meet his gaze at all, still glaring at the ground. Kaeya didn’t really know what to say; he barely knew her, after all. And what was even worse was that over time, he had thought about her less and less.

He used to keep wondering how different his life would be if his baby sister was there with him and Diluc. He wondered if she was okay, or how she looked as the years went by, or if she remembered him. But in the past few years, all those things had been very near the bottom of his list of priorities.

“I promise that I will absolutely get you out of here.”

Azra said nothing for a long while. And then she silently nodded, and left the room.

Chapter Text

It had been seventeen hours and thirty nine minutes since Kaeya was captured. Not since he was taken from the room, but since he was first grabbed by those guards. The very moment they laid hands on him, Albedo must’ve started subconsciously counting. He had always been good with mathematics. And multitasking.

That wasn’t the only surprise of the day. Even more surprising was a few moments ago, when Gold was showing him some flowers meant for the coronation (in two hours and seventeen minutes) that he didn’t really care about. Kaeya wouldn’t appreciate them, anyway. Albedo hadn’t really been listening to what she was saying, but he heard distinctly when she stopped in surprise.

What had he just asked her, again?

Oh, yes. He asked if he could go and see Venti. A stupid question, really, she would never—

“Of course.” Rhinedottir turned to stare at Albedo, tilting her head. “Just one moment… there.”

Albedo lifted his hand to his hair, finding that a white flower had been placed above his ear. “I… didn’t expect you to allow that.”

“I’m considering it progress. Your purpose is to be as human as possible. You feel guilt, and that’s one of the most human things of all.” Rhinedottir began to walk out of the hall. “Even if that guilt is entirely unfounded.”

“I wouldn’t say I feel guilt—“

“Yes, you do. And that’s perfectly fine. Brilliant for me, in fact. And I must say, you’re handling this far better than I predicted. Of course, it’s too early to say you’ve come around entirely, I suppose.”

Albedo wanted to lie. But he knew his master appreciated honesty above much else. “I have not, no.”

“Tell me why.”

“I…” Albedo took a deep breath, choosing his words carefully. “I don’t think it’s right to murder an Archon purely for spectacle. It could be dangerous.”

“And we have taken that into account. With alchemy and the power of a gnosis - I have told you about them, yes? - on our side, we should stand a chance even with so few people left to fight for the cause. Besides, we’d have killed one Archon. Why not the other six? Sorry. Five. Because Celestia are incredibly stupid, and allowed Fontaine to plot right under their noses.”

“But for show, Master? Does it not seem… cruel?”

“Cruel? You do humour me, dear.”

Dear. As if Albedo wasn’t almost exactly the same as Allos. Where was Allos, now?

“I’m not sure I understand you, Master. Is it not cruel to take a life as nothing more than a show of power?”

“It’s not about the power, Kreideprinz. It is about the principle. We are crowning a new era, one without the wrath of the gods. One without the shackles that have bound us for so long. So it seems only fitting that we begin that era with the first death. Besides, our coronations typically involve an animal sacrifice, anyway.” Rhinedottir stopped at a door, taking a key from the belt across her gown and sliding it into the lock. “Tell me. You’ve been with Barbatos during your time in Mondstadt, I presume. What do you think?”

“Of… Barbatos?”

“Indeed.”

“Well, we… didn’t know each other particularly well. We have spoken at festivals, on occasion. I’ve seen him at local taverns, and performing on the streets.”

“You’ve seen him as a merrymaker, a drunkard, and an impoverished young man, singing for his supper. Does any of that seem particularly godlike to you? Sacred? The traits of a warrior, or a protector, or the salvation of Mondstadt’s people?”

“Well… no, but—“

“Then I have just one more question for you. Is this blundering fool not his true self?”

Albedo frowned. “I believe that it is.”

“And that is all you need to consider. He does not have any meaningful traits that should have allowed him to rise above mankind. And yet, selfishly, he did so, and condemned millions.” Rhinedottir shook her head, as if shaking off the thought. “Now, just down here.”

The pair headed down a set of rickety wooden stairs that creaked with every step. Albedo made sure to follow a good few steps behind Gold so as to avoid stepping on her sweeping gown, and as he approached the bottom, which led directly into the cells, he felt a rapidly inclining sense of nausea.

He heard Rhinedottir clap her hands together, but he was still three steps from the bottom. Not far enough to be able to see around the corner. Not far enough to see Venti. The screams they used on the gramophone, they must’ve gotten them from somewhere, yes? So would he even be alright?

Why did Albedo even care? They weren’t exactly friends. They hardly knew each other, all things considered. Perhaps it was the fact that he now knew that in his usual state, Venti could tear him limb from limb if he wanted to. That was what he was taught as a child, anyway. The thought of being judged or looked down upon by a man at least a hundred times his age was somehow… horrifying to him. He had never felt like this in his life.

Then again, he had been allowing himself to feel a lot more, lately.

“Kreideprinz? Come along, it was you who asked to come down here.”

Albedo jolted into action, slowly making his way down the rest of the stairs and bracing himself for the sight before him.

The first thing that Albedo thought was that Venti looked an awful lot like a caged bird, perching on the edge of a plush looking bed behind the rusted bars. The second thing he thought was that it looked like a stage set. Wallpaper had been specifically plastered into that singular cell, and there was a fresh rug on the floor to protect Venti’s bare feet from the coldness of the stone.

And Venti himself…

He looked paler than he did when Albedo last saw him. His eyes seemed dimmer, and Albedo thought it reminded him of an academic study on how humans acted differently before death. They would grow more tired, sleeping more and talking less. They might need to eat and drink less, some showed signs of anxiety, and others shut down completely long before their time. Although those study participants were dying of an illness, and Venti wasn’t human.

Despite his clearly low spirits, he seemed to brighten, if not ever so slightly, upon seeing Albedo. He was idly braiding his hair at the sides, his hands trembling as he did so. Albedo tried not to stare too long at the ruined wings resting on the mattress behind him, knowing it would be disrespectful.

“I see you wore the clothes you were given. I thank you for making this easier.” Rhinedottir said, her voice holding a certain precision that it didn’t around anyone else.

Sure enough, Venti was dressed in a white chiton of sorts, embroidered with black in places. Venti looked down at his own clothes as Rhinedottir spoke, forcing a thin smile. “Well, I definitely like to look my best.”

“Tch. How humble of you.”

“Humble? There’s nothing humble about dying.” Venti shrugged, tying off his braid with his own hair as if the subject meant nothing at all. “I think death is pretty noble.”

It was obvious that Venti was just saying this to irritate Rhinedottir further, and it was working. She muttered a particularly insulting curse word in Khaenri’ahn beneath her breath (to which Venti blinked in surprise), and Albedo finally stepped forward, clearing his throat.

“Master, would you… mind if I remained here… alone, for a few minutes? I’ll be back out shortly.”

“N— you know what? If you must. I can’t bear to deal with this any longer. Another word from him and we may be left without a sacrifice for the ceremony.”

Rhinedottir swiftly made her way back up the stairs without a single word of doubt. When Venti’s gaze immediately turned to him, Albedo began to regret his decision.

“I… wanted to thank you again. For what you did.” He said softly, avoiding eye contact as much as he could.

“Oh, it’s no trouble!” Venti fiddled with the end of his braid before standing and slowly walking over to the bars, hanging his arms in the horizontal plates between them. “You… look better.”

“Master helped with my injuries significantly.”

“I can imagine.” Venti noted Albedo’s discomfort, and tried to give his goofiest smile possible in order to lighten the mood. “Nothing that’s happening is your fault, you know.”

“I know.”

“So what’s up?”

“I’m… not sure.” Albedo finally looked up to Venti, whose pity was even more stifling than he expected it to be. “How long did you know about me before I knew about you?”

“Eh… a while. But I didn’t mind, if that’s what you’re thinking. I never would.”

“It would have arguably been very stupid of you to help me if you did.”

“That’s true, I guess.” Venti chuckled, looking down in thought for a moment. “How is everyone?”

“Understandably stressed. Jean was fretting when we left, but that’s to be expected. Cyno and Tighnari wanted an explanation, but we were in a hurry. And Kaeya… well, I haven’t seen him since we arrived, but he was distressed.”

“That checks out. Gold came in and told me everything that’s going on. Also… I feel like I probably owe him an apology. We are friends, it’s just, it didn’t seem right to tell him.” He paused. “What about Collei?”

Oh, yes. Collei mentioned that Venti saved her, somehow.

“I think you intrigue her. Apparently, you’re the nicest person she’s met since Cyno.”

“High praise.”

“… but she also finds that suspicious.”

“Trust issues and a huge dragon will do that to you.” Venti nodded matter-of-factly. “I showed her Dvalin. He thinks she’s a nice kid… oh, Dvalin. He doesn’t know I’m here.”

Venti stepped back from the bars, apparently remembering his situation once more. He sat back down on the bed, leaning over like a willow tree. Albedo felt that dread once more.

“I could… try and locate him, after this. To tell him what happened.”

“Thanks, but I don’t think he’d appreciate that much. And his claws are pretty sharp.”

“In that case, I’m sorry that I can’t do anything more for you.”

“Don’t be. I already feel bad that there’s nothing I can do for anyone else.” He sighed. “Maybe I got too cocky, anyways. Kept getting into things and always coming out of them. So… I guess I thought I could get out of anything.”

An image of Kaeya actually going through with it crossed his mind, and it made him feel utterly sick, and it was completely wrong. There was an indescribable kind of feeling as he imagined anyone else not being able to feel that, and he huffed.

“Nothing is completely impossible. If I’ve been taught anything, it’s that. Of course, your own fate no longer lies in your hands, but it does lie in Kaeya’s. And if you believe that he will simply lay down and let you die, I think you’re severely underestimating him.”

Albedo surprised himself with the sharpness and slight defensiveness to his voice as he said this. Apparently, it shocked Venti, too, as he appeared as if he’d just been punched in the gut before breaking out into a soft laugh. It sounded beautiful in such a bleak atmosphere.

“You really do like him, huh?”

“I…” Albedo stiffly nodded. “I do, yes.”

Venti continued, his laugh slowly breaking into a cough. He brought a hand to his mouth as he heaved for breath, and the palm came away bloody. “Aha… sorry about that. I don’t suppose you have a handkerchief, do you?”

Albedo gingerly tossed one through the bars, and Venti used it to wipe his hand clean. Upon realising that he wasn’t going to receive a natural explanation, Albedo asked a question. “Are you… hurt?”

“Nobody’s going to see it, she made sure of that. But, yeah. Internally. If my hearing serves me well, which it does, even down here, I think they only did it to draw you lot in.”

“The gramophone…” Albedo muttered, putting a hand to his chin. “That makes sense. Creating sound that sounds so close to your voice by hand would be too much work, even for Master…”

“Ever the scientist.”

“Apologies. It’s just… I was wondering about it. I did hope you weren’t actually in pain.”

“They definitely spared no expense for me. I’ve got the VIP treatment.”

A voice echoed from the top of the stairs, calling Albedo away. Albedo didn’t notice the way Venti’s eyes studied him closely as he flinched upon hearing it.

“I… should go.”

“Oh, of course.” Venti held up the bloodied handkerchief. “Thanks for this, though.”

Albedo didn’t need to choose a response with his usual precision. “It was no trouble. If you have anything you want me to tell anyone…”

Venti smiled. “I left a stack of letters with the Dendro Archon the other day when we were in the city. She’ll take care of most of them, but you should hand out the rest to the people you know.”

“You’ve planned this well in advance, then.”

“It’s not the first time I’ve written final goodbyes.” He shrugged. “I like to be prepared. Anyway, it was nice to see you. And to, well, know you, I guess.”

“… you too.”

———

It was unfair. Everything was so unfair. Why was he even created? Why did he exist if not to help?

What else could he possibly do?

He didn’t know anything else.

He didn’t even know himself.

Allos was just a name he came up with on the spot. He never meant for it to stick, let alone for it to grow on him to this degree. It felt right, somehow, to have an identity of his own that he had chosen. But, oh, how wrong it felt.

He had failed his master, hadn’t he? And that was why he was here, out in the pouring rain. He had stolen a dark cloak from a laundry line earlier, when the first drops hit his face and broke through his festering rage. And then he had began to walk, not that he knew where he was going.

Between asking merchants where he could find who he was looking for, he thought about why he was looking for such a person at all. He should loathe her as much as he loathed Alberich, and Kreideprinz, and Gold, and everyone in Teyvat. And yet, he didn’t.

He heard the stories of her kindness, and perhaps it was because of the emotional crisis that being cast out had caused, but he wanted some of that. Maybe he always had done. Nevertheless, he had to find her now.

He stepped up to a door, knocking against the glass and seeing a shadow move faintly in front of the soft glow coming from inside. An older man opened the door, his face melting into something that resembled what little Allos knew of pity.

Allos explained what he needed, and the man invited him into the Grand Baazar. Oh, how low he had fallen to be searching for a god.

Chapter Text

“Nilou, could you fetch some tea for this gentleman?” The man was stood a few metres away from the table he had insisted Allos sit down at, speaking to a woman with red hair who looked as if she was just about to go home for the night.

“I don’t want to be any trouble…” Allos muttered.

The woman, Nilou, only held her hands up, shaking her head gently. “No, no, I insist! It’s quite stormy outside, and you must warm up before you catch a cold.”

“I assure you, that’s quite unnecessary—“

“Tea will definitely help. But taking off that wet coat would do you good, too.” A small girl skipped over to the table from behind Allos, hopping up onto the seat across from him. “Hello. I heard you were looking for me.”

“I… you’re Buer?” Allos mumbled, taken aback by her appearance. She was nothing like he imagined her to be. She looked like… well, a child. “Is this some sort of foolery?”

Nilou chuckled for a moment. “We should leave you to it. Come on, Bhabha, you should be going home before the storm gets worse.”

The Dendro Archon waited until both Nilou and the man had left before speaking again, at which point she lay both hands on the table and tilting her head to one side.

“I assure you, I’m not joking. You can call me Nahida. Since you came all this way to find me, I figure you might start by telling me your name?”

“Allos.”

“Allos, huh? You’re looking grim. I guess what you’ve come to talk to me about is serious, so maybe we should skip the small talk. What’s wrong?”

How should he even say this? It felt disgusting to have to do so.

“I… made a mistake.”He took a sharp breath. “And it hurt people, and I don’t know what to do.”

“Well, I don’t think I’m the best person to…”

“The Anemo Archon is in danger.”

Nahida’s eyes widened. She looked Allos up and down, and then frowned. “You’re from Khaenri’ah, aren’t you?”

Very slowly, Allos nodded.

“In that case, tell me everything.”

———

“— my Lord, I thank you very much for coming—“

“— that the princess?—“

“— if I could just speak to—“

“— if this doesn’t go well, we will both—“

“— heard there will be cake—“

Azra was hearing an awful lot of idle chatter for what was essentially a glorified cult sacrifice. Of course, she was standing over by the entrance to the ceremony hall, politely greeting guests as they slowly filed in. The event had been open invite, so the people ranged from wealthy former noblemen to miracle survivors in the forms of disheveled women and their children. Most of them were hundreds of years old, now, though. So that didn’t really matter.

Eventually, when the incoming guests trickled down to a slow crawl, and the pews were starting to fill, Azra decided to retreat to her assigned seat. She had been placed on the front row, between Rhinedottir’s little pet (she shouldn’t say things like that, she quickly reminded herself; he was very obviously Kaeya’s lover) and the Princess of the Abyss Order. Thankfully, the latter was speaking with Lord Pierro on the other side of the hall.

Azra smoothed out her blue, velvet gown as she sat, glaring directly forward as two servants set the sacrificial altar with a white cloth. She didn’t notice the ferocity of her gaze until the man next to her drily pointed it out.

“You look as if you want to kill that satin sheet.” Kreideprinz hummed softly.

Azra glanced over to him. He was looking at it, too. “Kreideprinz, I presume. I’ve heard… good things. I’m—“

“I know who you are.” His eyes flicked down to Azra’s outstretched arm, which she had poised for a handshake. “It’s proper etiquette to remove one’s gloves when shaking hands.”

Azra had never been spoken to in such a way before. But she didn’t care. In fact, she admired him for daring to say such things - he didn’t trust her, and he was making it evident. She quickly retracted her hand. “… yes, quite. I heard about your daring journey to get here, as well. I do admire it.”

“Which part? The idea, or the execution? Because I don’t think there’s anything admirable about my being here today.”

Azra’s eyes darted about, and she sighed, leaning in slightly. She even went to the length of unfolding the hand fan she was grasping and holding it over her mouth. “Look, I shouldn’t be telling you any of this. But you might be the only person in this room that I trust, so… I’ve seen Kaeya. He told me everything he knew, and I told him everything I knew. He’s fine, for your information. As fine as he can be.”

The man finally looked her in the eyes, his gaze softening slightly. He still seemed distrustful, but less so. “The only person in the room? You’re not any part of this, then.”

“No shit. I’m his sister, thank you very much. I’m not in the mood for hurting him.” Azra turned away, pretending to fan herself as an elderly woman looked at her disapprovingly.

“My apologies. It’s difficult to know who to trust.”

“You’re telling me. If it weren’t for the fact that I believe you’re truly Kaeya’s friend and ally, I would have come to your chambers and personally made sure that you never went near him again.”

Silence. And then, “For a sixteen year old, you’re rather violent.”

“And you’re rather polite for a Khaenri’ahn. I don’t suppose there’s anything else I could call you but Kreideprinz, is there? It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.”

“Albedo. That’s my name.”

“Pleased to meet you.” Azra paused, watching as the same two servants began to place candles around the altar, on the floor surrounding it and all the way down the aisle. Traditional, Azra believed. “You are my brother’s lover, aren’t you?”

“I… suppose I am, now. I fear I might have rushed into it, though.”

“Pretty shitty timing, yes. If I were you, I’d wait until he isn’t the reigning monarch of Khaenri’ah, but who am I to judge? You’re the adults. Do you have a plan?”

Albedo sighed solemnly, shaking his head. “I can only hope he does.”

Typical. Nobody around here knew how to do anything. Why would Azra even expect anything more? It wasn’t like there was anybody’s life on the line, or anything. “Well, one of you had better, because that asshole made me a promise to get me out of here. And I’m holding him to that.”

Albedo shuffled slightly in his seat. “I… never mind.”

“No, tell me.” Azra frowned. “I’m technically your superior, so you do kind of have to.”

“I attended your mother’s funeral.”

“Oh.” Azra looked down, blinking back unnecessary tears as she fiddled with the tassel on the end of her fan. “I only vaguely remember that day. My nanny kept having to stop me from committing verbal treason against my father, I think. And Gold gave me this.”

She held up the necklace she was wearing. Hanging on the chain was a small glass orb, decorated with gold and swirling with purple inside. Albedo stared at it for a moment.

“Hold on, is that… that’s Abyssal blood. The literal energy of the Abyss, and Master gave it to you in a necklace.”

“Yeah…? Honestly, you’d think you’d never been to Khaenri’ah before. I know what it is. Just because you’re an alchemist or something doesn’t mean everyone else is an idiot.”

“But that… that can be used to harness the Abyss’s power.”

“Not when it’s in the necklace, it can’t. The glass was forged from an equivalent power, it contains it. I don’t know the science behind it, but you’d need… I don’t know what to break it.”

“The two cancel each other out, so you’d need something to unbalance the scales…” Albedo shook his head, looking away again. “No. That’s a lost cause.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but…” Azra glanced over to where Gold had begun to usher people to their seats, a kind, motherly smile plastered on her face. “I need to leave before I get stuck here.”

“Where are you going?”

“Away from here. I would say I felt bad for leaving Kaeya to do this by himself, but… he has you. And I barely know him, anyway. I couldn’t provide any sort of comfort. I doubt you could, either, if you can’t save him.”

“There’s no need for that.”

“And when would be a good time to start? After we watch my brother kill a man? Or after he’s crowned with that man’s blood still on his hands? Because I can get on with this conversation whenever, really.”

Albedo seemed to think about this for a moment. “Perhaps I do see your point. But there’s still hope. We still have time, and it seems we’re on the same team, so your leaving would be ill-timed.”

“Yes, well, who knows? Maybe I’ll figure something out while I’m anywhere but here. If Gold asks, tell her I’ve excused myself for illness.”

Azra stood, nodding to the servants with a smile as she began to walk down the aisle. Before Albedo could even muster anything else to say, she was already out the door.

———

Allos studied every inch of the Dendro Archon’s expression. He had told her everything he could think to tell, and she hadn’t said a thing. A few minutes ago, she had closed her eyes and gone completely motionless. Soon after, she opened them again and returned to frowning worriedly at Allos.

“Ahem… L— Nahida? Are you alright?”

Nahida relaxed, looking up as if nothing had happened. “Hm? Oh, yes! I’m… fine. Just somewhat worried, is all. I need a plan, and the one I’ve got at the moment is very flimsy. Of course, I can’t just go down there myself—“

“You’re helping?”

Nahida grinned. “Of course I am! I’ll send word back to Gandharva Ville, too. And then I’m going to help you. There’s always places in Sumeru for you to stay and work, if you want.”

“I don’t need that kind of help. I’m only here to get back at M— Gold. I don’t…” Allos looked down at the table. “I don’t even feel guilty.”

“I know. But you will. I do believe that. It must be difficult when all you’ve ever known is anger.”

Allos only narrowed his eyes. He didn’t like the thought that he would eventually come to feel true regret for what he did. He didn’t know how to handle that; he had seen humans reduce themselves to nothing for such feelings, sometimes even less.

“What’s your plan?”

“Right. Well, I actually contracted a friend to help out with that. Luckily, I think you’re already acquainted. He should… oh! There you are!”

Allos turned around in his chair, and his expression somehow dropped even further when he saw who was walking through the Bazaar. This could absolutely not be happening.

“Nahida, what is it? You said it was urgent and I came straight from the inn—“ Aether’s eyes landed on Allos. “Please tell me that is Albedo and not who I think it is.”

“Well, I could absolutely tell you that. But it would be a lie. Come take a seat!”

Allos frowned as Aether hesitantly pulled out a chair at the table. “What are you doing here now? I didn’t see you helping with the relief efforts from Mondstadt.”

“If you must know, I was busy helping to prevent Fontaine from flooding. It was a whole prophecy, and definitely not relevant. Where have you been all this time? It’s been a while since the Dragonspine incident.”

“You remember me, then.”

“You’re not an easy person to forget.”

Nahida cleared her throat, looking between the pair of them with a pleasant smile. “Aether, this is Allos. You’ve met already, so we can skip the small talk - where’s Paimon?”

“Still sleeping. I left a note.”

“Great. In that case, I was wondering if you’d accompany Allos to Khaenri’ah to save Venti and two of your other friends.”

Aether blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Well, two of your friends from Mondstadt are in trouble, and from what I can tell, there’s about to be a rather extravagant coronation where they crown a new monarch and kill the Anemo Archon.”

“Who—“

“Alberich and Albedo. The former of which is… doing the killing part. And the monarch part.” Allos pursed his lips. “It’s my fault. At least partially.”

“Well, then what are we waiting for? When’s this coronation happening?” Aether was beginning to look increasingly angry. This would not end well for Allos later on.

“Well, accounting for the time it took for me to get here… right now.”

Aether groaned. “Nahida, with all due respect, why can’t you join us?”

Nahida shrugged. “I don’t have the gnosis. There’s no way I could go up against Rhinedottir like this, she’s one of the most powerful people in Teyvat. Besides, we can’t risk them getting hold of another Archon. And that’s not for my sake, it’s for everyone else’s. I would absolutely come if I thought I could help, but I promised to help Venti. Not to cause more problems by putting him in danger.”

“Fine. How are we getting there?”

Both parties turned to Allos. Finally, he felt as if he could help in some way.

“There is… an old kind of spell. Ancient, even. If I had some chalk, I could create a portal from here, without having access to the Abyss. All I’d need is some space on the ground.”

“Chalk? That’s ironic.” Aether muttered.

“Funnily enough, the irony of the situation is going to make this quite a bit easier.” Allos quipped, giving Aether a very purposeful glare as he swiped the tip of his finger across a sharp piece of wood hanging off the table. A drop of blood was drawn, but that quickly made way for a fine white powder at the surface. “My bloodstream is rather lacking. One of my many flaws.”

Aether sheepishly softened his expression, probably surprised by the sudden response. Allos felt a small amount of triumph as he stood up.

“Anywhere on the ground will do.” Nahida watched as Allos leaned down in the middle of the path, using his injured finger to create a circle on the paving stones. “You’re sure you know what you’re doing?”

“Of course. This is one of the more basic things I learned.”

“Why wouldn’t Gold just assume that this is your plan?” Aether asked. “I’m not sure what exactly has gone on while I wasn’t here, but she sounds like a smart woman.”

“Precisely. Smart, but logical,” Allos shuffled around, creating a second circle around the first. “She doesn’t act on a hunch. She’ll expect me to have been so frightened by her that she won’t expect me to come back with a plan. She could easily get rid of me alone, she knows that.”

“… what exactly did she do to make her think that you won’t be coming back any time soon?”

Allos paused. Powdered chalk continued to fall from his finger into a small pile as he hovered his hand in place, staring down at his work for a moment.

(“You’ve disobeyed orders at every turn. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’d developed a conscience.”)

(“This is the replacement. We’ll just have to sort out that lack of a mark on his neck, and nobody will ever know the difference!”)

(“Perhaps climb back into Durin’s stomach where I placed you in the first place.”)

(She hit him. It didn’t even hurt; the sparseness of his pain receptors made sure of that. But the horror that came afterwards, it twisted in him like a knife to the heart. What had he done to deserve this, he thought. All he had done was simply be.)

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business, Traveler.” Allos quickly returned to his work, scrawling symbols between the two circles.

Aether didn’t bother trying to ask again. Good.

Chapter Text

“First of all, I would like to sincerely thank everybody in this room for coming.” Rhinedottir looked out to the crowd, gazing down upon the crowded rows packed with figures both familiar and not. “And then, there’s the people who made this day possible. Princess Lumine, I thank you for the Abyss Order’s ever necessary cooperation.”

Lumine nodded. Like most women in the room, she was dressed in an uncharacteristically extravagant gown.

“Lord Pierro, who has given aid from the Fatui,”

Pierro gave a sly grin on the opposite side of the aisle.

“And, I suppose, the Abyss Order and Fatui troops who aided in the Teyvatian side of the preparations. Captain Kera, I… thank you for your service.”

Anyone could see the way that Rhinedottir’s smile soured ever so slightly as her eyes landed on Kera’s. Albedo looked over to where she was sat to see her glaring back smugly. In any other circumstances, he would find the rivalry between the two almost humorous.

“Now, I know, I know. You’re all waiting for one thing, and that is the restoration of our great land. I believe everyone has been supplied with a glass to toast with?”

The hall gave various sounds of affirmation. Albedo looked down at his own glass. He never liked alcohol, but Khaenri’ahn was the worst. Since not much could be grown down here, the fruit used was always bitter and dull tasting.

“Perfect. Doors, please.” Rhinedottir clapped her hands, and the door to the left side of the room creaked open.

Albedo leaned over, trying to catch a glimpse of what was beyond. Would he finally be seeing Kaeya again?

What came though was far more upsetting than the state Kaeya would be in, however.

Venti looked almost the same as he did when Albedo came to see him, and that wasn’t all that long ago. Now, however, he sported a thick ribbon crossed over his chest and bound beneath his shoulder blades, plastering his tattered wings to his back in a way that couldn’t possibly be comfortable.

As always, triumph wasn’t enough for Gold. It never was. She had to have her cake and eat it too - if Venti was to die, it would have to be as painful and humiliating as possible.

Venti’s wrists were bound together with similar ribbon, though he didn’t seem to be doing much about it. Even as he was helped onto the altar by the same servants that brought him in, he still carried an imposing defiance about him, staring directly at Gold the entire time, unblinking. Of course, Gold didn’t seem to mind this.

“I’m sure you all recognise this figure,” Rhinedottir gestured to Venti on the altar, not yet laying down. “A traitor to all mankind. His mere existence is an abuse of power, but today, we shall put an end to this. For the glory of Khaenri’ah.”

“For the glory of Khaenri’ah.” The room droned back.

“My own creation - my son, if you will - he can attest to this man’s crimes.” Rhinedottir extended her hand to Albedo, holding her glass high. “My dear, did Barbatos, the Anemo Archon himself, not allow his land to be destroyed before turning himself in? Did he not use the people of Mondstadt as a shield to his own life?”

Albedo did not like where this was going. He didn’t appreciate how, out of the corner of his vision, both a Fatui Harbinger and the Princess of the Abyss Order were waiting expectantly for the correct response. He looked to Venti, who only blinked slowly, nodding his head ever so slightly.

“Yes.” Albedo just about managed the word. By the time he looked back to Venti, he had turned his efforts back to Gold.

“You see? Though not many of us get the chance to ever see the beauties of the overworld, my own offspring has seen with his very own eyes what this man does in times of crisis. And some of you will even remember the horrors of the Dark Calamity that this same false god encouraged.”

Murmurs broke out around the room. The Abyss Princess bowed her head.

“… oh, you must forgive my rambling. You’ve heard this all before, I’m sure. Now, we put an end to that. I would now like to introduce you all to the head of the noble house Alberich… our new King.”

———

Azra had been circling the gardens for a while, now. It must have been twenty minutes since she left, at the very least. Which probably meant that the ceremony had only just begun, knowing how much Gold did like to talk. If nothing else, she could at least applaud her for her ability to hold a crowd.

She looked up as she passed by the same withered topiary that she had done at least half a dozen times already. A ripped, grey leaf fell down and brushed past her cheek as it fell. Beyond that, there was nothing but a blank sky. Or a lack of sky, as the case may be.

What was Teyvat like? Was it as beautiful as the stories told? Did the skies truly burn when night turned to day? Did the seas of Liyue shine like gold under the sun? Could she finally, finally have a real home?

Azra felt a faint smile cross her face as she imagined it; she would stay with Kaeya for a while, only until she saved enough to find her own place. She was a decent painter, perhaps that could be a path to pursue. If she ever needed help, she would have friends to dry her tears. And there would be people to see her laugh.

Azra didn’t often laugh.

For a single, blissful moment, Azra could see an entire universe of possibilities. Lives upon lives were just at her fingertips, but… something was wrong. Every single thought was tinged with just a hint of grief.

… Azra had to do something about the Anemo Archon situation, didn’t she?

With a sigh, Azra picked up her skirt from where it was dragging on the ground, picking up the pace of her walk to get back to the front doors. What was she going to do? That was, so far, unclear. But she had to do something. That blue haired fuck, making her yearn for a better life. Making her appreciate him as a brother. Who did he think he was, coming back after all this time and sending Azra’s tedious life into a chaotic overdrive?

Azra paused just at the bottom of the steps. Two men were in front of her, very clearly trying to break in to the palace. It had been left unguarded thanks to the ceremony, but the doors were still firmly locked. The fact that those two hadn’t figured it out yet was astounding.

“Having trouble, you two? You may need a key.”

The man on the left span around, holding out his sword down the stairs as his blonde braid swing around his face. The other - Allos, Azra recalled - kept trying to pick the lock.

“Hello, Azra.” Allos muttered, jamming a pin into the lock.

“You know her?” The second man asked, not moving his blade from the direction of Azra’s chest.

“Not very well, but yes. Can I approach?” Azra pointed up to the door.

“I… guess.”

“Great.” Azra hurried up the stairs. “And it’s ‘your highness’ to you, asshole.”

“Hm. You’re adjusting to your role, then.” Allos returned.

“Might as well make good of a bad thing. That’s not going to work, the lock’s infused with magic. It’ll only take the right key.”

“I thought as much might be the case.” Allos stepped back, putting the pin in the front of his hair. “This is… the Traveler.”

Azra raised her brows, turning to look at Aether in amazement. “No way. Actually? You’re just about the last person I’d expect to see down here.”

“I… am?” Aether asked.

“Yeah. I don’t think your sister wants you here, if I’m being honest. It can’t give her a very good reputation, you know?” She pulled an entire ring of keys from her dress and began rifling through them.

Aether decided to ignore what she was saying, and focus on the doing. “Where…?”

“I’m a girl in a ball gown. No pockets. Honestly, you’d think you’ve never seen a dress in your life.”

“No, I mean where did you get them from?”

“How do you think I got out here? With a key. Now, you two are going in there to stop the coronation, right?”

The other two nodded.

“Great. I’m helping.”

“You’re a child.” Allos stated, rather rudely.

“That seems unnecessary. Children can do a lot of things, and I’m not an actual child. I’m sixteen, not four. Besides, I know this place and everyone’s mannerisms like the back of my hand. That, and I want to see Gold’s face when I walk into the room.”

“I don’t see a problem with it.” Aether shrugged. “But who exactly are you?”

“I’m Kaeya’s sister. Keep up. And… there.” Azra took a step back, kicking the door open with the toe of her heels. “One open palace. We might want to hurry if we want to do this. I can take you to the ceremony hall.”

———

Kaeya looked ethereal. His white robes were long, dragging on the floor behind him like a veil - yet faintly his vision could be seen at his hip, glowing under the fabric and somehow kept in place. His eyepatch had evidently been taken from him, so instead, Kaeya was using as much hair as possible to keep his right eye hidden. His ponytail had also been notable let down, leaving his hair completely untied. It looked just like something Kaeya would despise, in Albedo’s mind.

And yet, Kaeya himself seemed unbothered. Albedo had always known he was good at hiding himself from his exterior, and that showed now more than ever. His expression was eerily indifferent as he stepped over to Rhinedottir’s side.

The crowd stood, and Albedo followed. The people bowed, and Albedo had no choice but to feign agreement, bowing his own head. He glanced up to see Kaeya momentarily meeting his gaze.

“Please be seated.” Gold’s thin smile remained as the crowd took their seats once more. “It has been many years since our Kaeya Alberich set foot in Khaenri’ah. Many years since he has known our land. In that time, he has grown from a wonderful child to a wonderful young man.”

Albedo made out the words that an older couple behind him whispered.

“She was a lovely young girl.”

“Hush, dear. There’s no need for that.”

Opting to ignore these comments - that was Kaeya’s business, not his - Albedo turned his attention back to Kaeya as Rhinedottir continued the tale of the last twenty something years.

He noticed that at some point, Venti had reached out from his place on the altar to hold Kaeya’s hand. It was a risky move, but nobody seemed to have noticed. Least of all Gold herself, who was recounting the day Kaeya was left in Mondstadt.

Eventually, this came to an end.

“Now, for the crowning. If everyone could please stand for the traditional vows to the nation.”

As the people stood once more, a servant rushed forward and handed Kaeya a glass. Everyone raised their own, and the two figures at the front of the hall turned to face each other.

Rhinedottir began. “Do you swear to uphold the values of our great nation?”

A reply came, a little too quickly. “I do.”

“Do you swear to protect your people from enemies of said nation?”

“I do.”

“Are you prepared to take on this role, along with all responsibilities that it brings you?”

“I do.”

“In that case, with the intake of this drink, forged from years of preparation for this moment, we bid you a long reign.”

Chapter Text

Someone brought Kaeya a wooden box. They opened it, and inside, on a bed of red cloth, was a dagger. He slowly reached out and wrapped his hand around it, feeling the coldness of the handle in his palm. Every eye on the room was on him.

He had been spending the last few minutes trying to come up with an escape plan. The doors? All of them were blocked by servants or guards. To take down those guards, he would first need to get past Gold, and then grab Albedo. If he succeeded, then yes, he could go free, assuming there were no other obstacles. If he failed… this would become even more of his own personal hell.

Gold span him around, her fingers digging into his shoulders for a moment. A warning. Do what you must, or suffer the consequences. And those consequences were dire.

Venti looked up at Kaeya as he looked over him, doing his best to bear a smile. The crowd couldn’t see his face. Neither could Gold, who was obligated by tradition to leave the vicinity of the altar while the sacrifice took place. It was just Kaeya and Venti.

“I would love to wake up at the bar right now.” Kaeya muttered, keeping his voice a slow as possible in the silence of the hall. He raised a hand to his watery eyes - he hadn’t cried in so many years.

“Hey, who knows?” Venti responded. “Feels pretty real, though.”

Kaeya hesitated. “This feels very strange. How are you the same person I knew literally just a week ago?”

“If I was going to make it out of this place, I’d probably have time to explain myself, or something. Unfortunately…” Venti strained his wings beneath the ribbon, wincing painfully. “Yeah. I don’t think I need to finish that.”

“I really wish I didn’t have to do this.”

“It’s not your fault.” Venti weakly raised a hand to Kaeya’s, squeezing it. “Besides, I’m pretty sure I’m already dying, if not slowly. I’ve gotten pretty beaten up over the past few days.”

“… you know, I’ve never killed anyone before.”

“Colour me shocked.”

“Hey, give me a break with the sarcasm, alright?”

“Sorry. My bad.”

“Your majesty…” Rhinedottir hissed from where she was standing beside the front pews.

Kaeya sighed. He gave one last look to Venti, who closed his eyes in response. He focused himself on where he had to aim the dagger, the white cloth over his heart. Would it bleed a lot? Would Venti be in a lot of pain?

He looked back to the pews behind him. There was a gap right at the front, beside Albedo, and Kaeya figured that must be where Azra was supposed to be. Albedo gave him as comforting a smile as he could muster (he wasn’t particularly good at it, but it was the thought that counted).

Kaeya swallowed, bringing his arm up and tightening his hand around the dagger. He closed his eyes, and with a sharp breath, he brought the blade down.

He heard a clatter, and opened his eyes. The dagger was halfway across the room, and next to it… was that… potpourri?

Kaeya turned to face the door to the left of the room. Thank fuck.

“Aether.” He heard a gasp from the crowd.

Kaeya had never been happier to see that man in his life. Well, in the little more than a year that he’d known him.

Aether was preoccupied with getting a guard to the ground, but on the other side of the doorway was a spilled glass bowl of various dried plant pieces. That pinecone was definitely Aether’s doing.

At the other end of the room, down beyond the rows of citizens, was yet another familiar figure. Allos was stood in the doorway, staring Rhinedottir, who had now turned down the aisle, defiantly down.

And then, oh so calmly, Rhinedottir turned away, walked past the altar, and retrieved both the pinecone and the dagger, holding them up mockingly.

“This? This was your big plan? A decorative plant organ?” Gold chuckled. “No need to fear, my people. This is nothing but a minor interruption. Service will continue momentarily.”

The crowd looked frightened. Kaeya turned to Venti, who seemed just as surprised by this development as he was. “Are you alright?”

“As alright as I was two minutes ago.” Venti whispered back. Kaeya nodded, and moved to step towards Gold, but Venti held his arm back. “Hey. Let this play out.”

“You’re sure?”

Venti nodded.

“We’re here to take back our friends, if you don’t mind.” Aether snapped, attempting to direct attention away from Allos. His boot was on the guard’s stomach.

“Oh, well of course. Because you have well and truly thought this through, haven’t you?” Gold chuckled. “You think we’re just going to stand back while you draw your little circles to open a portal to get back home? You think I’m going to let you take all this away from us at the last moment? Well, think again, dear Traveler.”

“Gold. We have spoken—“ Surprisingly, it was Lumine who spoke next. Kaeya had certainly put two and two together by now regarding her.

“Oh, you hush for a moment. This is between me and our intruders. And you, you failure,” Gold tilted her head, turning back to Allos. “I thought I told you not to come back here?”

“I came back because you told me not to. I’m not letting you take everything away from me again.” Allos’s voice shook slightly as he spoke.

“Is that so? Well, that’s a shame, because I have no intention of letting you do so. It would probably be best if everyone who isn’t supposed to be here right now left, before something unsavoury happens.”

“And murder isn’t unsavoury?” Aether folded his arms. “You can’t make someone kill another person for your own sake.”

“Oh, you misunderstand me! Thanks to your presence, the ceremony is no longer my main priority. You see, it was never necessary for his majesty to carry out the sacrifice alone. I plan for everything, you know. And now that you’re interrupting, I shall just have to initiate my plan B, so to speak.”

Gold dropped the pinecone, holding the dagger up in one hand and flicking her other wrist. There, between two fingers, was a small teal object that Kaeya didn’t recognise. The others seemed to, however, and Aether immediately tried to run toward her, only to be held back by two more guards.

“How amusing. I believe this situation has occurred before. Except, this time Traveler, you are being restrained from much more than a gnosis.” Gold turned to the crowd as she stood opposite Kaeya. “People of Khaenri’ah. I apologise for the interruption, but we will now be returning to our regular programming.”

Allos’s eyes widened at the same time as Albedo’s, and both sprung out of their seats to try and help.

“You will not!”

The roaring shout echoed through the hall.

Gold looked up to the source of the sound. Her eyes met Allos’s own, wide with amusement and fury all at once. Even Albedo paused halfway to the altar, flinching at the sound.

Miraculously, Gold gave in to the challenge, stepping back from Venti.

“What was that?”

“I said… you will not. You’ve ruined enough lives.”

“Hm. Then what a shame that I will be doing this anyway. Guards? And someone prepare the crown.”

Two guards on either end of the back row stood, and one of them swept their polearm underneath Allos’s feet as he tried to step out of the way, sending him flying to the floor on his front.

Kaeya was forced to look away from Allos as Rhinedottir grabbed his wrist, pushing the dagger back into his hand. “Come on. Your whole life has led to this moment, but I don’t blame you for hesitating. Which is why I shall do it with you.”

Kaeya couldn’t look Venti in the eye, anymore. He couldn’t even picture what he would look like. All he knew was the feeling of Gold’s nails digging into his hand, and the sounds of several scuffles behind him.

He was so tired. He didn’t want to be dealing with this anymore - all he wanted was for it to be done with.

His hand was moved, and cheers erupted throughout the hall. He felt (and heard) a squish, and was vaguely aware of his hand unwrapping from the weapon. Gold was walking away, and Kaeya was stepping back from the altar, resting his eyes on a nice, blank space on the wall. Perhaps he could just wait until everyone had left to process what just happened.

Nobody seemed to notice Kaeya’s apparent lack of presence as Gold took hold of the room’s attention once more, holding her hands out and throwing the gnosis into the air before catching it again in her other hand.

“Rejoice! For our new King’s reign begins now.” Gold watched as a servant came and placed a golden crown upon Kaeya’s head. She scoffed subtly at his lack of any sort of expression. “And as a matter of fact, while we’re all gathered, I have a few proclamations of my own to make, on his majesty’s behalf, as he seems a little under the weather.”

The crowd went near silent once more, passing confusion between their eyes.

“Gold? What is this?” Pierro furrowed his brows. It appeared that nobody had discussed this with him.

“Oh, as a matter of fact, my first applies to you, my Lord. The nation of Khaenri’ah will cut off all ties with the Fatui, effective immediately.”

“Excuse me?” Pierro scoffed. “We have helped you—“

“You abandoned your nation. And remind me once more, who heads the Fatui? The Cryo Archon, is it not? And I don’t believe our people want to be associated with an Archon. Not after what they did to us. Of course, I’d be glad to allow you back into our open arms, my Lord, but as for the rest of your troops…”

“This isn’t a war. There are no sides, and if they were, we would be on yours, Gold. Don’t start playing with fire now.”

“Oh, but it is! This shall be the most beautiful war to grace the lands. This,” Gold threw her hand back to Venti’s blood soaked body. He wasn’t dead yet, but he soon would be. “Is just the beginning. And anyone who follows the servants of Celestia is an enemy.”

“You’re insane.” Lumine stood, folding her arms. “You are not our monarch.”

“And remind me of your place of birth, again, Princess? Because it certainly wasn’t Khaenri’ah. Your duty, above all else is your brother, is it not? You are not worthy of leading the Abyss Order.”

Lumine said nothing, her mouth opening and closing in rapid succession as she looked between Gold and Aether, who was still wrestling against the guards’ grip. “… I… excuse me?”

“Ladies and gentlemen, I call for the Abyss Order to stand down, until comes such a time that the people of Khaenri’ah can lead it once more. As it should be. As long as the Princess is in charge, the Order shall not receive our support.”

“You’re insane.” Pierro huffed.

“No, I’m taking action. Which, conveniently, everyone else has failed to do over the last few centuries. Now, does anyone else have anything to say against me?”

Silence. And then a thud came from where Aether was standing, and both guards holding him had fallen to the ground.

Azra stood next to Aether, pulling the pin out of her hair to reveal a thin serrated blade. “As a matter of fact, I do.”

Chapter Text

“—lah? What are you doing?”

The child jolted, spinning around on her suitcase and sitting primly with her hands in her lap.

“Waiting for Papa.” She replied innocently.

“Do… do you miss him?” The tall man with a pale, scarred face and thick fiery hair looked back down at her, creasing his brows in concern. “It’s alright if you do. It has been a while, now.”

The child thought back to the vocabulary that she had been taught in the short amount of time she had spent here, in this large house in a foreign country, among grapevines and small animals that ran away from her whenever she tried to catch them.

“No. He is… not right.”

The man knelt down on the grass. “What do you mean by that?”

“Not right. I hear-ed one of the maids say it about me. The maid doesn’t want me. I don’t want Papa. The maid also says not right up here,” The child pointed to her temple. “But I don’t know if Papa is not right up here also.”

The man tsked quietly. “The maids shouldn’t be saying things like that about you. If they say it again, you come and find me, alright?”

“What does it mean, Master Crepus?”

“It… well, it means that they don’t think that you think correctly. Do you understand that?”

The child nodded, lowering her head slightly. “Papa says the same. I wear a…” She paused, before speaking a word in her native language. “I don’t know that word in your language. But it makes me feel bad, and when I say this, Papa calls me bad words. So I wear this. Shirt.” The child grasped her white button up tightly with one hand, trying to convey her point with limited vocabulary.

Crepus hummed in acknowledgment. “Well, if you come inside, Adelinde can help you show me what that means, yes? And then we know, so I never make you wear something that makes you feel bad.”

The child almost looked enticed by the offer… and then she shook her head firmly. “No. Waiting for Papa.”

“If you don’t miss him, why are you waiting for him to come back?”

The child rubbed her eye with one hand. “Don’t want to do this anymore. Papa says be good, but I don’t know what he wants me to do. He gives me instructions, but I can’t do them. Not anymore. Want to go home, see Mama and Azra.”

Crepus leaned forward, wrapping an arm around the child’s shoulder. “I know. I know. But you’ve just got to be patient, hm? And if you stay out here forever, you might get hungry.”

“Not forever. Only when Papa comes.”

“I think you mean until your papa comes.” Crepus chuckled. “Now, if you do come inside, I’ve had Adelinde cook a lovely dinner. Diluc is beginning to worry about you out here on your own.”

“… okay. I come in.” The child stood, pulling up her suitcase. “I stealed some of Luc’s clothes.”

“Ah, well, I’m sure he won’t mind. Here, I’ll take this from you.” Crepus pried the suitcase from the child’s hand, and the child grabbed onto his coat sleeve instead.

“I… scared. I think Papa wants me to do bad things.”

“Listen. You’re just a kid, and you’ve still got a lot of growing to do. You don’t need to make any hard decisions, or do any bad things, okay?”

“… okay.”

“You should never do things that you think are that bad, no matter who tells you to do them.”

“What if I do it without knowing?”

“What do you mean?”

“I…” For a moment, the child looked as if she was going to say something important. Perhaps the reason her father wasn’t coming back for her, or perhaps why she didn’t want to do as he said, or why she didn’t feel comfortable staying with this nice family that she was inevitably going to break apart. “I don’t know.”

———

“Kaeya? Kaeya. Come on, we need to do something. I can’t risk moving him on my own.”

Albedo was gripping Kaeya’s shoulders tightly. Kaeya shook his head, closing his eyes for a moment. “No, hold on. Just give me a minute.”

“For all we know, Venti might not have a minute.” Albedo sighed. “Sorry in advance.”

“What—“ Kaeya was cut off by a slap to his cheek. “That seemed unwarranted.”

“I absolutely wouldn’t do it in any other situation, now come and help me.” Albedo dragged him back to the altar. “Grab his legs, and I’ll take his arms. We’re going to that wall, over there.”

Kaeya did as he was told, though he was still quite confused. He didn’t know how long he had zoned out for (he was barely even aware that he had) but the room was full of people cowering between pews, someone was helping a few civilians through a side door, and several people that he didn’t have the energy to identify were involved in a heated physical altercation.

“How long has it been?” Kaeya muttered as he set Venti’s legs down on the ground by the wall.

“A few minutes. Again, I’m very sorry, but everyone else is somewhat busy at the minute.” Albedo looked over the wound. Blood was still spilling around the dagger. “You definitely hit the heart itself, but only just. The most damage is to the vena cava, I believe. So he’s at risk of shock, blood loss, and there’s a slight chance of cardiac tamponade, but that’s about the least of our worries.”

“How do you even know that?”

“A lot of knowledge on anatomy. Can you pass me something to try and stop the bleeding? Your socks should do for a moment.”

“Can you stop this?” Kaeya asked, pulling off his shoes and tugging at his socks.

“Depends. Venti, are you still conscious?”

“Yeah. I’m doing great.” Venti smiled weakly. He was growing increasingly pale.

“… that’ll do. Can you think of anything that can help?”

“Uh…” Venti paused to groan as Albedo pushed the socks on either side of the dagger. “Like this, I’m basically human, so, not really.”

Albedo’s eyes lit up. “Like this?” He turned to Kaeya. “We need the gnosis.”

Venti nodded gravely, and Kaeya looked over to the middle of the room. Gold and Pierro were deep in an argument as the only allies in the room were fighting off guard after guard. Where were they all coming from, anyway?

“I can’t do that.” Kaeya shook his head. “I’m unarmed. Even I don’t have the expertise to fight her.”

Albedo looked to Kaeya sympathetically. Kaeya wasn’t a fan of the pity he was showing. “Of course. In that case… Aether!”

Aether looked up, beating a young woman back with the pommel of his sword as he searched for the source of the sound. Luckily, Gold seemed too deep in her back and forth to care.

Albedo gestured his head down at Venti, and Aether immediately stopped what he was doing and rushed towards Gold. Kaeya couldn’t help but think that her reaction to this fact wasn’t right at all - rather than acting at all logically, or fighting back, she only stepped away, holding the hand with the gnosis above her head.

“Do you really want it?” She teased.

Aether said nothing.

“Oh, don’t be like that. You can have it if you really want it. I’d say in about…” Gold briefly glanced over to Venti. “Two minutes.”

“Hand it over.” Aether held his sword out, extending his arm so the tip was against Gold’s neck.

She only laughed, raising her chin to avoid the blade. “I’ve already told you that you can have it. There’s no need to kill me for that.”

Kaeya swore under his breath. “That woman is my least favourite person, right now.”

“I know what… she wants.” Venti’s voice was hoarse. “As long as she gets why she took the gnosis in the first place… someone get her attention for me.”

Albedo shook his head insistently. “That’s an abysmal idea. You can’t just give in to what she wants.”

“Oh.” Kaeya looked back down at Venti. “Oh, I get it. And I’m with Albedo on this one. Don’t.”

“Look, I don’t want to use my age and experience against you, but I am almost three thousand years old. I know what I’m doing.”

“And you’re doing what, exactly?”

“Saving my life. Now, shout at her or something.”

“There is no way you’re almost three millennia old…” Kaeya shook his head. “Fine. Hey, Gold!”

This drew both Aether and Gold’s attention, and the latter grinned triumphantly.

Venti took a deep breath, and closed his eyes tightly. As he did, a flurry of wind was pulled up around the room, and everyone stopped fighting at once. Being so close to Venti, Kaeya was almost blown back, but Albedo held his arm out to gram his wrist before he could be thrown back onto his tailbone.

At first, it was almost magical. The skylight above the hall began to fill with a golden glow, and something green fell over the glass. Nothing green could ever be found in Khaenri’ah.

And then, Kaeya turned back to Venti. Though his braids shone a bright teal, and a faint light of the same shade flickered beneath his eyes, seemingly resonating with the gnosis (Kaeya was going to have to ask exactly what one of those was, later), he was looking less lively by the moment.

His skin paled even further, visibly sinking into his face. His hands trembled over his wound, and his whole body tensed in discomfort.

Apparently sick of watching this happen, Albedo eventually lightly grabbed Venti’s hand, and everything stopped. Venti heaved in another breath, breaking into a coughing fit.

Kaeya glared at Gold. “Hand it over.”

Gold shrugged, holding her spare hand up to lightly move Aether’s steadfast blade away from her. “Alright, then.”

Kaeya held his hands up just in time to catch the glass object as it span through the air. He brought it down to Venti, looking at it in awe (and a little fear - after all, this was everything he was raised to stay away from). “What do I do with it?”

“Something isn’t right with it.” Albedo grabbed it from Kaeya’s palm, holding it up to the light. Sure enough, the teal was tinged with another colour.

“We do not have time for this, Albedo. It can wait. Venti, what do we do?”

Aether came skidding over to the side of the room. “Shove it into his chest.”

“Right. I forgot you somehow knew about all of this.”

Aether rolled his eyes, leaning down as Albedo did as he said. “Are you two alright?”

“That’s a pretty fucked up question to ask, don’t you think?”

“I meant physically.”

“I think so. Guess I have you to thank for that? Quick thinking with the pinecone.”

“No problem. Now, does anyone know how we’re getting out of here? Because it took a whole written incantation to get us here, and given the chaos going on around, I don’t think we have time to do that again.”

“I haven’t had to think about it. I thought you’d come with a plan.” Albedo pressed his hand to Venti’s forehead as he spoke. “We’d need access to Abyssal energy to create a portal like they can. But we don’t… oh.”

“What is it?”

“The necklace.” Albedo stood suddenly, backing away. “Kaeya, stay with Venti. Aether, with me.”

Aether nodded as Albedo rushed out down the hall, where people were now in even more of a panic than before.

Kaeya threw his hands up in a questioning gesture. “Hey, what about me?”

“I don’t think he thinks you’re in a good enough state to help with whatever he thinks he’s found.” Aether shrugged, pacing backwards. “Just watch out for Gold!”

“I—“ Kaeya stopped himself, looking around to figure out where the mage had even gone. But she was nowhere to be found.

He looked back down to Venti, who was apparently unconscious, but seemed stable enough. At the very least, his bleeding had slowed to a near halt. It seemed he was being kept alive by that thing, at least temporarily.

Chapter Text

“Are you alright? You look like you’re losing energy.” Kera grinned.

“Oh, fuck you.” Azra returned, still holding out her small blade in an attempt to fight off any attempts that the Captain may make to get closer.

They had been at this for several minutes. Moments after Azra entered the hall, the fight broke out, started by Kera. She had snuck down the side of the room, and immediately launched herself at the princess with an impressive force. Even still, it was clear that she was holding back - she never went in for a blow that would actually cause any lasting damage.

“I really don’t know how nobody saw this fire in you earlier, Princess. You’ve clearly been stoking it for quite a while. It’s just a shame you’re using it to fight the wrong battles.”

“Who are you to say something like that?”

“Someone who actually lived through the atrocities of the war, for one thing. You’ve no idea how privileged you are. You’ve lost no children, no partner, nothing more than a mother who went insane.”

Azra scowled. “You don’t get to talk about my mother.”

Kera made a move to approach with the polearm she had quickly grabbed from somewhere (her usual bow wouldn’t be particularly useful in this kind of combat, after all), and Azra lowered herself slightly, sweeping one leg out and tripping Kera in the process.

Azra smirked as the woman fell to the ground, her weapon clattering at her side. She placed her heel on her stomach, pressing down.

“Impressive.” Kera admitted.

“Six months of self defence classes that I spent a year trying to get my nanny to approve. It’s not much, but apparently it was enough for a trained warrior.”

“You got lucky.”

“I was going to ask if you needed any help, but you seem to have this covered.” Azra turned to see Aether and Albedo standing a metre or so away.

She smiled innocently in response. “Thank you. I told you I could handle it, didn’t I?”

“Where’s Allos?” Albedo asked.

Azra leaned down, pulling out a ribbon, the last thing holding her hair in place. She quickly tied it around Kera’s wrists and stood back up. “I think he went outside to find us a way out of here. From what I heard as the door closed, he got himself into a fight while he was at it. What do you want?”

“Your necklace. I’ve figured it out.”

Azra furrowed her brows, but reached behind her neck to undo the clasp anyway. “How?”

“The gnosis, at a guess. Aether, what do you know about gnoses?”

“Not much.” He replied.

“Well, I know nothing, so you might want to elaborate.”

“You’re working on a hunch?” Aether sighed. “Alright, then. The only thing I know is that every Archon has one, and that they were made from the remains of this… descender. Someone who didn’t come from Teyvat.”

Albedo smiled ever so slightly, grabbing the necklace. “Perfect.”

He then proceeded to weave back through the crowd, and Azra kicked Kera to the side before chasing after him, Aether quickly in tow.

“I can’t see much from back there, but I’m pretty sure you just used the gnosis to save that guy’s life.” She called after Albedo. “You can’t use it to break the necklace as well.”

“I don’t need to. I only need the power it exudes. We can’t do it in here, though, we’ll have to go outside. Find Allos.”

Azra hesitated, if only for a moment. But it was enough for Albedo to turn back around and give her a knowing look. “We’re not going to leave without you.”

“I…” Azra’s expression hardened, and she nodded. “I know. I’ll be right back - head for the library, it’s just across the hallway, two doors to the right.”

———

“My condolences, dear.” A voice spoke down in Khaenri’ahn.

The tall woman was looking down at Azra beneath the wide brim of her hat. It was a very pretty hat, Azra thought to herself. She wondered if she would look good in such a frilly piece, or if it would just be too big for her. She considered asking for the hat so she could see, but then she felt a hand gently rest on her shoulder. The hand came from another slender woman, with pale skin and white hair (like a ghost, Azra thought) and golden rimmed glasses.

Azra suddenly straightened, nodding her small head and shaking the hand off her shoulder to avoid her retainer’s talons of nails. “Thank you.”

“I’m sure you miss your mother,” The tall woman continued, apparently satisfied with this response. “I do, too. She was quite the… tenacious woman. Such a tragic loss.”

Azra didn’t know what tenacious meant, but she nodded again anyway. “I do miss Mama. I miss Papa a lot, too.”

The woman raised her brows - or at least, Azra imagined she did. Her hat cast a shadow over the top half of her face in such a way that she couldn’t see her eyes. “Your father is still with you, though. He should be around here somewhere.”

Her retainer, Elize, coughed politely. She did that a lot, mostly when someone said something she didn’t want to hear. “His Grace has been… preoccupied, of late. What the young mistress means is that his evident grief has prevented him from interacting with her as much as he usually does. As you can imagine, the loss of a wife and a child can be challenging.”

The tall woman hummed in solemn agreement, but Azra looked up to Elize in confusion. “Kaeya isn’t dead. He’s just gone away, like Mama said.”

Elize pinched the bridge of her nose, shooting the taller woman an apologetic glance before kneeling down in front of Azra. “Azra, this is your mother’s funeral. You must remain respectful, alright? You’re too young to understand, I know that…”

“I’m being plenty respectful.” Azra huffed. And she didn’t think she was too young, she was almost nine, after all. “You’re talking about my brother as if he’s dead.”

“Oh, gracious, your mother didn’t fill your head with that nonsense, did she?” Elize brushed a lock of hair out of Azra’s face. “You have a sister, Azra. Not a brother.”

“But Kaeya—“

“Your sister was named after your great, great grandmother. Heavens, put some respect on the names of your ancestors. Just for one afternoon, don’t cause any more trouble? Please?”

Azra took a deep breath. She glanced back up to the tall woman, who, although she still couldn’t see, was probably looking back at her in wait. And then she nodded. “Yes, Miss Elize.”

“Wonderful.” Elize sprang up as quickly as she’d gotten down, plastering a tightly wound grin on her thin face. She looked back to the tall woman and bowed slightly. “Royal Mage. It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, but I believe it is a good time to take Azra to meet with the other guests.”

“Of course. I’ve left a gift for the young mistress with her butler, I believe.” The woman smiled kindly.

“Oh, you didn’t have to do that, by any means. But the family thanks you for your generosity, as usual.”

“It’s nothing, truly.” The woman placed her hands on her hips. “Now, where is my boy…”

She called something out in Teyvatian that Azra wasn’t yet fluent enough to understand. Azra looked uncertainly to Elize, who only ignored her.

Finally, a blond boy a good few years older than Azra came running across the room, a half empty glass of water in one hand. He looked tired, Azra thought, and she waved at him in silence. The boy didn’t wave back.

The strange woman leaned down, beating dust from the boy’s black suit. “There, now, don’t go running off again. Come along.”

Azra watched as the boy let himself be herded away by the woman’s arm. The moment the pair of them were out of earshot, Elize began pulling Azra in the opposite direction.

“You shouldn’t say things like that, Azra. Intelligence tells us that your sister is doing perfectly well, as she is.”

“But you don’t have the intelligence. Mama did, there was a man who came to her and told her things. And then Mama told me.”

Elize stopped in place, looking down at Azra furiously. “Do you know this man’s name? This is very important, so don’t lie.”

“Yeah?” Azra gave Elize an odd look. “I just call him Iason. So did Mama.”

Elize visibly relaxed, and her pleased (if not tired) smile returned. “Thank you, Azra. You’ve no idea how much that helps.”

Iason had been Azra’s friend, for a while. According to Mama, he had helped when she was younger, and Azra remembered him teaching her basic Teyvatian when she wanted more after her regular lessons ended. They played together outside, and he even helped Mama when she got more ill.

A week later, Azra was told that Iason wouldn’t be coming to see her anymore.

Five days after that, she was brought out to the city square. There were large crowds, and too much noise, and even though she didn’t want to go, her father thought it necessary. And nobody disobeyed Papa.

Up on a stage, there was a person hanging from a pole by a rope. His head was bagged, and his wrists were tied. Azra didn’t know who it was at first.

And then she saw a little girl who looked an awful lot like Iason weeping at the bottom of the stage, inconsolable.

———

Minutes later, the small group - save for Allos and Azra, who were yet to appear - had barricaded themselves in the library. It would be a beautiful room, if any of them had time to actually admire it. Venti had been laid out on one of the tables, and Albedo had placed the necklace firmly in his hand.

“Venti, it would be incredibly helpful if you could do something, right now.” Kaeya muttered from where he was sat in the corner of the room. Albedo had insisted that he rest for a while.

No response came.

Someone banged harshly on the door, and Aether drew his sword in a panic.

“Open the door.”

“Fuck no.” Kaeya replied, folding his arms.

A sigh. “It’s me. Allos.”

“Definitely not, then.”

“Don’t be an ass, Kaeya.” Aether rolled his eyes, pulling the chair away from the door handle and cautiously opening it a crack. “Where’s Azra?”

“I’m not sure.” Allos replied as Aether allowed him to step into the room before quickly slamming it closed again.

Kaeya’s eyes widened. “What? How could you lose her? She was supposed to bring you here.”

“Calm down. She fought off an Abyss mage for me, and then said she’d take care of the rest of them. She looked like she could handle herself.”

“The rest of who?!”

“Oh, yes. It seems that following the Anemo Archon’s use of power, much of the land was revitalised. Which must’ve drawn the rest of the Abyss Order in.”

“Hold on, let me get this straight. You left my child sister with members of the Abyss Order?”

“She told me to go ahead, I don’t see what the problem is.”

“Oh, for Celestia’s sake, stop arguing.” Albedo snapped. “Allos, any ideas on how to get him awake?”

Allos stepped over to the table, looking over Venti with a tilted head. “Well, I have one… you’re not going to like it.”

Albedo stepped back. “Give it a try.”

Allos reached out to where the dagger was still lodged firmly in Venti’s chest, and gave it a sharp twist. A strangled cry came in return, and Venti’s hand squeezed the necklace tightly. A moment later, deep purple began to drip from between his fingers.

“Ah. There it is.” Albedo held his hand out and let the strange substance fall into his palm. “Not the best idea, no, but it should be fine.”

Kaeya didn’t really understand how he was the only one who seemed to understand what was so wrong with everything that was happening. Then again, Aether did look a bit pale.

“So what are you doing with that?”

“Something I know only very vaguely how to do.” Albedo raised his hand, and the substance wandered idly into the air in small globules.

“How are you doing that?” Aether asked quietly.

“Well, it’s less scientific than you’d think. It mostly relies on the brain—“

“You know what? I change my mind. Whatever this is, it’s really strange.”

The substance floated about the air for a moment, before stringing together and bursting out into a galaxy-like tear in the air of the room.

“And there it is. One portal.”

Chapter Text

“I’m not waiting anymore.” Kaeya stated simply. Aether and Allos had taken Venti through the portal exactly six minutes and thirty three seconds ago, according to the clock on the wall. “I’m going to find Azra. Are you coming with me?”

Albedo was still watching the portal. “I can’t. If I leave, the portal will close, and that’s all the necklace had in it. Besides, I don’t actually know how close to the target destination the portal ended up. Someone needs to be here in case the others come back through. But…”

“But?” Kaeya sighed, his hand already on the door handle.

Albedo turned his head to face Kaeya, smiling gently. “Good luck. And be back as soon as you can.”

Kaeya dropped his shoulders. “Naturally.”

“Oh, and, don’t go without a weapon, because that would be stupid. There’s an umbrella stand with a sword in it down by your foot.”

Kaeya froze. He was absolutely about to leave without anything to defend himself or his sister with. He picked up the sword and flipped it in his palm, getting used to the feel of it before opening the door. “Thanks.”

Albedo nodded, already turning his attention back to the portal.

———

When Azra came to, there was a pounding in her head and a cool feeling against her neck. That would be the second time that day that someone had been held at knifepoint in the palace, then (too soon?).

She wasn’t in the ceremony hall anymore. She was outside, in the gardens. They looked beautiful, she thought momentarily, so rich in colour and draped in light from an indeterminable source. They would’ve been a lot nicer had she not been aware of the suffering it took for this to happen.

“Welcome back, princess.”

Azra tried kicking her leg out behind her to Gold, but she was met with the short sword in front of her slowly moving down to her chest, digging ever so slightly into the flesh above her collarbone. She whined at the sudden pain - never had she felt the sting of a blade before.

“You’re my last hope, you know that? I need a figurehead, after all. With your help, I can take down each and every citizen of Teyvat. One by one, every single pawn. Only six nations left to fall, how about that?”

“Stop this.”

“Hm. I don’t think I will. I am no coward, and the pleas of a child shan’t stop me. You will help me, whether you like it or not. I’ve already done what I need to, you see.”

“What… what do you mean?”

“Those Abyss agents you fought so valiantly. They managed to knock you out for me. It gave me plenty of time, just as having the gnosis in my possession gave me plenty of time to do the same to Barbatos. He might have cured my beloved work of art, but he can’t very well do the same to himself.”

The pain she felt in her head, it wasn’t from where she was knocked unconscious. That was done with something else. Azra felt fear building within her.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because it doesn’t matter. You don’t matter. Not yet, anyway. You’re far more difficult to hurt than your brother. He has connections, and you… you have nothing. Nobody. It’s quite amusing, really.” Gold paused. “Well… that, and the fact that you won’t remember any of this conversation when you wake up.”

“I… what do you mean?” Azra blinked, trying to wrestle her way out of Gold’s grip. "Get the f... fuck off."

“Oh, don’t be like that. You’re too far gone, anyway. It’s futile. Just let it happen.” Gold's arms tightened around Azra, preventing her from moving any more. Celestia, that woman had biceps.

Despite her efforts, Azra felt herself weakening. And weakening, and weakening, until…

She dropped into Gold’s cold, waiting arms.

———

Azra wasn’t in the lobby. Nor was she in the hall, or the cells on the lower floor, or in any of the rooms Kaeya had checked along the way. So where was she?

He called out her name again, his eyes darting around the lobby as he crossed through it for the dozenth time. Purely by chance, his eyes drifted over to the window, where the vibrant land and the lights of the city beyond could be seen. And there, just down the stairs, was Gold, with her Cheshire grin and Azra hung out on her arms.

He kicked open the front door, hurrying down the stairs. “Let her go.”

“Did you come for a fight, your majesty?”

“Don’t call me that.”

“All I’d need to do is slit her throat. That’s all I’d need to ruin what little of a life you have left down here. So you don’t want to hurt me.”

Kaeya narrowed his eyes. “Oh, believe me, I do.”

(In the back of his mind, he had a thought. Why was Gold making this so easy? He pushed this aside - he needed to get his sister.)

“I’ll give her to you without a fight, actually. I’m a passive woman. I don’t battle. All I need from you is one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Beg.”

Kaeya dropped his sword arm to his side, caught off guard by this statement. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. I don’t ask for too much, do I? Especially since soon, I’ll be the new queen of the Abyss Order. I deserve, at the very least, this.”

“I’m not doing that.”

“Well, I suppose I could always just…” Gold moved her hand, revealing a weapon that quickly swiped into the sleeve of Azra’s dress, drawing blood.

Kaeya took another step forward, as if to reach out to stop the blade. But he was still too far away.

"Put your weapon down." Gold commanded, and Kaeya, stupidly, did so without hesitation. "Good. A little late for you to suddenly be good at following orders, but at least you've learned now. I, and everyone else in Khaenri'ah for that matter, wants the best for you, Kaeya Alberich. Whether you see it or not."

"And the best is threatening me with the life of my sister?"
"Well, I would absolutely threaten you with the life of someone closer to you, but as far as I can tell, they've already left. And I don't want to hurt my dear child. Besides, I'm only doing this because you've been so... brainwashed by your life in Mondstadt. You seem to have forgotten what your purpose truly is, and that is deeply saddening to me."

"You're one of the people who voted that I be left in Mondstadt in the first place. Just because I was young, doesn't mean I've forgotten."

Gold's eyes widened in apparent shock. "I did not! No, I wanted you to stay here, knowing that you would someday ascend to the throne. If something were to happen to you while you were beyond our reach, well... your sister was never fit to reign."

"You mean Azra was never easy to manipulate." Kaeya spat. "I know what you do. I've seen it in Albedo, and as much as I dislike him, I've seen it in Allos. Hell, I've even seen it in Azra, and she is one of the strongest people I've ever met."

"Then your perception of me is far too biased to your preconceptions of my personality. I tell no lies. I say things as I believe them, and your disagreement doesn't make them any less true."

Gold raised her head, looking down at Kaeya with none of the smugness she usually wore. She looked almost truthful, but Kaeya knew better than that. He did. He believed none of what she was saying.

“Don’t even try.”

“Nobody has the strength to deny the truth forever, your majesty. Even your father succumbed to the knowledge that what I’m doing is for the greater good, in the end.”

Kaeya narrowed his eyes. “My father killed himself.”

“Indeed he did. And why do you think such a stubborn man went and did that?”

“You’re suggesting you had something to do with it?”

“Not directly, of course. That would be absurd.” Gold paused, seeming to be revelling in Kaeya’s anger for a moment. "Now, this has been a rather enlightening conversation, your majesty, but I'm afraid I tire of defending myself against your prejudice. I'd rather take my tea, I think. It's truly wonderful, you could join me... let me think... milk, two sugars?"

"I don't think I will."

Gold closed her eyes for a moment, taking in the stale air. She stretched her shoulders, extending her neck almost like a particularly graceful bird. "A shame. But, in that case, we should probably circle back to the previous matter. I have laid out my terms. I give you your sister... if you ask nicely."

"I..." Kaeya shook his head, as if the very act would allow him to shake off his pride and every instinct telling him not to give in to Gold's games. But he had little choice in the matter, and Kaeya was particularly skilled in going against his instincts. "Please."

Gold hummed. "I don't think I heard that. This new environment, it's too overwhelmingly glorious. It's difficult to focus on something like you amidst these lovely gardens, with the least offence meant."

With that ringing in his ears, Kaeya struggled to prevent himself from strangling the woman. But if he'd already begun, he may as well go all the way. So he tried again, a little louder. "Please... hand over Azra."

Gold shifted Azra's limp body in her arms, and then, after a moment of contemplation, tossed her across the grass as if she weighed nothing at all.

Kaeya lowered himself to the ground, ripping the sleeve from Azra’s gown to prevent it from getting stuck in the wound. Apart from her arm and a small cut across her collarbone, she seemed fine.

“Just remember, the fact that you’re leaving? It means nothing. It certainly doesn’t mean this is over for you. Any of you. We’re only just getting started, Alberich, and besides, you’re a king now. You’ll be back, sooner or later.”

Gold moved her hand, and a portal opened behind her. She took a step back, and fell right through, disappearing before Kaeya could muster up any idea of what to say in reply.

He stood, trying to drag Azra up with him.

Kaeya strained under the effort as he held his sister in his arms - this would’ve been much more anyone else’s forte, really. How Gold made it look easy was beyond him.

Eventually, however, he did make it back to the library, where Albedo immediately stood from where he was sitting and looked Azra over with a careful eye.

“What happened?”

“What do you think? She’s fine, I think. Let’s just get out of here before Gold tries kidnapping anyone else.”

“I agree. Besides, she’s injured. It’s best to get her medical attention to lower chances of infection.” Albedo paused, leaning forward and pressing a soft, hesitant kiss to Kaeya’s cheek. “You did a good job.”

“So did you. Then again, where’s the surprise there?” Kaeya walked to the portal. “So I just… walk through? Like before?”

“Yes. The first time’s always the worst, so you should feel less nausea this time, but if you present with any other negative symptoms, sit or lie down. I’ll be through right after you.”

Kaeya rolled his eyes. “Of course, Doctor.”

“I’m not a doctor. Don’t say that. Now, hurry up. This portal takes an awful lot of concentration to maintain.”

Chapter Text

Someone was carefully wrapping something around Azra’s arm. She felt a rush of cool wind around her.

“Okay, you are going to have to explain everything that happened while you were away. We were worried about you.”

“Ouch! Okay, okay, I get it. Just… can Albedo talk to you? I need to lie down.”

“Well… yes, of course. But why…?”

“Doctor’s orders.”

“Once again, I am not a doctor.”

“Yeah, I know. But it fits my story better.”

———

Only a few minutes had passed - the bandaging on her arm still felt cool and foreign, and her wound still stung.

“I’m not sure I understand where that young woman fits into all of this.”

“She’s Kaeya’s sister.”

“I think… I vaguely remember him mentioning a sister. But that must’ve been years ago, when we were still children. Young enough for Barbara to be around, because that was why he brought it up…” A pause. “Do we need to prepare any defensive strategies?”

“Well, you’re the boss. Quite literally, now. But if you’re asking me for a solution, I’d say we should approach Tighnari and ask him to keep this infirmary closed to anyone who doesn’t need to know. He and Cyno are going to want an explanation, of course…”

“I’ll ask Kaeya. And I suppose I should tell Diluc, as well. But we’re keeping parts of this between ourselves. Some of this is private, I understand that. I understand that there are things you’re keeping from me, as well, and that’s fine. I just feel bad for Venti…”

“He’ll understand. Besides, I’m sure people will already have their suspicions.”

“Oh, absolutely. You wouldn’t believe some of the things I’ve had to clear up the past few days. I had a man thinking he was an adeptus.”

———

“What’s the verdict?”

“This isn’t normal. A stab wound, sure, that’ll take some healing. But such a superficial wound will be painful, but it shouldn’t be taking this long to recover. There has to be something else going on here.”

“I’d run some tests, but…”

“No, I understand. You have things to be doing as well. How’s he holding up?”

“He’s doing… alright.”

“… well, tell him that me and Cyno said hi. Collei too.”

———

Azra awoke to a blinding light pouring through the windows. She didn’t yet recognise the fact that she wasn’t supposed to be feeling such light on her face at all, taking a moment to bask in it.

Suddenly, a shadow cut a hole in the glorious view of the light, and she let out a quiet groan.

“Oh! I’m so sorry, I’ll just…” A voice squeaked, and the shadow moved over to the side.

Azra blinked, taking in the light once more. She sighed, appreciating the way it flushed her face with warmth. And then… she remembered. Kaeya, the ceremony, fighting the Abyss mages. The only thing she didn’t remember was getting out.

She shot up, looking around in a panic. “I’m not… am I still… where am I? Was… did they leave me?”

“Hey, it’s okay!” Azra flipped her head to the direction of a young girl with green hair - probably about her age. She must’ve moved too quickly, because the girl took a step back. “You’re in Sumeru.”

“Sumeru…” Decidedly not Khaenri’ah. This couldn’t be happening, could it? Azra looked around the room - bright, homely, full of life. Foreign concepts. And there, in a bed next to her own, was that… Venti person. Were gods even people? “Is he alright?”

The girl followed Azra’s gaze, raising her brows. “I think so. Tighnari treated him, and so did Jean, and they’re two of the most skilled people I know, so…”

Venti had a hospital gown on. Azra recognised those well. But they always had negative meanings attached to them - Venti looked peaceful. “We’re really in Sumeru.”

“Yep! Where are you from?”

Azra looked back to the girl. “You don’t know anything, do you?”

The girl’s face fell. Now Azra just felt bad; she didn’t mean to be rude. “I… I know bits. I listened in. I’m not really supposed to be here, but the schedule said you needed checking in on, and everyone else is busy.”

“What, am I some sort of secret?”

“I think it’s more Venti than you. But… kind of. People around here get gossipy. My name’s Collei, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you. Azra.” Azra attempted to lift her arm, only to feel a searing pain. “Ah… sorry, could you help me up? I feel like an idiot down here.”

“Hm… okay, but be careful.”

Collei approached, gently lifting Azra into a sitting position. Apparently, looking down at herself, Azra had been dressed the same way as Venti. It was comfortable, actually. And aside from the bandage around her arm and a patch of gauze taped above her chest, she seemed… fine. She felt fine, too.

“It’s bright around here.”

“Well, it’s just about sunrise. Later in the day, the sun disappears behind the rainforest canopy. It makes some pretty patterns in the grass, though.”

Azra smiled softly. “Kaeya… that lucky asshole. How long have I been here?”

“Three nights. Then again, look on the bright side! Day four is only just beginning!”

“I admire your optimism.”

Collei picked at the skin on one of her fingers nervously. “You’re… sixteen, right? Sorry, I read your medical chart. My age.”

“Yes. That’s me. So you’re a bit young to be a nurse, then?”

“I’m… not a nurse. I’m a Forest Ranger. Recently qualified. Also, my… Tighnari, he cares for me. And he practically runs the place, so it’s easier for me to help out.” Collei paused. “I also know a lot about what’s gone on while you were asleep, if you want me to tell you.”

Azra nodded. “I think I would like that. Thank you.”

Collei beamed, reaching behind her and pulling up a chair. “So, um, where do you want to start?”

“Wherever you want. As you know, I haven’t been conscious at all since I got here. In fact, I have no memory of coming here at all.”

“Huh. I should probably report that to Tighnari…” Collei trailed off, shaking her head. “Anyway. Albedo and the Traveler got here first, they brought Venti. Nobody would let me in while he was being treated, so I waited outside. And then Kaeya showed up with you and Albedo, and you didn’t need much patching up. Everyone spoke inside for a bit, and then one by one, everyone left again. It was pretty quiet at dinner that evening, especially since Kaeya wasn’t there.”

“What? Where was he?”

“Oh, he’s been in his room a lot. I don’t want you to tell me, because I’ve been through… stuff, too. But I think something really bad happened while he was out. A lot of bad somethings. Albedo’s been taking care of him. And Jean, and Diluc - I don’t know if you’ve met Diluc. He’s nice! But he’s a bit scary. I don’t talk to him very much.”

Azra knew who Diluc was all too well. Her mother had mentioned him. “What about Venti?”

“Oh, he’s been awake a few times. I think everyone was a bit nervous around him when we found out… that he’s the Anemo Archon, that is. But Tighnari reminded everyone that they have no problem with the Dendro Archon, so they shouldn’t have any problem with Venti.”

“Everyone knows? That can’t have been fun for him. As far as I can tell, not even Kaeya knew until it was too late.”

“I dunno. When he’s awake, he just gets up, goes outside, takes a walk, and comes back in again. Everyone keeps trying to stop him from taking walks, because he’s still pretty hurt, which seems to worry everyone else. The good news is that somehow, he got his wings… away? If that makes sense? The only bad news is that he hasn’t recovered yet. Oh! And then there was Dvalin.”

Azra furrowed her brows. “Who is Dvalin?”

“One of the Four Winds. He’s a dragon. Anyway, he came by Gandharva Ville yesterday to look for him. Hence…” Collei gestured to the furthest window, which now appeared more as a gaping hole in the wall. “The massive claw mark.”

“Sounds like I’ve missed a lot.”

“Just a bit.” Collei tilted her head. “Are you from… you know?”

“Khaenri’ah?” Azra smirked. “Yeah. You clearly know a bit, then.”

“Well… I guess…”

“You know, all my life, I’ve been waiting to be here, but now it feels like too much. I think I just need to sit here and let myself adjust to the presence of natural light for a year or two. So how much do you know, if you managed that?”

“Only that that’s where Kaeya and Albedo went. And that they both came back in pretty fancy outfits. And that they’re worried about some woman called Gold. Nobody will tell me any more.”

“I’m not surprised. You’re not wrong about Kaeya, you know. What happened down there was pretty fucked up.” Azra made a move to shift positions again, only for her to feel yet another sharp pain in my arm. She hissed. “Is that supposed to hurt this much? Because I’ve been hurt before, and it never does. Besides, you said it was superficial.”

“I… I’m not sure. I haven’t been treating you, so, you know. I can see if I can find Tighnari for you?”

“That would be great. Thanks.” Azra thought for a moment, and then added, “Could you get the word around about me being awake? I don’t want people thinking I’m comatose, or something.”

Collei nodded. “No problem! I’ll be right back, just give me a minute.”

Azra watched as Collei moved to leave. As the door swung open, a thought occurred to her. “Would you mind leaving the door open?”

“Sorry… it kind of has to stay closed. Privacy reasons.”

“Oh. That’s fine, then, I get it.” Azra shrugged.

Collei’s eyes wandered back to Azra’s arm. “Will you be alright while I’m gone? Just… move as little as possible.”

Azra nodded, and this seemed enough to soothe Collei’s worries. She left, already rushing past whatever small room Azra was in.

Birds were beginning to chirp outside. Not the throaty, strangled sounds of what few creatures inhabited her home, but the song of a choir who weren’t faced with a wasteland when they awoke. Azra smiled, closing her eyes and leaning back against the wall behind her as she took in the sounds.

“… hey.” A voice whispered right beside her ear, and she jolted in shock, sending a shockwave of pain through her arm.

“What—“ She was cut off as her words devolved into a cry of pain, and she quickly opened her eyes.

“Oh. Sorry. Didn’t realise that would happen.” Azra looked around just in time to see Venti being lifted off the ground and back onto his bed, where he settled down again. “You’re awake!”

“So are you.” Azra poked at her arm around where the bandages were, biting her lip. “So you’re the infamous Anemo Archon, then?”

“And you’re the girl who was at least partially involved in saving my life!”

Azra wrinkled her nose. “Don’t give me that much credit. I don’t need that on my conscience.”

“You say it like it’s a bad thing.” Venti strained to reach out to the table beside his bed, grabbing a green hat. “Being stabbed really hurts. I’d forgotten about that part.”

“Stop complaining, at least you’re not dead. And, yes, for your information, it is pretty bad. I have to live the rest of my life with the knowledge that I’m an accomplice to treason, now.” Azra paused. “Not that I’m against that fact.”

Venti chuckled. “It’s nice to meet you. I would offer you a song to ease your worries, but… distinct lack of lyre. Or musical inspiration, for that matter.”

“You’re really quite strange.”

“I get that a lot.” Venti shrugged.

“I don’t suppose you’ve spoken to Kaeya at all?”

Venti’s face fell slightly, and he shook his head. “Ah… no such luck. He hasn’t come by, so I reckon he just kind of wants his space. I don’t blame him.”

“Space my arse. If he doesn’t come and see me in the next two hours I’m going over to him myself. We have almost my entire lifetime to catch up on, and I want to know what the fuck those flowers on the windowsill are.”

When Azra looked back up, Venti looked very much like he wanted to say something. She figured she should probably let him, since he was supposed to be really old, or whatever. She glared. “What?”

“Well… I was just thinking, for siblings, you do things pretty differently.”

“Why do you think that is? You know, as far as I can tell, the fact our lives have been so separated is at least one seventh your fault.” Azra paused, before adding, “That was probably uncalled for.”

“It’s okay. I get it. But, hey, I did get stabbed.”

“Your point?”

“Well, maybe the near death experience was enough to… I don’t know. Make up for that? Me being one seventh of the reason you grew up without a brother?”

Azra furrowed her brows. “That’s... what? That’s a horrible way of thinking.”

“Just trying to help out.”

“It’s really not working.”

“Then what would?”

Azra took a deep breath. “What are the flowers on the windowsill, anyway?”

“Nilotpala lotuses. They’re native to Sumeru, usually come from around rivers.”

“Okay…” Azra gave Venti a pointed look. If he was going to be all friendly, he was going to pay the price. “Next question. What are you going to tell Kaeya?”

Venti shifted uncomfortably in place, his grin slipping slightly. “That’s a bit of a harsh jump from botany, don’t you think?”

“It’s a fair question, though. How close were you?” Her wording was purposeful - it was still yet to be determined how close the pair of them would be now.

“Well… we drink together. We’ve spoken around the city. I think I’d consider us friends.”

“And all that time, did you know about who he was? I’ve heard things about you. Stories, mostly, but do you really hear all kinds of stuff around Mondstadt? Something to do with the wind?”

“I did know,” Venti nodded. “And it’s a little more complicated than what you’ve heard. For a long while, I was away. Ever since the war in Khaenri’ah, actually. That’s when I kind of have no choice but to listen to what I hear - and it’s not just Mondstadt. Right now, for example, I can choose not to listen.”

“If you knew, then why would you do that to him? I don’t understand. If there was at all a chance that he had fallen for our father’s teachings, and he someday found out who you were, that could have torn him apart. He’s not like Mondstadt-born people who worship you, or something.”

“It’s nothing against Kaeya. I just don’t like telling people. Once they know, it feels a lot less genuine, you know? I didn’t want to sour our friendship like that. And he definitely could’ve connected the dots if he wanted to, I’m not exactly the most subtle of people. I knew the dangers, but I didn’t expect to be around long enough for them to actually… you know.”

“I would say you’re only human, but… well, I’m really not sure. Also, then I’d sound too much like my father.” Azra rubbed her arm gently. “I do have one more question. But I think I have to ask around about that, because I couldn’t possibly get a good answer from you.”

Venti hummed softly. “What is it? Even if I don’t have a good answer, it’s worth asking.”

“I just want to know that, even if I haven’t, he’s had a good life. Because then I’ll know that I might be able to, as well.”

“Hold on, just one second…” Venti groaned as he stood up, shuffling across the floor and perching on the edge of Azra’s bed. She looked up in confusion as he held his hand out. “May I?”

“Sure?”

Venti rested his hand on hers and squeezed gently, beaming. “I think you’ll have a great life.”

Azra was equally comforted and sickened by those words, and she didn’t quite know why in either case.

Chapter Text

Collei came back a few minutes later, accompanied by a scholarly looking man who introduced himself as Tighnari. Tighnari then chastised Venti for being out of bed (to which Venti only shrugged and shuffled back across the floor with a mischievous smile) and walked over to the desk at the side of the room, grabbing a tray of medical supplies.

“If your wound is causing you pain when you move the arm, then the best solution is to immobilise it, so a sling is probably a good idea.” Tighnari explained, bringing over the tray and placing it gently on the nightstand beside Azra’s bed. “If at all possible, you should get changed out of this, first. I had Collei bring you some clothes, you’re about the same size. That is to say, you’re both too small for your age.”

“I am growing.” Collei nervously added as she laid out a set of clothes at the end of the bed, mostly for Azra’s sake.

“… so am I.” Azra nodded. That was a complete lie, she’d always been quite small.

“Yes, well, before anything else, I should check the wound for any infection. It just about scraped the dermis, it shouldn’t be causing you any trouble now. Especially not after all the rest you’ve been getting. I’ll apply a numbing cream to avoid as much discomfort as possible as I investigate.”

“Ok— ouch.” Azra whined softly as Tighnari began to unwind the bandage around her arm, and her head turned the other way so she wouldn’t have to face it.

Tighnari made a soft noise of concern, which wasn’t a particularly good sign. Azra heard the snapping of a rubber glove, and a small jar being opened. Moments later, she could barely feel anything around the wound.

“How’s the pain now?”

“Gone. How did you…“

“It’s some of the strongest stuff we have. We have to be careful with using it, though, because too much exposure can cause skin problems. It’s good that it’s working, though.”

Azra vaguely felt him prodding around the wound, but still couldn’t bring herself to look back. Instead, she focused her attention on the rest of the room. “We never had anything like that at home. Most people didn’t, anyway. Gold would always come by with her experimental stuff when I got hurt. It was never really stable, and always ended with me having some other kind of pain or disease.”

A moment of silence passed before Tighnari spoke again. “Well, there’s no need to worry about that now. It doesn’t look like your wound is healing as it should be… oh. I think I’ve found the culprit. Collei, could you pass me some tweezers?”

“Oh, of course… what is that?”

Azra winced as she felt something tugging at her arm - the inside of her arm, no less, and for a moment she felt her head swim.

“Are you still doing okay?” Tighnari asked as the tugging stopped for a moment.

“Yes, I… it feels weird.”

“Just one more second, and I’ll have it out.” A sharp pull, and then a dull ache came, and Azra felt warm blood dripping down her arm, quickly wiped away.

“Have what out?” Azra turned around against her better judgement to see what was going on. Her eyes locked on to a nail shaped thing between a pair of tweezers, coated in her own blood. “What in Teyvat is that?”

“I’m not sure. It must be some foreign debris that I missed, somehow… your wound also deepened, so I’d say it’s been digging into your skin and causing the pain. I think I might take it away for testing, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure. It’s not like I want to keep it.”

“How could you have missed that before?” Collei asked, watching as Tighnari placed the object down on a tissue on the tray.

“Well, a lot was happening. It’s entirely possible that human error could’ve occurred.” Tighnari shrugged. “Besides, it could have been deeper before. The wound must’ve been trying to expel it all this time.”

Azra furrowed her brows in disbelief. “How’s that even possible? Where did I get the wound from in the first place?”

“Well, Kaeya explained that it was a knife wound - sliced, not stabbed - and I’m not sure how any kind of debris could’ve gotten in there since then. But it’s out now. All I need to do is clean it a bit, bandage it, and then once you’re dressed, we can put it in a sling.”

“That sounds good to me.”

In seemingly no time at all, her arm was successfully covered once more. Thankfully the numbing cream was still in full effect, and she could move as normally as ever.

Tighnari reached out to the side of the bed and pulled out a curtain that Azra didn’t notice before, dragging it around the bed for privacy and leading himself and Collei out of the small area it created.

Azra bent over to reach out for the clothes at the end of the bed, trying not to rest her weight on her injured arm. It was such a… well, a normal outfit. She didn’t even remember the last time she was permitted to wear something like that. Even before she spontaneously became second, then first in line to the Khaenri’ahn throne, she was always made up to look as presentable as possible. She was a porcelain doll, a symbol of what life could be like for everyone else someday.

But even like that, she was never Azra. Always the other, older sister that nobody had seen in years, and who wasn’t really a sister at all. Always the sister that would never exist again in the way the people remembered. As she untied the back of her gown, Azra wondered just how many people had stared in horror as they beheld their precious hope, so changed from what they knew.

———

Over in his own allocated bed, a few huts away, Kaeya was wondering much the same thing. Albedo slept across the room, having insisted on staying with him as long as he was planning on spending his time in there. Right now, he was reading some kind of botany related book that he borrowed from Tighnari - Kaeya, on the other hand, was running his hand through his ponytail, brows furrowed.

“What’s wrong?” Albedo suddenly asked - Kaeya hadn’t noticed him looking up.

“It’s my hair. The dye’s fading.”

Albedo didn’t question why the dye was so important, thankfully. Only closed his book and gently set it down next to him. “I’m going into the city later. I can pick some up for you then.”

Kaeya continued to gaze at his hair, the vibrant blue fading down to a dull brown. “Thanks.”

“You know, when I was out getting breakfast just now, Collei was going around looking for Tighnari. Your sister’s awake. Still injured, but awake. I don’t think it would hurt going to see her.”

“Yeah, no. I don’t think I’m ready for that. I just need a few more days in here, probably.”

“It’s because of Venti, not Azra, isn’t it?”

Kaeya frowned. “Only partially.”

“Look, you have one of the highest egos out of all the people I know.”

“That felt unnecessary.”

“My point is, you can definitely handle a visit to the infirmary. And it’s not healthy for you to spend all your time in here.”

“You’re not my mother, you know.” Kaeya huffed, crowding his legs.

Albedo sighed. “You don’t have to go now. But I am absolutely dragging you out of here later. Jean’s starting to worry.”

“She knows I’m fine really.” Kaeya paused, brushing his hair back over his shoulder. “Maybe I should cut it, as well.”

“Your hair? Why?”

“Nobody aside from Diluc and Jean have seen me with long hair untied. And in what was essentially a dress, no less. I mean, come on, it’s not exactly me. So why not make sure it can’t happen again?”

Albedo gave him one of his pitiful looks again. Probably because he was recalling the fact Kaeya actually burnt his robes at the first opportunity - maybe an overreaction, to be fair. He still didn’t regret it.

“Nobody sees you any differently. Cyno and Tighnari, Kaveh, Collei, all the others here, they’re good people. They wouldn’t think twice about it, especially not with everything else that was going on.”

“Yeah, I know. Not even Allos is that much of a dick.”

“Allos isn’t anything like that, no, not even close. And you need to know that. He’s just as much of a victim as anyone else, here.” Albedo stiffened. “Even after what he tried to do.”

“I get that, too. You forget that I’m brilliant at reading people. I still don’t have to forgive him any time soon.”

“No. You don’t.” Albedo slipped off the bed, standing up and walking to where he had hung his coat on the door handle. “So, that hair dye. What shade do you want?”

Kaeya breathed a sigh of relief.

———

“So, what‘s your sister like?” Jean asked, he gaze intently hanging on Kaeya’s face. Older than both him and Diluc, she looked slightly out of place with the two boys and the toddling young girl by her side.

Kaeya probably looked out of place, too, wearing all of Diluc’s clothes that were hanging limply on his smaller figure, his hair cut at a sharp angle where he had tried to do it himself. He was almost twelve, now, and a lot better with language and the social norms of Mondstadt.

He’d met Jean through Crepus (who he had come to guiltily call his father, over the years) when he was still new to the city, but they hadn’t met regularly until after Jean’s parents got divorced, and Crepus thought she needed more support.

“I don’t really know. My mother said she looked like me when I was as little as she was when I left. So… think of me but really small.”

“It must suck to not know what your sister’s like now.” Diluc pouted slightly. “Can’t you ask Father to take you to see her? Just once?”

It wasn’t Diluc’s fault that the question made Kaeya’s heart ache so. If anything, it was Kaeya’s for not telling anyone how he really came to be in Mondstadt, and why. “I mean… not really…”

“Oh, right. Your parents are so far away that we can’t even go there.”

Jean tilted her head. “Really? Do they live in the Mare Jivari, or something?”

“What’s a Mare Jigani?” Diluc asked, kicking at the ground beneath his feet.

“The Mare Jivari. It’s basically a desert by Natlan. Do you not get taught geography at home school?”

Diluc rolled his eyes. “Not all of us can have super smart moms, Jean.”

Jean’s face flushed. “Sorry.”

Barbara grabbed at Jean’s dress, giggling uncontrollably. “Mama! Mama!”

“No, Barbara, mama’s at work.” Jean prised her sister from her clothing, picking her up and letting her tug gently on her ponytail instead. “Did your mother do anything, Kaeya?”

Kaeya thought back. “I don’t think so… she just took care of me and Azra.”

“Well, that’s okay.” Diluc said. “That’s what my mom did too. She used to make really good jelly cake.”

“Jelly cake?”

“Yeah! You know, like Adelinde made for my birthday last year. Mom was so good at it. She taught Adelinde when she first came to work for us.”

“Mine never did the cooking. The cooks did that.”

Jean gave Kaeya an odd look. “You have cooks?”

“That’s not weird, that’s what Adelinde does.” Diluc pointed out.

“But only really rich families have cooks. Rich families with huge houses and important people.”

Kaeya’s eyes widened, and he lowered his head. “My family isn’t very important.”

“Huh.” Jean looked as if she didn’t believe Kaeya, but wasn’t going to pry any further. “Well, anyway… Dad’s going to want Barbara back soon, so we should stop off at the church before lunch.”

Diluc and Jean continued talking as they walked. Barbara looked over her shoulder and watched Kaeya owlishly as he trailed slightly behind.

Mondstadt was… different. People were nicer, but that was probably because they had less to worry about. They had Barbatos to pray to, and stuff.

Kaeya still flinched a little whenever they passed the statues. He felt like they were watching him in the same way he felt his father was watching him.

He didn’t want to know what would happen if Barbatos found out where he had really come from. That was why he hadn’t told anyone at all, not even the nice doctor lady Crepus brought to talk to him every now and then.

He just needed to wait until he was bigger, and then his father would come back.

Chapter Text

Hours passed with Azra doing nothing at all. Apparently emboldened by her original breaking of the rules, Collei kept coming back to talk to her, and every now and then Venti would wake up from his short naps and strike up a conversation, too. She was yet to have any other visitors.

On the other hand, she’d learned quite a lot that she was never told in her home. Anything from botany, to history, to personal experiences, or - where Venti was involved - what she assumed was plain blasphemy. She learned the basic rules of a game called Invocation TCG, only to lose to Collei within the first couple of rounds every time. She tried pita pockets for the first time (and loved them), and listened to Collei discuss her limited experiences with Kaeya.

Eventually, she left. And just a minute or so later, she returned, wheeling a comfortable-looking chair up to the door with a grin.

“Is that for me?” Azra asked.

“Yeah! So you don’t have to move around too much. Tighnari thinks it’s a good idea, just in case. Also, going outside for the first time in a really long time is hard. I know that from experience. The sun’s really bright, everything’s really overstimulating… you’ll get it.”

“Well, if you say so…” Azra glanced over to Venti. He was asleep again. “Give me a second to get over there.”

She slowly made her way across the room, almost falling straight onto her injured arm in the process. Eventually, though, she managed to slump into the wheelchair without any further injuries.

“Are you ready to go? It’s not the best of chairs, but I did add an extra cushion.”

Azra laughed. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Great! Going down the slope now.”

The wheelchair began to roll backwards, and Azra quickly moved her free hand to cover her eyes as the shadow of the infirmary gave way to blinding light. Collei span the chair around, and Azra’s first thought was… everything was so green.

Like, really very green. Green and glowing under the ever so warm sunlight, leaves of trees casting coloured light on the ground that she’d only ever seen in mosaics and stained windows. It was breathtaking, but simultaneously, just as strange and overwhelming as Collei warned her it might be.

No, she had to put that aside. She was out here now, and this was her first experience of such a thing - she couldn’t ruin it by being a coward. She wouldn’t. Instead, she focused over in the distance, looking to her right and gazing at a tall stone mountain in the middle of a lake, a gold gilded statue atop it.

“Is that a Statue of the Seven?” Azra asked quietly. She’d read about them in the library - though she’d never considered seeing one with her own eyes.

“Yeah! We can go over to the nearest hill so you can get a better view, if you want.”

Azra considered this. On one hand, it would definitely be a beautiful view. On the other… she wasn’t sure how she felt about being within the gods’ gaze, whether that be via reality or a statue. It was bad enough that she was resting next to the Anemo Archon, as nice as he seemed.

Eventually, she shook her head, looking back to Collei. “Sorry, but… no, I don’t think I can.”

“That’s okay! We can go somewhere else. Tighnari said as long as it’s not far from Gandharva Ville, we have free roam. So what are you up for?”

“I… don’t really know. What do you suggest?”

“Huh. I haven’t really thought about that. What don’t they have a lot of… you know, where you come from?”

Azra frowned. “You can say it, you know.”

“… sorry. It’s just weird to me. Nobody really talks about that. I didn’t know it was a real place for a lot of my life. But I’ll try to be less weird about it!”

“It’s… fine.” Azra, once again, had somehow managed to make Collei feel bad for something that wasn’t her fault. What had gotten into her today? She was usually so good at brushing this stuff off. “Maybe we could find one of those shroomboars you were talking about earlier? As long as it’s safe, I mean.”

“I think so. They’re usually quite peaceful unless threatened. And I’m with you, they’re amazing creatures.” Collei turned the chair to move down the path.

Azra watched as they moved along, down past more huts and more men and women in uniform.

“It’s quiet here.” She observed.

“Yeah, this is the best it’s been around here in days. We’ve discharged most of the refugees from Mondstadt, and the others have been sent to the city for the care we can’t give here. The fire was pretty forgiving.”

Azra nodded slowly, suddenly spotting Aether along the way, who turned from the conversation he was having with a small floating girl and waved.

Azra managed a small smile in response. “Hello again, Traveler.”

Aether chuckled uncomfortably. “Just Aether’s fine. How are you feeling?”

“Alright, I suppose. Better than I have been today.”

“Wait…” The girl folded her arms, spinning around midair. “Paimon thinks she’s missing something here. Who’s this?”

“Kaeya’s sister. Azra. We were literally just talking about her.”

Paimon gasped dramatically, looking between Collei, Aether, and Azra in quick succession. “No way! Paimon thought you’d be more…”

“More what?” Azra asked, cocking her brow.

“Hm… like Kaeya. You know. Blue hair, really rude… that.”

“Well, Kaeya would be pleased to hear that, I’ll bet.” Azra glanced back at Collei. “Whereabouts is he, anyway? Honestly, you’d think a man would take more time to visit his long lost sister in her time of need.”

“I wouldn’t try right now, if I were you.” Aether cut in before Collei could respond. “We did a few minutes ago, and Albedo answered the door with gloves on and looking a little annoyed. I think they’re busy. Sorry.”

“Oh. That’s fine, I can come back to see him later. Besides, shroomboars are almost the same thing either way.” Azra felt slightly offended by the idea of Kaeya not coming to see him at all, but whatever.

“I’m sure he’ll come to see you at some point today. He really values family.”

Paimon gave Aether a strange look. “But he never me—“

Aether cut her off with a sharp poke to her side. “Ignore her. She has no filter, and besides, she doesn’t know Kaeya as well as I do.”

“R-right. There’s probably a reason Kaeya never said anything about you.”Paimon muttered, rubbing her side. “Come to think of it, there’s probably a lot of reasons. Like—“

“Paimon, seriously.” Aether pinched the bridge of his nose. He glanced towards Collei, and Paimon smiled guiltily.

“Ehehe…he… sorry. Um, we were just going to visit Kaveh, so… we should be going now!”

“Subtle.” Aether looked back to Collei and Azra. “But she’s not wrong. We came to deliver some things from Kaveh’s apartment. See the two of you later?”

“Alright. Bye!” Collei replied.

The two groups parted ways, and once Azra and Collei were out of earshot, Aether placed his hands on his hips, giving Paimon an unimpressed glare.

“What is wrong with you?”

“Hey, don’t blame Paimon! Really, this is your fault for not telling me that we had secrets.”

“Why is that even surprising? You did hear what I just said about everything that happened, right? That’s obviously not public information.”

“Oh…” Paimon frowned. “Now Paimon gets it. But it’s really true! Kaeya never ever ever said anything about having a sister. Not ever.”

“Probably because that has nothing to do with us. And you can’t just go around yelling about it, Azra might get the wrong idea. And then it would be your fault if she was upset by it.”

“Ah! Paimon doesn’t want to make anyone sad!”

“Exactly. So at least try to stay quiet.” Aether paused, picking up a stack of scrolls. “And help me carry these as an apology.”

“Paimon doesn’t really see how that’s going to help Azra.”

“It won’t. But it’ll help me.”

“You—“ Paimon groaned. “Fine.”

———

“There. Done. Now you just have to wait for it to dry.”

Kaeya smiled, picking up his eyepatch and putting it back on over his damp face. He’d taken it off to avoid turning it blue, but now that the dye had been applied and rinsed, there was no need for it not to be where it was supposed to be.

“Was that your first time dying hair?”

“Yes.” Albedo picked up the bowl of water and jug he was using to rinse the dye, taking it to the door. “Did I not do a good job?”

“You did, I’ll give you that. Then again, where can you really go wrong with hair dye?”

“Mess. Not being even. I can think of plenty things.”

Kaeya shrugged in defeat. “Fair enough. Maybe I’ll let you dye my hair more often.”

“Hopefully then we’ll have somewhere better to do it than sitting on a desk.” Albedo turned back to Kaeya. “Speaking of, you should probably get off said desk.”

Silence overcame the room as Kaeya slid down onto the floor. He moved over to a window, leaning on the surface in front of it and staring out into the forest. “Hey, could I get your opinion on something?”

“As long as I have an answer.”

“It’s about Gold.”

Albedo lowered his head. “Ah.”

“Exactly. It’s just, when I made to leave with Azra, she seemed intent on the fact that I’d return. Like, scarily so. Like she knows something we don’t.” Kaeya waited for a response. When he didn’t get one, he turned around. “‘Bedo?”

Albedo furrowed his brows. “Stop calling me that. It sounds stupid.”

“You love it really.”

“… she probably didn’t mean anything by it. I’d place my bets on the fact that she thinks you’re not as strong as you are. Mostly because she tends to think the same about me.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Albedo stepped forward and placed his head on Kaeya’s shoulder. It was somewhat relaxing, Kaeya thought.

“Yeah, that woman is horrible. No offence. I just wish we had a way to contact anyone down there. We have no clue what’s happening, for all we know, they could be gearing up for war. Or to finish what was started with Venti. We got lucky once, it’s not going to happen again.”

“Because it won’t have to.”

“But you must get that this can’t be over, right? Not with everything that just happened?”

“Over in general? Unlikely. Over for us, on the other hand? Yes. We aren’t obligated to be involved in whatever is happening down there.”

“We kind of are, though. Especially me.”

“But we have better things to be doing. I, for one, need to head to Liyue at some point and visit Klee to make sure she’s okay, and sort out the situation with Allos. You need to get to know your sister. And have a talk with Venti.”

“I also need to find some sort of way to abdicate the throne of Khaenri’ah, apparently. You’re smart, surely you know how to do that?”

“Unfortunately, no. Law doesn’t really interest me. And I don’t think they’d let you anyway. But days have passed, and nobody’s made a move to come and find us, so consider this a rest period. As long as there’s no threat, we don’t need to think about one.”

“No news is good news?”

“Precisely.”

“I didn’t realise that was a philosophy you could live by.”

“Maybe it is, just this once.”

Kaeya almost tilted his head so it rested on top of Albedo’s, then remembered his hair was covered in wet dye. “How generous of you.”

Across the river, on one of the lower layers of the hill, Collei was handing Azra a small bunch of kalpalata lotuses, which she received with a wide smile. Collei span around, crouching down beside the wheelchair and pointing into the distance to an area behind a tree that Kaeya couldn’t quite see.

Azra looked so happy. Genuinely happy. Kaeya knew, even from this distance, because he had spent so long learning how to see that very thing in people.

Where would she even stay, once things went back to normal? Kaeya lived in a very small apartment, and he wasn’t sure Albedo even had a proper home - not that he’d expect Albedo to take her in, obviously. He would ask if Tighnari and Cyno felt like taking another kid bordering on adulthood in, and they’d probably agree, but he didn’t think Azra would appreciate that.

Come to think of it, what would he even tell people? ‘Hey, while everyone was dealing with the fallout of a national tragedy, I brought back my orphan sister that I’ve never mentioned, just don’t ask any questions, hope that’s alright?’

And as for Venti, that was a whole other barrel of snakes that he had no intention of opening any time soon. Then again, the idea of that very odd bard being a thousands of years old god didn’t seem as strange as it had done when he found out. The way he had reached up to comfort Kaeya when he was about to take his life, it wasn’t friendly, as much as it tried to be. It was saintly, protective.

(That feeling. How could a blade slipping into flesh feel so much like slipping into jelly, or butter? How could it feel like cutting a birthday cake, or piercing meat on a skewer? It was so easy, and so, so sickening.)

(Venti wasn’t dead. But if he was anyone else, he would be. And Kaeya wasn’t a murderer, not really. But should he be classified as one if his victim needed divine intervention to survive?)

“Oh, Archons.”

Albedo had lifted his head. Kaeya glanced at him in confusion, parting his lips to ask what had warranted such a reaction. And then he looked back to see Azra slumped over in the wheelchair, the lotuses scattered about the grass as Collei knelt in front of her and frantically reached for her wrist.

Chapter Text

“I don’t understand. Is this a formal interview?” Allos looked around the table quizzically.

Before today, he had been keeping to himself. He was leaving people alone, wasn’t that what they wanted? He’d found an inn in the city that allowed him bed and board in return for taking short shifts daily. He hadn’t even attempted to come back and see everyone to check how they were doing.

On the other hand, he had (begrudgingly) agreed to have another conversation with Nahida just yesterday. A conversation in which she had agreed with him that he should give everyone else space. Because as much as he could try to deny it (he wouldn’t, that would be factually incorrect) he did lead both Kaeya and Albedo straight into his (former?) master’s hand.

And yet, here he was. Being called for a meeting with a group of people he barely knew. There was Jean, whose injuries had healed nicely. Diluc, who he knew only through the brief regarding the plan about Kaeya, and who definitely didn’t trust him. Amber, who seemed overall very uncomfortable being there and probably didn’t know an awful lot about the situation. And Cyno and Tighnari, who seemed the figures of authority in the room.

It was Jean who responded, however, shaking her head. She looked tired. “No, that’s for later. And you’re being tried by Mondstadt, not by Sumeru.”

“And my crimes are…?”

“High treason, conspiracy, arson, and several counts of murder in the second degree. Under Mondstadt law, you can’t be convicted of Venti’s abduction because we caught you before you left. And anything that happened while you were gone isn’t our jurisdiction.”

“Right.” Allos shifted slightly. “That sounds fair, I suppose.”

“If you don’t mind my cutting in,” Amber looked around the table. “My friend back in Liyue, Sucrose, she has a message for you, Mister…”

“Just Allos.”

“Oh, okay. She wants me to tell you that… hold on.” Amber reached into her pocket, pulling out a sheet of paper and quickly unfolding it. “That you’re lucky the real Albedo is alright, otherwise she’d be coming over here herself and… Archons, I don’t think that’s really suitable.”

“That’ll be enough, then, Amber.” Jean reached out and placed a hand on Amber’s shoulder. “What we actually wanted to speak to you about, Allos, was if there was anything you could add to the discussion. Aether told us about your part in fixing… things. Obviously, we don’t expect you to fill in the gaps that Albedo has purposely left in his account, since that would be an invasion of privacy. But anything you can say to help would be greatly welcomed.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Well, you’re probably going to want a defence for all those crimes you committed.” Cyno pointed out. “You know, the ones that got people killed?”

“But then there are also the mitigating factors that we want your thoughts on. Namely, everything Aether said, and…” Tighnari paused. “Well, Jean has a question.”

“Right,” Jean nodded. “Allos, is it true that you were the one who pulled me from the fire? I’ve just… I’ve been considering it, and I thought that you would be the only viable option.”

Allos tightened his grip as he clasped his hands under the table. He scoffed a little too harshly. “That’s quite the flawed reasoning, don’t you think? If I started the fire, I had no reason to save anyone from it.”

Jean only gave him a disappointed look. Everyone else (except Diluc, who was glaring at him judgingly) was doing very much the same. “So it was you.”

Allos said nothing, this time. He didn’t know why he even tried; he wasn’t very good at lying under pressure (it was a good thing everyone else just happened to be idiots, and he didn’t emote much). But he did know that the pity didn’t make him feel awfully comfortable.

“That doesn’t change anything.” Diluc looked Allos up and down, very clearly sizing him up in some way.

“It doesn’t.” Allos agreed quietly. “But I need to know; how much do you know? I’m assuming Kaeya wasn’t involved in any of this. So Albedo would have been the one doing all the talking, so some kind of logic would be involved. Which means some of you probably know more than others. Amber looks like she’s only here out of principle, so she probably knows the least. On the other hand, you two…”

Cyno pointed to himself and Tighnari questioningly. “Let me guess, you think we know more.”

“On the contrary, I think he cares about you more. So you know less. At least, that’s the impression I get.”

“And what makes you think you know enough about him to make that assumption? Because he never told us exactly where you came from, but I don’t think you’ve had much contact.”

“Believe me, I understand him more than you think. Probably more than you do.”Allos regretted the words the moment they left his mouth. Even more so when he noted the dirty looks he was receiving. “… I didn’t mean—“

“That’s unfair. If you know more than we do, it’s because you’ve learned by circumstance, and we haven’t because we respect boundaries.” Tighnari sighed.

“I have nothing against boundaries. Not once have I forced my way into anyone’s boundaries. My wording might seem insensitive, but it’s objective fact. I know what Albedo has experienced, as he does for me. In some ways, we share a caregiver, if that’s the right word. I wasn’t justified in what I have done, and I will fully accept any punishment as a result of it. But…”

Allos trailed off, creasing his brows. Moments passed in silence, and he shook his head.

“But?” Jean prompted, her voice softened.

“But if our roles were reversed, you should know that Albedo would have most likely done the very same. And, unlike myself, he would never have been caught, and he would’ve carried everything out flawlessly. So count yourself lucky that I, in comparison, failed so miserably.”

“I don’t think you’re doing yourself any favours.” Cyno muttered, resting his head on his hands. “An admission of guilt isn’t going to lessen your sentence at all. Not in this case.”

“Isn’t that your job, all of you? To get me to admit my guilt, so you can judge me to the fullest extent of whatever law you follow?”

“Quite. It’s probably time we move on to the main line of questioning.”

“And, again, this is anything but a formal interview.” Tighnari assured. “If it was, I wouldn’t be here, Cyno wouldn’t be here, Diluc certainly wouldn’t be here—“

“Nari. Come on.”

“I’m trying to make sure everyone is clear on what’s happening here. I do always have people to be helping if I’m not wanted.”

Cyno rolled his eyes, clearly picking up on a joking undertone to Tighnari’s voice that Allos had missed. “Does anyone else want to start?”

“Right. Some background, first.” Jean pulled a sheet of paper from the table in front of her. “What we do know is… where everyone went. We know how you came back. Myself and Master Diluc know limited information about what happened in between, and according to Albedo, you were the cause of most of that. At least partially.”

Allos stared blankly at her in response. “I’m not hearing a question.”

“Well, the main question is, why? Why did you do it? Usually, that kind of thing would suggest a lack of care for others, but…”

“But?”

“Well, you really don’t seem like the type.”

“I admire your optimism. But you can’t possibly make that sort of claim when you barely know me.”

“Then help me out. Answer the question.”

Allos didn’t really want to be rude. Jean, at the very least, seemed like she had much more faith in him than anyone else at the table, himself included. On one hand, this felt like an immense invasion of privacy and he really didn’t like nice people. On the other… well, he’d never had the chance to speak to anyone about Gold before, and he did often think about how entertaining the reactions would be.

“Alright. If you must know, I did it to impress my master.”

“Right, just so we’re all clear, what exactly is ‘it’?” Cyno asked slowly.

“I employed the aid of a certain palace guard to put an audio recording of apparently everyone’s good friend Venti screaming in agony on a gramophone, leading both Alberich and Albedo into a carefully arranged trap.” Allos paused to gaze around the table. “Is anyone still considering my innocence?”

“As a matter of fact, I am.” Tighnari suddenly snapped, his voice carrying a certain sternness that outdid even Allos’s. “The simple act of you doing something doesn’t make you the heartless monster some people could make you out to be.”

“And what are you going to do to prove that I’m not? Enlighten me to the power of friendship and freedom? Just throw me in jail, it’ll be less of a headache for us all.”

“I don’t necessarily disagree on that front.” Diluc said, still looking furious.

“That’s not really a punishment if you’re asking for it. Anyway, like we said, this isn’t your trial.” Tighnari tilted his head, his ears flicking slightly to one side. “I think you just don’t like being looked down on. So you’re trying to make yourself seem worse to compensate.”

Allos scoffed. “I have nothing to compensate for. I committed crimes, I was caught. I did irreparable damage, physically and emotionally, and you’re the ones who’re here trying to play the heroes. I think the rest of you are compensating for something. Guilt, probably, for not being able to help the other two, both because you weren’t there, and you’ll never know what happened.”

Dulic moved to get everyone’s attention and say something, but Jean gently placed a hand on his shoulder and he reluctantly leaned back. Regardless of this, nobody seemed too pleased.

“… maybe it’s a good time for us to take a break.” Jean suggested, gesturing for Amber to stand up along with her.

“That’s fine by me.” Allos replied, stepping away from the table.

On the other end, Cyno and Tighnari shared a glance. The former then shrugged lightly, and left. Soon, everyone else was gone too, but Tighnari remained, standing at the end of the table, alone.

“You know, I first met Albedo through Collei. He quickly became friends with everyone, and since then we’ve met more often than I have with some of my friends in Sumeru.” Tighnari folded his arms, giving Allos a pointed look.

“What’s this supposed to mean?”

“Just that I’m sure he’d give you another chance if you actually made an effort. There’s no need to make everyone else’s life unhappy because you don’t think you have anyone. I don’t know much about that master of yours, but I do know that she doesn’t sound all too great. I think you’ve realised that by now, and Albedo is… still getting there. But that’s beside the point. People get more than one chance in life, you know?”

Allos only stepped away from the table, making a beeline for the door. “Thank you, but I don’t need your advice.”

“And you don’t have to take it. Just think about it.”

The door gently closed. Tighnari let out a long sigh.

“Master Tighnari!”

“Collei, I told you not to—“ Tighnari stopped short, remembering that the voice was coming from outside, and she definitely couldn’t hear him. And then he realised it was a call for aid, and he raced to the door.

Chapter Text

“I’m fine, seriously, I’m fine.” Azra looked around to the group of people gathered in the room, shuffling out of Kaeya’s arms as he tried to carry her from the wheelchair to the bed. “I’m perfectly capable of movement, thank you.”

“I did just see you pass out.” Kaeya pointed out.

Azra rolled her eyes. “Why’s your hair so soggy?”

Kaeya didn’t get a chance to respond as several people crowded around her. Collei popped up behind Kaeya (having been relieved of her wheeling duties after Kaeya decided her shorter legs couldn’t run fast enough), and Albedo, Aether and Paimon appeared at her other side. On the bed next to her, Venti blearily sat up, rubbing his eyes gently.

“Paimon’s confused, what happened? It was only a few minutes since we last saw you.” Paimon frowned.

“I just passed out for a second, it couldn’t possibly be less of an emergency.”

“It was one minute and twenty eight seconds.” Collei added. “I thought just in case something was wrong…”

“Good idea.” Tighnari squeezed between Collei and Kaeya, appearing out of nowhere. “Alright, I want everyone who isn’t immediate family or a patient out of the room. This is still a restricted area.”

Azra shook her head hurriedly as people made to leave. “No, I don’t mind Albedo and Aether being here. Seriously, I’m fine, it’s not like this is a private affair.”

Tighnari considered this for a moment, and then waved his hand dismissively. “Fine. Paimon, out. You too, Collei, you look like you need a minute, and I’m fine in here. Apart from anything else, Albedo can help out if I need it.”

Collei backed away, looking pale, but Paimon huffed in annoyance. “Hey, what’s Paimon supposed to do by herself?”

Aether poked her gently. “Paimon, you heard Tighnari. I should be out in a minute, too.”

“Fine… but Paimon is not happy about this!”

Azra wasn’t very sure how she felt about Paimon. She was equal parts irritating and amusing. On the other hand, as soon as she and Collei left, all attention in the room was on her, and she definitely didn’t appreciate that part.

Tighnari took one of his gloves off, placing one hand on Azra’s forehead. “You’re a quite warm, which is strange… can you tell me what day it is?”

Azra had to take a moment to answer that. “You know, I’m actually not sure. Not because I have a concussion, or anything. Just because it’s been a while since I looked at a calendar.”

Tighnari chuckled, but he didn’t seem very amused. He was too caught up in checking her over. “Well, you seem to be thinking perfectly clearly, so that’s good. Do you feel ashamed?”

Azra moved her head back slightly. “Excuse me?”

“I asked if you were in any pain at all.”

“Oh, right, right.” She’d just misheard. That happened sometimes. “Uh, no, not unless I move my arm. And that’s what the sling’s for.”

“Then I don’t see any immediate reason for your loss of consciousness. There’s every chance it could have just been stress, or possibly something to do with the heat of Sumeru’s climate, that would account for the temperature…”

Azra grinned triumphantly. Unfortunately, Kaeya didn’t seem to want to give up that easily, and brushed the fabric of her sling aside to check the bandaging.

“Yikes. Or, hear me out, it could be something to do with this.” Kaeya muttered, pulling Tighnari closer.

“Hm… one second.” Tighnari reached down and slowly unwrapped the bandaging. For some reason, it came away with difficulty, as if it were stuck to the skin.

“Why, what’s going on?” Azra tried looking down at the wound, but the sling was somewhat in the way.

Annoyingly, everyone but Venti (who was now sat upright, looking a mixture of intrigued and worried) also moved around to get a better look at what was happening than Azra could. Nobody answered her question.

“I swear I’ve seen that before.” Aether tapped his foot against the floor.

“I know I have,” Albedo agreed. “That? That is what happened when I was attacked in Snezhnaya. That same hue was present in almost every wound I sustained… Venti did say you’d seen it before, Aether.”

Azra groaned. “Celestia, you people are horrific. What is it, what’s the problem?”

“Venti?” Kaeya’s voice was significantly less confident than it had been before, Azra noticed. “You can fix this, can’t you? You did the same for Albedo.”

Azra turned to look at Venti, who, despite his evident pain, was slowly standing up and stumbling over to Azra’s bed. Once there, he twisted his body in such a way that allowed him to take a closer look at her arm.

“I mean… yeah, I should be able to.” Just as Azra was about to ask (for the third time!) what everyone looked so concerned by, Venti shuffled further onto the bed. “Okay, no need to freak out or anything, but you’ve been poisoned.”

“That doesn’t seem like a reason not to ‘freak out’. That seems very much like a viable solution.”

“Okay, but, the positive of the situation is that I can probably stop it!”

“Probably?”

“No, definitely. I really don’t know why I’m doubting that so much, I’ve done it before.” Venti furrowed his brows.

“Aren’t you supposed to be resting? Why don’t you let me do it?” Aether asked.

“Because I’m not sure if that would work. With Dvalin, it was different. He’s an elemental being, his body naturally tried to expel the poison, which resulted in its presence in his tears and those clots on his back. Doing that kind of purification with a person, it takes a little more ‘oomph’, and I don’t think now’s a great time to test whether you meet those standards.”

“So you’re just going to do this now?” Kaeya was still staring reluctantly at the wound. Azra felt as if there was something she was missing, here.

“Yep. As long as Tighnari’s okay with it, seeing as he’s in charge.” Venti’s gaze moved to Tighnari, who simply shrugged, stepping back.

“I don’t think me being in charge is entirely accurate, but of course, go ahead. I’ve already seen what you can do, and I have no reason not to trust you.”

“Perfect!” Venti grinned. “Azra, do you mind just… moving your arm a little? Sorry if it hurts, I just need better access.”

Azra silently moved her arm from the sling, holding it out. It certainly didn’t hurt as much as it had done earlier that morning, but it was still excruciating. Finally, she could see what everyone else was looking at - but she didn’t want to anymore. It was too much.

Kaeya inched closer to the bed, holding out one hand. “Do you—“

“No, thank you.” Azra accidentally jolted her arm away a little too harshly, and her words shook with pain. Regardless, Kaeya retracted his arm.

“Right. Here goes nothing.” Venti stretched his shoulders out as if flexing a pair of wings (wings which, Azra reminded herself, did exist on occasion).

She flinched as he took hold of her arm, and squeezed her eyes shut before he could do anything else. Her arm was cool, and for a moment, she felt as if she could feel every possible sensation all at once - every moment in time, all compressed into one feeling.

And then, instead of that, she felt searing hot pain, and she cried out, instinctively trying to yank her arm away. She opened her eyes, and she immediately noticed that Venti’s hands were pale from the way they latched onto her.

People were raising their voices, but that sound was obscured by Azra’s own screams as wave after wave of pain echoed through her whole body. Venti himself seemed just as frightened as she was, but it was if he couldn’t let go.

Moments passed, and suddenly Aether was leaping forward and tackling Venti away. Azra was thrown back onto her back as whatever force was holding the pair together disappeared, and she heard a crash as Aether and Venti landed on the floor in a heap.

The pain slowly fizzled out, but not before Azra had completely killed her voice with her own screaming.

“— to get that wound redressed. Go and check on the other two.”

Albedo moved down beside the pair on the ground, while Tighnari took hold of Azra’s arm once more. She desperately gasped for air, clutching her free hand to her chest.

“What just happened?” Aether rolled off of Venti, sliding up the side of the bed. “I felt… something, when I tried pulling you off. Definitely not trying that again any time soon.”

“Yeah, me neither. That’s never happened before.” Venti attempted to sit up, only to fall right back down again, this time to be kept down by Albedo. “Is everyone else alright?”

“All fine up here.” Tighnari confirmed.

“Well, that’s something. I don’t get how that could’ve not worked, though. Not only did it not work, but it completely backfired. I’ve never felt that before. Unless…”

“Unless what?” Aether prompted.

“Huh.”

“‘Huh’ what?!”

Azra let out a small sound of discomfort from the bed. “I think I’ve got this one. He’s somehow poisoned too.”

“Venti, is that true?”

“It’s definitely a possibility.” Came the reply.

Kaeya dropped his head. “Shit.”

“Yep.”

“No offence, but what exactly does this mean for me?” Azra shuffled on the bed, pulling her arm back into the sling. Her body was still tingling from the pain, and every movement she made felt as if it was going to start it back up again. “You said I was poisoned. It’s from the Abyss, then, which means that someone did it back home. I’m not an idiot, so I know what that means, at least.”

“What does it mean?” Kaeya asked, moving his eye from Azra to Venti in quick succession.

“Oh, you know, anything from mild fatigue to hallucinations, insanity and death. Not that I’ll die. No Khaenri’ahn has ever been recorded to have actually died from Abyssal corruption in forever. Just another of the great things about being me.”

“Okay, well, how do we fix it?”

“That’s… more up for debate.” Venti winced, allowing Albedo to slowly pull him off the floor. “While we could absolutely find someone else like myself to try their hand at purifying it, the chances of it actually working after the stunt I just pulled? A lot smaller.”

“I’d say, from a purely objective standpoint, any path possible to take would be a good one.” Tighnari said. “For example, Collei. When she was still sick with Eleazar, we found ways to aid its consequences, even when we couldn’t cure it. It gave us time.”

“Except that had a definitive cure.” Albedo pointed out. “It was… the Withering, correct? Once that was gone, there was no reason for the disease to exist anymore. I’ve spent a lot of time around things like this, and I’m yet to figure out any way to cure it. Venti seems to be the only person I know who figured out how to do that.”

“Please…” Azra struggled to get the words out amidst the aftermath of whatever she had just experienced. “Please leave. All of you. I need a minute.”

Nobody moved, so Azra moved her attention to Tighnari, who nodded dutifully and began dragging a reluctant Kaeya away. “Right, come on, everyone. You can come back later. Venti—“

“I don’t mind. I’ve been meaning to get out anyway.” Venti winked at Azra, skipping out of the room with everyone else despite his injury. That man truly was a mystery.

Once everyone was gone, Azra pulled her knees up to her chest. Truth be told, she was very frightened. Though it wasn’t exactly common, she had seen the powers of the Abyss leak into her life, her people - and it wasn’t pretty. She had seen a woman be shot dead after growing ill and almost killing her newborn twins.

She had seen the way people would rally outside the palace, calling for some kind of end to the relationship with the ‘normal’ people of Khaenri’ah and the Abyss Order, no matter how small those groups were.

She didn’t want to be the reason for the next of those rallies.

Azra cried. And it felt horrible.

Chapter Text

At the head of a very long glass table, there was a tall, plush chair. More extravagant than the rest, it was always reserved for the reigning monarch. Always, since the palace had been built. Until now.

Rhinedottir had changed into clothes more befitting her new, self proclaimed role as the royal advisor. Her usual yellow clothing had been replaced with a deep blue gown, and, almost treasonously, she was wearing one of the King’s mother’s many jewel headpieces. And, to top it all off, she was presently sat sideways on the chair, her back rested on one arm and legs propped up over the other.

Around the table sat some of Khaenri’ah’s most influential figures. Excluding Pierro, who had been rather ungracefully removed from the premises after Gold’s decree, almost everyone who had served the former king was sat there, all either watching Gold uncomfortably as she fiddled with the bow on her gown or taking a drink from the golden chalices they had been supplied with.

“I… madam—“

Gold held up a finger to pause whatever it was that the guard was about to say.

“Can someone pass me that dictionary I sent for?”A thick, leather bound book came sliding down the table without any objection. Gold smiled, picking it up and holding it above her head. “Ah, here we go. Regent; a temporary ruler that takes the monarch’s place when he or she is incapacitated.”

She looked out to the others at the table, and took in the confusion on most of their faces.

“What’s your point, Gold?” The bitter voice was one that Gold wasn’t particularly pleased to hear, but she couldn’t very well ignore it.

“Well, Princess… or should I just call you Lumine? What I’m saying is that I believe we can count his majesty as being incapacitated right now, can we not? At the very least, he isn’t here. Ergo, powerless, ergo, incapacitated.”

“You’re suggesting that you take his place.” Lumine narrowed her eyes. She could be quite terrifying when she wanted to be. Not to Gold, however. Especially not with that suck-up Kera next to her.

“Of course I am. Who has done more for this nation? Besides, I’ve already prepared a lovely presentation.”

To everyone’s awkward confusion, Gold pulled up a piece of folded cardboard from beneath the table, unfolding it and standing it up to reveal what looked like a child’s pop-up project, covered in glitter and coloured pens.

“You’re making a mockery of this court.” One guard snapped gruffly.

“Hm? You didn’t even read my presentation. But that’s not all. I also brought a sponsor.” Gold sat up, kicking her legs down and turning around in the chair. She looked down the table, nodding to the end seat, which was notably empty.

“There is nobody there.”

“Yes, she is rather late, isn’t she? In her defence, she has a child. Parenthood, am I right?”

“Don’t worry, dear, I’m here right on time!” The sound of heels hurrying across the floor filled the room, and a woman in red sped over to the empty chair, a large box in her arms. “I just had to check on poor Klee… she’s been so good about all of this, but I’d still hate to leave her with everything that’s happened.”

Lumine raised a brow. “Alice? You invited Alice?”

“Well, she’s a good friend of mine. So I brought her to vouch for me.” Gold shrugged, waving to Alice as she sat down.

“Is this a game to you? Is this what you find fun?”

“Well… yes. Evidently so.”

“There’s no need to worry about me.” Alice smiled warmly. “I’m a neutral party! And I’m mostly just here for moral support.”

“This is completely insane.” Lumine insisted, growing more flushed with anger by the second. “First you propose that Khaenri’ah cut off all few ties that they already have, and now you want to commit treason? Have you lost your mind?”

“And what does it have to do with you? You’re nothing but a petulant child, getting involved in something that doesn’t even concern you. The Abyss Order has survived without your help before, and it can do again. Perhaps, once its motivations are made clear, it can become one with Khaenri’ah once more. Maybe even his majesty can watch over it as his ancestors have done.”

“I can’t believe you.”

“Why not? The Alberich Clan, may I remind you, are also the reason the Abyss Order even exists.”

“And we have done perfectly fine without—“

“Oh, come on. Stop arguing. And Gold, dearest, stop teasing!” Alice shook her head mockingly. “Just tell everyone what you’re here for.”

“We’ve already gotten to that part, Alice. Don’t you see my beautiful presentation? Anyway, what I came to do was to give you all a choice. You’re all going to vote on my proposal. Should the majority be in my favour, as long as his majesty isn’t here, I shall take sole responsibility for Khaenri’ah’s… well, responsibilities. I’d need a thesaurus for a better word, and well…” She gently waved the dictionary about.

“And if you don’t win the vote?” One of the more timid guards spoke up.

“Then I’ll know my place. Someone else can deal with the nation, I don’t know. But know this - you won’t be getting any of my help. And without a monarch, or a legitimate heir to the throne, temporary ruling defaults to the most powerful individual in the nation. Right now, that’s our dear Lumine. Yikes.”

“Save the disrespect for your defeat, Gold.” Kera chided.

Rhinedottir raised her hands in surrender. “Of course. Fine. Alice, do you have the materials I asked for?”

“Naturally.” She patted the box, pulling a stack of small papers and a pen from inside of it. “It’s very simple, all you have to do is write down a ‘for’ or ‘against’ on a slip of paper and put it in the box. Then, I’ll count them for a verdict.”

“Hold on, I don’t trust that at all. If we’re doing this, I’m counting as well.” Kera hurried down the table and placed a protective hand over the box.

Alice only nodded. “I’d expect nothing less. You’re Captain Kera, right? I’ve heard good things. Didn’t the young Princess Azra manage to beat you in a fight with a hairpin?”

Kera’s face reddened. “I was under strict orders not to permanently harm her highness. It was a tactical defeat.”

“It’s okay, I’m not judging you. Although, while I was watching my daughter in Liyue this morning, I did see her defeat a mid-sized group of hilichurls with nothing but a very small, well-placed bomb. She’s eight.”

Alice picked up the stack of paper slips, wafting them through the air like a fan. Kera snatched them away, walking around the table and slamming them down in front of people in such a way that made a few jolt in shock. Gold looked on in glee. She was lucky to have friends like Alice.

Alice handed the pen to the first person on her left, and slowly, it made its way around. Everyone dolled their slips, and the box was passed between people as they solemnly cast their votes.

Alice turned her head up to Kera, who was once more stood behind her, as the box landed in front of her again. “So, are you going to help me out with this?”

“Just get to reading the paper. I’ll be keeping track.”

“If you say so.” Piece by piece, Alice took the slips from the box, unfolding them and throwing them haphazardly on the ground around her. “Nineteen… and that’s twenty votes for my dear Dottie. Four votes against.”

Gold wasn’t expecting any differently, but she put a hand to her cheek in faux humiliation. “Don’t call me that in public, you’ll make me blush. But I suppose that settles it, then!”

“This is madness.” Kera scoffed.

“Agreed,” Lumine nodded. “You must’ve cheated somehow.”

“Me? A cheater? Never! You, on the other hand… someone take the Princess away until I figure out what to do with her.”

With a flick of the wrist, one of the guards was hauling Lumine out of her chair, wrestling her hands behind her back. She said nothing in response, only scowled.

“Hey! You can’t just—“

Gold cut Kera off with a raised hand. “Legally, I can. I’d be doing the same with you if you weren’t so useful. I’m actually not sure what I want to do about you, yet, but in the meantime I’m sure you’ll make yourself quite the nuisance. Can someone fetch her, too?”

Another guard scurried forward and led Kera away. Gold had predicted this all perfectly. These people feared her, she knew that. But just in case they didn’t trust her capability to destroy them should they choose to rebel, she made sure they all knew about the little something she added to their wine. Well, everyone’s wine but Lumine and Kera’s. It would be rude to kill off the competition before the games had even begun.

“Well done.” She smirked. “You all did brilliantly. You may leave, now, the nurse can administer the antidote in the lobby.”

An uptight looking man with a high collar was sneering at her from behind his spectacles. “We agreed to this for our own safety. Not to let you run rampant on the common people. You could at least have the decency to tell us what you plan to do next.”

“Indeed I could. But, unfortunately, the little cocktail in that glass of yours? It’s faster acting than you’d think. And it would seem that it occurred to none of you to simply not drink anything! How typical. And you have grandchildren, as well… I’d hurry on over to that nurse, all of you.”

The man paled, and stood as fast as he could. It wasn’t long until others followed, muttering among themselves.

Alice shook her head with a smile. “You’re the same as ever.”

“We can only hope the power doesn’t get to me. How’s Klee, these days?”

“Oh, you know. She has just as much energy as ever. I think she’s upset because Miss Lisa told her she had to leave Sumeru earlier than she wanted.”

Gold tilted her head. “Does this Lisa person know what happened?”

“Nope. In fact, she asked me. It’s a good thing you called me down here, otherwise I probably would’ve had to start telling her. She’s a very respectable woman, you know?”

“It’s a good job that news hasn’t gotten public yet. Then again, I don’t think much would come of it. You should’ve seen the look on Alberich’s face during the ceremony… oh, it was truly delightful.”

To Gold’s surprise, Alice’s expression dropped. “I don’t care about most of what you do. This is your land, not mine, and I will always support you as a friend. But Kaeya is Klee’s good friend. And you know how close your ward is with her.”

Gold scoffed. “There’s no need to be like that.”

“She’s my daughter, Dottie. And she loves them both. If anything happens to either of them and Klee finds out, she’ll be devastated.”

“Nothing will happen. I know what I’m doing.”

“To me, it seems you’ve already done plenty of damage. Obviously, not all of it is bad. I saw a group of children planting tomatoes down in town. But just… think about whatever you next first, hm? Give it some consideration.”Alice stood, picking up the box and clutching it to her stomach. “Love you, Dottie.”

“You’re leaving?”

“I figured it’s probably best if I do. Just in case anything goes wrong and Klee needs her mother around. Which, judging by your letter, she just may do.”

“Well…” Gold’s voice came to a pause as she scrambled to find something to say. “You could bring her here. Soon, I should have Kreideprinz back. He can keep her company here, in the palace.”

“I do love you, but that’s definitely not happening. Not in a million years.” Alice kicked her chair back towards the table. “I don’t want to be down here when anything else happens. I have a vulnerable child to protect. I’d rather… cheer you on from the sidelines, so to speak.”

Gold sighed. She understood. “If that’s your choice, then alright. I would’ve appreciated your help, of course, and I will miss you.”

“It’s not like I’m leaving forever. And if you really want my help, then I can always give you some advice.”

“Oh, yes?”

Alice grinned. “Do try to remember that you’re not the only human around. I know how easily your superiority complex kicks in.”

“Anything for you, Alice.”

“And no murdering Klee’s friends without incredibly good reason! I will tactically ignore all your requests for companionship.”

“If you say so.”

Chapter Text

“Fever, fatigue, discolouration of skin, hunger, hallucinations… vomiting blood? This is literally insane.” Kaeya held the paper up in the air, looking to Albedo for any semblance of uncertainty in his expression. “Please tell me this is not going to happen to my sister.”

“It already is.” Tighnari pointed out. “The fever, the discolouration around her wound, and fatigue, if her passing out is anything to go by. If Albedo’s hypothesis is to be believed, it only gets worse from here.”

Before Kaeya could say anything else, Albedo was quick to add, “But there are obviously things we can’t know. Like with Venti, we don’t know his anatomy, so we can’t really predict how symptoms will present in him.”

“Brilliant. How does this help Azra?” Kaeya slumped down onto a chair, holding his head in his hand. “Honestly, I keep one promise to get her up here, and she’s already facing a completely new risk.”

Cyno came up behind Kaeya and gently ruffled his hair as he passed. It was an awkward but not entirely unappreciated gesture. “It’s not like it’s your fault.”

“I’m obviously not saying that, but she’s my sister. I have a right to be worried.”

“And everyone here understands that.” Cyno stopped behind Tighnari, leaning on his shoulder. “Especially us. When Collei was ill, it was the worst time of either of our lives. You saw her when she came to Mondstadt, she was so badly hurt. It helps if you come to terms with the possibilities.”

“Judging by this list, the possibilities are insanity or… insanity, but with some significant physical decline for added pizzazz.” Kaeya waved his hands sarcastically. “But, hey! At least she won’t die. At least, whatever happens, she’ll be forced to live with the repercussions of this for the rest of her life.”

“It’s still possible that we could get another Archon to try and help.” Albedo said quietly. “From what I’ve heard about the Dendro Archon, she’d be glad to.”

“If Venti thinks that it won’t work, then there’s no reason to have too much hope. Besides, there’s no need to put anyone else in danger. We have to think of something else. We could try and find Gold—“

“We’re not doing that again.” Kaeya looked up to see that Albedo’s posture had stiffened somewhat. His expression had darkened, too, and he didn’t meet anyone’s gaze as he spoke. “Can I speak to Kaeya for a minute, please?”

Cyno and Tighnari exchanged a glance, but the latter was quick to agree. “We should probably be leaving anyway. Duty calls.”

As the pair left, Kaeya felt his heart sink. “I’m sorry for suggesting that, I just… don’t know what else to do.”

“It’s not that.” Albedo pulled out a chair and brought it in front of Kaeya.

“Uh oh. This sounds serious. Do I need a lawyer? Because I don’t know any.”

“Kaeya. I do enjoy your company very much. And when we… kissed, I felt a sense of relief that I don’t think I’ve ever felt before.”

Kaeya frowned. There was a certain sinking feeling about him. “I feel like there’s going to be a ‘but’ here.”

“But… I can’t do this right now. Neither can you. A relationship, from what I can tell, is built on mutual support, and you and I cannot support each other at the moment. It’s not a sustainable partnership.”

“It’s been less than a week.”

“I know that. And if I knew any of this was going to happen, then I wouldn’t have…” Albedo trailed off, shaking his head. He reached out to take Kaeya’s hand, but he pulled away. “I love you, Kaeya Alberich. I do. But I barely know how to navigate this kind of relationship under normal circumstances, let alone with everything that’s happening at the minute.”

Kaeya hadn’t really been in a proper relationship before, either. He’d had a couple of short-lived flings that still meant something in his mind, but never as much as Albedo did.

“Alright.” He eventually landed on. “So… what now?”

“What do you mean? This… it’s only temporary, Kaeya. Just until things get better, for both of us. You have bigger things to be worrying about.”

“Yeah.” Kaeya stood up. “You’re probably right. That’s that, then. I have… a thing.”

He was usually so good at lying. Usually. That was a horrible lie, and Albedo predictably saw right through it.

“Kaeya, just wait a minute—“

“Sorry, I’m already late. I will… see you later. Probably.” Kaeya shuffled backwards to the door, lowering his head. He didn’t want to look Albedo in the eye right now.

———

When Azra was ill, and very young, her mother would sing her to sleep. She didn’t remember what she was singing - it was something in Teyvatian, though, despite her father’s protests - but it always calmed her. She wished her mother was here, now. She needed calming more than anything.

The door opposite her opened slowly, breaking her train of thought. She slowly managed to lift herself into a sitting position (which she had been practicing for a while) and smiled to greet Kaeya in the doorway.

“You came to visit normally, at long last. Honestly, you’d think—“ Azra stopped, noticing the absence of any kind of gladness on Kaeya’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just felt like coming to see you.”

“There’s no point in trying to lie to me. I’m excellent at reading people.” Azra patted the side of the bed, and Kaeya hesitantly sat down.

“I think we must’ve both gotten that trait from Father…” Kaeya glanced to the other bed. “Venti isn’t here?”

“He went to go see his dragon friend. At least, that’s what he told me. I think he just feels bad. It’s… strange, to say the least, that someone depicted in our history as so ruthless is just really, well, friendly. Then again, nothing up here is the same as what I learned.”

“Just wait until you actually leave Gandharva Ville. I hear Inazuma is pretty good around this time of year.”

“I’ve actually been thinking about that. Where I’ll go. I’ve seen people with my condition before, it doesn’t take a whole lot of time to take hold, and I’m quite young. Vulnerable. If I do manage to make it out of here, I want to go to Fontaine.”

“Really?” Kaeya raised his brows. “Why?”

“It’s supposed to be the nation of justice, isn’t it? Law has always interested me. And it sounds like they have the best scenery - I quite like art. Besides, I’m quite partial to my gowns, and they seem the most likely place for me to find an upgrade. If nothing else, at least Khaenri’ah has style.”

“Well, I could give you some tips. I am pretty stylish, myself.”

“You wish.” Azra tapped her eye. “What’s that thing for? Have you gone blind or something?”

Kaeya instinctively moved to readjust his eyepatch, chuckling darkly. “Well, just between you and me, no. Scarred, definitely. But only a little.”

“Well, you have to tell me more, now. And if you like, I can definitely give whoever did it a good kick in the crotch. Unless you did it to yourself, which wouldn’t surprise me, because you seem like an idiot.” She paused. “Actually, I think if you did it to yourself as an accident, I’d kick you in the crotch anyway, because that would truly be a new low.”

Kaeya wrinkled his nose in mock disgust. “Stop saying crotch. You’re very violent.”

“Thank you. It’s everybody’s least favourite quality of mine. You should’ve seen how my nanny would get so red in the face, it was hilarious.”

“I’m honestly surprised you don’t know everything about how I was raised, given the amount you do seem to know. I assume I was being watched.”

“You were. But our mother was the only one who relayed the information to me, and her informant is presently six feet under. So everything from when Mama died to just about when the Traveler arrived is a mystery to me.”

“Huh. Well, in that case, I guess I’ll have to tell you how I scored my very first very noble battle scar.”

“Incredible. About ten total minutes of conversation and I’m already getting your deepest darkest secrets. I’m intrigued.”

Kaeya rolled his eyes. “You know Diluc Ragnvindr, yes?”

“Son of Crepus Ragnvindr - who was the extremely rich man who took you in - in very hot water in Snezhnaya, enemy of the Fatui, generally quite hostile but also very smart, aided in the resolution of the Stormterror Crisis in Mondstadt?”

“Well… yeah, you pretty much covered all the bases, there.”

“What can I say? I have a lot of free time. Now, go on. Lying in bed all day has been immensely boring.”

Kaeya scoffed. “If you insist. Really, I just… did something stupid. Our father died, and I got scared. Crepus, he knew who I really was, I’m sure. At the very least, he had an idea. But Diluc never suspected me of any bad intentions. So, that night, I chose to tell him. It was the worst decision I’ve ever made, and I know it. But we were both grieving.”

“Our.”

“Hm?”

“You said ‘our father’. Not just Diluc’s.”

“That’s a mistake I keep making.”

“But it’s probably not a mistake, is it? It’s fine, our real father was a horrible person. I don’t blame you. You can carry on.”

Azra probably would’ve done the same thing, went and found a new family. Hers was pretty horrible, anyway. It still hurt, cut too deeply for what it was. But if Crepus Ragnvindr served as Kaeya’s replacement for a father, was Diluc his replacement for a sibling?

“Right. Anyway, he took what I told him reasonably badly. Hence the eyepatch. But also… it gave me this.” Kaeya held up the glowing blue gem attached to his clothing.

“Your vision. And I’m sure you’ve done plenty of good things with that, considering how you were about to use it to kill yourself when I first met you.”

“Hey, that was a one off occasion.”

“It’s quite honestly that my very own flesh and blood would be stupid enough to think that jumping out a window would be a suitable escape plan. From what I’ve heard, you’re supposed to be smart.”

“It almost sounds like you like me, Azra.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t think you’re cruel enough to deserve my hate. I think I just hate the idea of you.”

Kaeya hummed softly. “I think if I were in your shoes, I’d hate the idea of me, too.”

“Damn right you would.” Azra reached up and flicked a tear from her eye. “So. What are you doing here, actually? Because you did not come here to tell me about your pirate dress up.”

Kaeya sighed. “I just got broken up with.”

“Well, that wasn’t what I was expecting. Here I was thinking you were worried about poor me.” When Kaeya began to look particularly apologetic, Azra only laughed. “Relax, I didn’t mean it. I just don’t really know what to say, I’ve never been in a relationship before.”

“I’m not sure whether to count that one, honestly. And I was stupid and overreacted and walked out.”

“That sounds reasonable enough, actually. Very me. I’ve no idea what made Father think we were so different, he clearly never found out about your horrendous relationship failures.” Azra paused, tilting her head. “Huh.”

Kaeya smirked. “What?”

“I just had a thought. Remembered something. You dyed your hair.”

“Yes, we’ve established that, I think.”

“No, I mean, the first time. Father got really confused. It would’ve been funny if it wasn’t so terrifying. That, and, I obviously didn’t get the problem.”

Kaeya’s face sank into something a little sadder. “I hate to think how he reacted when he found out I was doing it to look more like an Alberich man.”

“He didn’t. He thought you were doing it to look like him. Which opened a whole new can of worms, because he thought you didn’t understand what it meant to make yourself look more like an ‘Alberich man’.”

“Yeah. He was a fan of underestimating, I remember that much. Unfortunately, I knew perfectly well what I was doing.” Kaeya chuckled. “I think Crepus thought I was making it all up. About the men having blue hair.”

“I don’t blame him. That’s really weird. But hey, it doesn’t look too terrible on you.”

Kaeya only scoffed.

“You’re welcome. It’s true.” Azra grinned weakly. “Hey, if you don’t want to go back to wherever the two of you are sleeping, you can always stay in here for the night. Unfortunately, I can’t attest to the comfort of the floor, but I spotted some spare bedding in a cabinet.”

“Well, it’s definitely less than the comfort I’m accustomed to.” Kaeya joked. “But yes, I think I will, as long as Tighnari’s alright with it. I don’t really want to speak with Albedo right now.”

“Maybe you’d feel better if you spoke to someone about this. Other than me, because that seems like an unhealthy sibling relationship.”

“If you say so. Not right now, though. There are definitely bigger things.”

“If this is about me, you can stop right there. I am definitely not ready to get into that.” Azra stopped to yawn. “I am, however, very much ready to sleep. You came at a very bad time.”

She looked out the window with a faint smile.

“Happy first sunset.” Kaeya said softly, following her gaze. “I know how it feels.”

“Yeah. Happy first sunset to me.” She shuffled slowly down into the bed. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, brother. I need my beauty sleep.”

“Night.”

“Goodnight.”

Chapter Text

In no time at all, it felt as if the sunlight had already completely fizzled out. Instead of heading back to Gandharva Ville like any normal person, however, Albedo kept pushing through. Even when he passed a small group of people lighting the lamps along the dusty path, and even when the rain started. All he needed was an umbrella.

As he was making his way down the path toward the city, someone suddenly sped ahead of him, not taking a moment to look back at him.

“Where are you going?” Albedo asked, having to raise his voice over the rain.

Reluctantly, a very soaking wet Allos froze and turned back. “If you must know, I’m going back to where I’m staying for the time being.”

“What were you doing down this way in the first place? I didn’t see you in Gandharva Ville.”

“Clearly you’re not observant enough. Now, do you mind? It’s raining quite heavily.”

Albedo sighed, holding out his umbrella. “There’s plenty of room for the both of us.”

Allos only frowned. “I don’t really care about the rain. I just don’t want to speak to you.”

“Oh, well, that’s a shame, because we seem to be heading in the same direction.” Albedo quickened his pace, catching Allos up as he began to walk away and holding the umbrella between them. “I’d say you’re running from something.”

“At the moment? You. Because you’re very irritating. But by that same logic, what are you running from?”

Touché. But if Albedo expected Allos to be honest with him, he had to do the same.

“I’m taking a walk. Giving Kaeya space. I assume you’ve heard about Azra.”

“It’s definitely not Master’s finest work, but it certainly gets close to a new low, yes.”

“You think it was her, then?”

Allos scoffed. “I know it was. This has her fingerprints all over it. I’m just yet to figure out why, and frankly, it’s none of my business anyway.”

“It’s nice to see you thinking about yourself,” Albedo shrugged. “Even if it is a little cruel.”

“What? Are you going to tell me that this is my fault? Because I know that already, I’m not oblivious. A whole lot of this is my fault, and I’ve been spending a whole lot of time wishing it was yours instead. I’m the problem, you’re the solution. I’ve come to terms with that fact.”

The pair trudged along the path in silence for a few moments. And then, Albedo abruptly stopped, waiting for Allos to face him before saying anything.

“You’re wrong. I’m not as brainless as you might think. If I thought you were at all a problem, wouldn’t I have handled that fact when I first met you?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve never once considered that fact that you certainly should have done that.” Allos folded his arms, stubbornly stepping out from beneath the umbrella. “For your information, I actually was in Gandharva Ville. They wanted to know about my defence. I do think I could have done a better job at defending myself, but that would have involved a whole lot of lying.”

“So what did you say?” Albedo refused to give up in trying to keep Allos out of the rain, stepping closer with the umbrella again.

“The truth. I don’t think they understand the extent of Master’s power. As far as I can tell, they just pity me as a result of their own constantly bleeding hearts.”

“There’s no need for cynicism.” Albedo took a deep breath. “You owe me for what you did. You owe all of us. And I know you would’ve been taught to always pay your debts.”

“That depends. What do you intend to ask of me?”

“Stay with the rest of us.”

“You’re joking. It’s not funny.”

“I assure you, I am not joking at all. I think it would be good to have you around. Only you could know what I have experienced, and vice versa. Perhaps it would be beneficial to talk about things. I find that talking can… help.”

“I don’t need your help.”

“And what if I needed yours?”

“You don’t.”

“But I do. We all do, whether anyone will admit it or not. You’re the only one who could possibly know anything about what Master plans to do next. The plans the Fatui had never mentioned anything like this, and you have seniority over me. You could save Azra’s life.”

“No, I couldn’t. Just get your bumbling Archon to do something about it.”

“He tried. He’s in the same situation, and now he thinks that we can’t rely on any of the other Archons to help, either.”

“Then you’re out of luck. Master won’t yield, not even to you. You have two options. Give her what she wants, or let Alberich Junior live a long, arduous life of suffering, incapable of just about anything mentally or physically.”

“You’re being unreasonable, Allos.”

Allos kicked at the ground as he walked. They were coming into the outskirts of the city, now, but the streets were bare. “Maybe I am. Maybe the right thing would be to join hands with the rest of you all and defeat the evil forces of the Abyss with the power of friendship. And maybe your intentions are entirely pure.”

“Then why not come back with me?”

“Because that would go against every single instinct I have, every single thing I have learned. And why in Teyvat should I subject myself to that if only to be put away in prison and left to rot?”

Ever so slowly, something dawned on Albedo.

“This isn’t about me, or Kaeya, or anyone else in Sumeru right now, is it? This is about Gold, and Durin.”

Allos scoffed. “What a genius. Can I leave now, or do you need to ponder the effects that being swallowed by a dragon the size of a mountain to account for one’s failures a little more?”

“No thank you, I think the fact that you immediately began planning my demise once you found me is enough evidence for that. And I can’t force you do come back to Gandharva Ville. But if you do change your mind, you’ll be welcome.” Albedo held his hand out. “Here.”

“What?”

“Take the umbrella. I can manage.”

Though he seemed in two minds about the whole ordeal, Allos took the umbrella by its handle and swung it over his shoulder.

“… I suppose a thank you is in order.”

“You’re welcome.” Albedo was very quickly growing uncomfortable with the feeling of the rain slipping down the back of his hair and into his collar, but it was probably worth it.

He turned to leave, not thinking Allos was going to say any more, but he then heard a long sigh over the rain.

“Suppose I said I wanted to speak with you for longer. Would you come with me back to where I’m staying?”

Albedo span back around, smiling triumphantly. “Gladly.”

Allos nodded, already starting to pace down the road. It seemed that Albedo would decidedly not be getting his umbrella back any time soon.

———

“Welcome back, Mr Kimolía— oh. There’s two of you.” The innkeeper blinked incredulously as two soaking wet men who both looked equally like his part time busboy stepped into the building.

“Yes, this is my… colleague, Albedo. I hope it doesn’t bother you that I brought a guest.” Allos said, tucking the door key back into his pocket and slipping the umbrella into an empty rack.

“Fine by me. You get the most tips, you can do whatever you want.” The innkeeper shrugged. “Had to close up early ‘cause of the storm, so you should be good to go upstairs for the night. I’ll be doing the same thing once I’ve gotten everything sorted down here.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Allos led Albedo to the stairs, and as they climbed to the first floor, Albedo leaned forward and lowered his voice.

“Kimolía? Really? Chalk?”

“It was the first thing I thought of. What did you put on your job application?”

“I didn’t give a surname.”

“Well, not everyone is as foolish with their hiring as the Knights.”

Albedo decided not to question any further. They quickly reached Allos’s room - a small, cozy space with not much in terms of additional luggage or decoration. In fact, all that was there were a spare change of clothes laid out over a chair by a desk and some basic toiletries.

“I can feel you judging. I don’t know what you expected.” Allos picked up the clothes from the chair and moved them to the bed, gesturing for Albedo to take a seat.

“No, not judging. I promise. What did you want to discuss?”

“I know what you were discussing with Kaeya before you left. I wanted additional context.”

Albedo sighed. He should’ve guessed that was what it was. “It’s just not the right time.”

“For what? Romance? Because that’s not a subject I know enough about to speak on, but I was thinking that what you did was exactly what I would have done in your shoes.”

“That’s promising.” Albedo said sarcastically.

“Look, don’t think too much into what I’m about to say. I’m only saying it because it’s infuriating watching you and your boyfriend dance around each other like that. But you’re not enough of a coward to actually want to stop whatever you two had going on. You clearly need each other. You’re like… a very strange pair of symbiotic creatures.”

“I wouldn’t go that far. We both have other friends.”

“And? One of the first things A— Kaeya did was look for you. You should’ve seen him, it was quite humiliating, actually. And you, well, you wouldn’t be entertaining me if you didn’t at least partially agree. Which means it’s something else. And now it’s my turn to do what you do constantly and make a pretentious insight into what may or may not be happening in your mind.”

“If you must.”

“You’re just as scared of Master as I am.”

He wasn’t wrong. That was definitely true. But it didn’t have anything to do with him breaking up with Kaeya, that was illogical. He’d just solved that problem, hadn’t he? He was letting himself do this kind of thing, now.

“Then I suppose we’re more alike than you seem to think.” Albedo replied.

He loved Kaeya. He ended their very short relationship for his sake, it was an act of sympathy.

“You’re not a coward. You’re irritating, and you’ve taken everything I could have had away from me, but you’re not a coward. And the reason I wanted to take your place in the first place was because you’ve changed. And you’re not what Master made you.”

Albedo smiled. “Thank you. You know, you could do the same. If you ask me, you already are.”

“And that’s my business. Not yours.” Allos picked at some mud on his trousers, glaring down into his lap. “But I suppose I should… apologise to you. You gave me your umbrella, so I shall apologise for how I behaved before that.”

“While I don’t think that should be your priority, I’ll accept it.”

“Good, because I’m not doing that again. And… when you see her, tell Azra that I’m also sorry for leaving her to the Abyss Order. That was an act of selfishness that I didn’t quite think through, but I honestly was sure that she could handle herself. She has great potential as a soldier of some kind.”

“But she’s not a soldier, or a weapon,” Albedo reminded. “She’s a child. A child who may possibly never be in a fit state to fight again.”

“I know. I haven’t known her for long, and I don’t think she likes me very much. But she’s determined, and that’s a trait I admire. If a miracle were to occur, and both of us came out of this normally, I would quite like to try and get to know her.”

“I’ll certainly bring that up with her.” Albedo looked around the room. “I don’t suppose this inn has any spare rooms for the night, does it? I left my mora back at Gandharva Ville, but I can come back and pay in the morning.”

“Three. Just go and speak to the innkeeper, he’ll sort it out. You’ll have to be quick, he should be closing up in…” Allos looked to the clock. “Four minutes.”

“I’ll be leaving, then.” Albedo walked over to the door. “Good night, Allos.”

Allos said nothing, but he nodded.

Chapter Text

About two weeks after the resolution of the Stormterror Crisis, Kaeya was in the tavern. This wasn’t very unusual, especially since it was a Friday night and he’d just worked a double shift (a very difficult feat when you’re the Cavalry Captain with no cavalry to captain).

Diluc was manning the bar with Charles to account for the celebratory drinking marathons that Dvalin’s ‘defeat’ had brought on. As such, Kaeya had made a point not to bother the redhead as much as he normally would. It was no fun with Charles there to chastise him for it. Venti, on the other hand…

“Oh, just one more round? For your favourite patron?”

“You are by far not my favourite patron. And, no. Don’t think that because of what happened, I appreciate your lack of payment any more.”

Venti sighed. It seemed for a moment that he was going to give up. And then he looked to Kaeya, his eyes wide. “Kaeya? My good friend?”

“Hm… what are you offering?”

“Aha, a man of trade. What do you want in return? I’m just about tipsy enough to accept whatever dare you might put me up to.”

Kaeya grinned. “How about you tell me what’s gotten you so close with Master Diluc these past couple of weeks? I mean, come on, you weren’t exactly on great terms before.”

Venti showed no signs of being caught off guard. Neither did Diluc. The first only stared for a moment, and the second continued serving a young woman a cocktail. Eventually, Venti leaned back on his stool, stretching his arms up.

“Well, it could be the fact that I finally provided proof of age.”

“In what form? You’ve definitely mentioned not having any ID before.”

“Or it could be the many moons I have spent trying to develop our friendship with tactical compliments to acquire more drinks. Maybe our dear Master Diluc is a sucker for verbal affection.”

Venti… wasn’t wrong. But that was beside the point. “Will you please stop dodging the question for a second?”

“Maybe one day. But right now, it seems like a pretty good skill to have. And you don’t mind, really. Come on, just one drink?”

Kaeya rolled his eyes. “Just one. And just because I’m in a good mood today. I’m just going to keep asking both of you until you tell me, you know.”

“And we’re all very grateful for that fact, Kaeya.” Diluc placed two glasses down on the bar.

Kaeya only smirked. He did keep to his word, and he asked almost every night. Neither of them ever gave an answer. A well-kept secret, something kept from him for reasons unknown. It had always bugged him, that even when he went to Jean, he received no response.

Who would have guessed it was just that Diluc just happened to be in the right place at the right time to find out who Venti really was?

———

Kaeya was abruptly awoken by the sound of something clattering beside him. Naturally, this sent his body right into a fight or flight response, and he swung up into a sitting position, grasping down the side of his bed for the dagger he knew he kept taped under the base. Except instead of sliding underneath, his knuckle harshly hit the wooden floor.

Right. He wasn’t in his apartment, he was on the floor of an infirmary. In Sumeru. And looking to his left, he saw a wooden frame lying haphazardly on the floor beside the blanket he had put down beneath him. Tracing the fallen item back to his source, he saw Venti peering over the edge of his bed.

“What was that for?” Kaeya complained. “That was the best sleep I’ve had in days.”

“It wasn’t on purpose! And shush! Your sister’s still asleep.” Venti hissed. “Can you hand me the frame?”

Kaeya picked it up, turning it over in his hand as he passed it back up to the bed. “There’s nothing in it.”

“I know that. I wasn’t going for the frame, I was trying to get my hairbands. I took them out last night, can’t remember why.”

“You weren’t in until late. It must’ve been early morning, at least, because I didn’t go to sleep for a long while.”

“I bet. Sorry about Azra, by the way.” Venti frowned, before sheepishly adding, “And Albedo.”

“How do you know about that?”

“I…” Venti looked as if he’d forgotten he wasn’t actually present for that conversation. “In my defence, the wind’s been acting up a little. I think it’s everywhere. Something about me being poisoned set my abilities a bit off balance, not just purifying things. I didn’t mean to listen in, I swear.”

“It’s fine. I don’t really care. I’ve got more important things to be processing right now.”

“Okay.”

Okay? That response didn’t sit well with Kaeya. Was that all he had to say? To be fair, he didn’t really know what else he expected, but it certainly wasn’t as simple as that.

“I’ve just changed my mind.” Kaeya stood up, folding the blankets on the floor hurriedly. “I want us to talk. It’s probably about time.”

To Kaeya’s surprise, Venti let out a long sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness. I thought we were going to be on bad terms forever. I was beginning to wonder if you were avoiding me.”

“I absolutely was avoiding you, don’t get that twisted. But I, for one, know that isn’t going to make anything magically disappear, so we’re talking.”

“Alright. What do you want to know? A stupid question, I know, but… well, I kind of need a starting point.”

“Well, I think the elephant in the room is why you never thought to tell me. A proper answer, please.”

“Like I said to Azra. I just don’t like telling people. It’s nothing more, nothing personal. I didn’t tell Jean or Diluc, either, not directly. The only person I ever really told was Aether, and that was different.”

“And you knew about who I was the entire time.”

“Yep. Actually, even before I met you. Which is… weird, I know. But it’s what happened.” Venti sighed. “I’ll admit, I wasn’t too sure about getting to know you at first. I felt guilty, and for all I know, you could’ve recognised me instantly.”

“I probably should have, to be fair.”

“My point exactly.”

“And while it’s a very stupid point, I see where you’re coming from. We are in a… weirdly similar situation.” Kaeya shook his head. “Next question. Why, and I ask this with such sincerity, would you just allow yourself to be hauled over a shoulder and taken to your death if you’re an actual god?”

“Huh?” Venti raised his brows. “Oh! You mean before I was taken to Khaenri’ah. I definitely would’ve usually put up a bit of a fight, but I was genuinely just asleep.”

Of course he was.

“Dare I ask why?”

“It’s a defence mechanism. My body thought I was injured, since I used all that power purifying Albedo’s wounds and given the state of my wings. So when I hit the hay that night, that was kind of the beginning of the end.”

“And you couldn’t possibly wake yourself up?”

“They also drugged me.”

“Ah. That makes much more sense. Are your wings… any better?”

Venti seemed saddened by this question. So much so that Kaeya immediately regretted asking. “No. And I don’t think they will be any time soon. I need something to fix them properly, and that requires an un-poisoned gnosis. Which, by the way, I am so incredibly screwed for talking about.”

“So that’s supposed to be another secret, then?”

“I figure since I’ve already broken just about every other rule, this one pales in comparison. Besides, I feel like since you’ve definitely already seen everything I have to offer, it can’t get much worse. A relationship really blossoms when one person stabs the other in the chest.”

“Venti…” Kaeya winced.

“Sorry, I know. Too soon again. Way too soon. It’s just kind of my thing. I won’t do it again. See?” Venti mimed zipping his lips closed. Ever the jester.

“Ha ha.” Kaeya huffed sarcastically. “I suppose the only other question I have is… well, is this, all of this, the real you? It sounds really paranoid of me, but I genuinely have no idea.”

“Who’s to say who’s the real anyone?” Venti shrugged, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. “You put on a good show a lot of the time, too. I do the same when I need to, so does everyone else. I’m a lot of things. But I don’t think any of them is the wrong version of me. I’m here, you can see me, you can talk to me. That’s real enough, don’t you think?”

“Not if you’re acting.”

“That’s what I’m saying. Everyone’s acting all the time, I just act a little more than everyone else. I have to. But I still love playing the lyre, and wandering aimlessly around to annoy whoever I first come across, and doing an incredible job of making you or Master Diluc pay for my drinks.”

“I didn’t doubt that last one for a second, believe me.”

Venti chuckled. “So… we’re still friends?”

“I think so. At least until you tell me that you’re secretly a lizard in disguise.”

“Well… not a lizard…”

“I’m actually going to stop you right there. I do not need to know whatever you’re about to tell me.”

“Alright. Probably for the best.” Venti turned his head, looking to Azra in the other bed. She was turned away from the pair, burrowed under the blanket. “Do you think she’s cold?”

“I don’t know how. The climate here is pretty humid. Besides, she was boiling yesterday.”

“That can’t be a good sign, then.”

Kaeya’s gaze quickly moved over Venti. “You don’t seem too bad.”

“Most of the smaller effects are being dampened. I’ve just got to wait for the bigger ones.”

“Brilliant.”

“I know, right?” Venti leaned back against the headboard of the bed, picking up his hat from his nightstand and placing it on his head.

“Hey, where’d you even get your normal clothes back from?”

“Now that would just be telling.” Venti paused, trying to keep a wide grin plastered across his face before giving up entirely. “I should’ve known about what was going on from the moment I got the gnosis back. I bet if I was fully awake, I would’ve. There would have been signs, or something.”

Kaeya swore quietly. Albedo. He had seen something, hadn’t he? He had probably tried to say something, too, but it was the only choice they had.

“Gold. She did it.”

“I don’t see who else would’ve.” Venti shrugged. “But, hey, it was that or bleed out and die. I’m not complaining. I honestly didn’t think I’d be making it out of that place.”

“What, never been offered as a sacrifice before?”

“Not even close. Another thing to cross off on the bingo card, though.” Venti smiled. “Thanks for helping.”

“I really didn’t do much.”

(“Alright, get her inside— Kaeya? Stay with us, this is important.”)

(There was so much blood. All over his clothes, his hands. He had barely even noticed it when he was busy trying to deal with everything before. How did it even get there? He didn’t make that much of a mess, did he? But he was back in Sumeru, now. He was safe.)

(“I— oh, come with me. Just try to breathe, alright, we can get you some water.”)

(Jean was taking him somewhere. People were staring, but he didn’t care just yet.)

(“Look, I don’t know what happened. But I do know that it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you like this. What… did you do?”)

“That’s not true!” Venti objected. “Either way, you deserve my thanks.”

“Everyone else deserves them more than I do.”

“Yeah, well, everyone else came to visit earlier on. I even got a few worried glances out of Master Diluc. Nothing has ever been better for my health, I don’t think.”

“As much as my time to myself was necessary, I would’ve killed to see that.” Kaeya laughed.

Both of them flinched slightly as a knock came at the door. A moment passed, and then two more came.

“Kaeya? I know you’re inside.” Albedo’s voice was slightly muffled through the door. “I just want to speak with you.”

Venti opened his mouth, but Kaeya quickly shook his head, his eyes pleading.

“Kaeya? I’ll gladly leave if you want me to, but you could at least say something.”

Venti gave Kaeya a pointed look. He chose to ignore it, staring down at his hands instead.

A sigh. “Fine. I’ll be around if you want to talk to me.”

Footsteps receded from the door, and Kaeya rubbed his eye tiredly.

“Yikes.” Venti said softly.

“Tell me about it.”

“I mean both of you. Just talk to each other! It’s not that hard.”

“Yeah, yeah. I get it. I’ll definitely consider your wise, wise words, oh mighty Anemo Archon.”

Venti rolled his eyes. “Gross. Never do that again. Please.”

“Only if you stop stating the obvious.”

“I’m only trying to help!”

“Yeah… I know.” Kaeya stood up. “I’m going to head out on a search for some breakfast. You want any?”

“I’d love some. In fact, give me a second, I’ll be right out myself. I just need to get changed a little.”

“Alright. See you in a minute.”

Kaeya stood up and walked out. When he closed the door behind him, he looked out across the path both ways. Albedo was already gone.

Chapter Text

“You really don’t have to come out with me.” Tighnari sighed, pulling on his coat.

Cyno only smirked, folding his arms. “And yet, here I am. Coming out with you.”

“I don’t suppose you’d mind if I joined you on patrol, too?” Albedo suddenly appeared behind Cyno, causing him to turn abruptly. “Apologies.”

“There’s no need to apologise.” Tighnari picked up his bow and quiver, slinging both over his back and glancing up in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

“Boy troubles?” Cyno suggested.

“That’s… crude, but not wrong.” Albedo replied, frowning.

“See. I’m an expert with that kind of thing. Nari here has caused me a fair amount of trouble, himself.”

“We broke up. Me and Kaeya.”

“… oh.”

“More specifically, I broke up with him. So I need to come out with the pair of you so I don’t get in his way for a while. If you don’t mind, obviously.”

“I’d be delighted if you came along.” Tighnari nodded. “You can save me from Cyno’s awful jokes.”

“Hey, if anything, Albedo loves my jokes. Great minds think alike, after all.” Cyno grinned.

“I would make a quip about that, but I don’t want to insult Albedo. Now, if we’re going, we should probably do it now before everyone starts inviting me to breakfast.”

“Because that would just be the end of the world. You know, I think they’re cooking eggs today.”

Tighnari’s ears flattened, and he turned from where he was beginning to walk away, his eyes narrowed. “Do not even think about it.”

Cyno shook his head solemnly. “Alright. But it’s not my fault that you can’t appreciate a good yolk.”

“Cyno…”

“I’m just trying to add some egg-citement to this patrol.”

“Cyno, please.”

“Fine. I’m done.” Cyno held a hand out, gesturing for the others to go ahead. “Shell we leave?”

“I’m going to murder you someday. And believe me, I know the best ways to dispose of a body in this habitat.”

Cyno turned to Albedo, lowering his voice. “That’s not at all ominous.”

“I can still hear you. Albedo, how about we change the subject? Why are you trying to avoid Kaeya?”

“I just went to find him. He doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“That doesn’t mean you need to avoid him entirely.”

“I know. But I am right now. Can we talk about something else?”

After his talk with Allos the previous night, he had spent the rest of the night sleepless in the room he had been given at the inn. And considering the now unreasonable amount of time he’d spent thinking about Kaeya since he ended their relationship, he had decided he’d had enough for the time being. He needed to redirect his thoughts.

“Okay. But you know you can talk to us whenever you need to, right?”

“Exactly. Obviously you probably have closer friends, but still. We’re good listeners, if I do say so myself.” Cyno agreed.

“Thank you.” Albedo said quietly. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Their walk into the forest continued in general peace for quite some time. Occasionally, the group would stop so Tighnari could observe the local flora or tend to an injured fox or the like, but otherwise, everyone kept to themselves.

Idle conversation drifted from one topic to another, and Albedo barely made an effort to involve himself despite Cyno’s brilliant attempts to make him. To be honest, Albedo much preferred listening to talking, anyway.

All of a sudden, Tighnari stopped in his tracks, his ears perked up. He held a hand out to stop everyone else, readying his bow.

“What’s wrong?” Cyno asked.

“I feel something. It’s either a very large boar or an earthquake.”

“Well I don’t feel—“

The ground broke out into a harsh tremor. Birds screeched as they flew off of tree branches, and smaller animals dived to take cover in quivering bushes. All three men took a protective stance, and Tighnari turned to face the others.

“Everybody get on the ground.”

Nobody wasted any time in doing as he said, lowering themselves to the forest floor.

“What’s going on? We don’t get earthquakes.” Cyno yelled over the sounds of panicked animals and a choir of leaves rustling above them.

“We clearly do now. There’s been similar reports from Apam Woods and Khaj-Nisut. Never tremors this violent, though.”

A good few metres ahead of them, one of the shorter but thicker trees landed on the ground, snapped right by the trunk. That certainly wasn’t natural for an earthquake.

And then, very strange thought suddenly occurred to Albedo as he knelt with his hands protecting his head from falling branches. One that he simply couldn’t wait to share. “What if it’s not a naturally occurring earthquake? What if it’s caused by something underground?”

“And what’s underground?” Tighnari asked in response.

“Something that’s a lot more likely as a cause than a fault line magically appearing beneath our feet. And something that is most definitely the fault of the events that occurred while we were away.”

“Oh, Archons, Albedo, what’s going on?” Cyno asked.

The earthquake began to die down, and Albedo waited for it to finish entirely before standing up again and speaking. “That’s a long story. One that I don’t necessarily understand all the details of. My best guess would be that Sumeru has a rich biosphere, and the introduction of an entirely new habitat beneath it has disturbed it somewhat.”

“I hate to burst your bubble, but new habitats don’t cause earthquakes.” Tighnari huffed, brushing himself off.

“Maybe they do. This one, anyway. This is unprecedented, what if it’s not just human life that can be affected by Abyssal corruption, but the land, too? And what if the introduction of new plant life gave it a gateway to Sumeru? After all…” Albedo stopped himself.

What he was going to say was something along the lines of after all, he had been affected. And his biological composition was certainly closer to the land itself than a human. He decided that was a story for another day.

“While I haven’t the slightest idea what you’re talking about, I’m getting the impression that this is important.” Cyno placed a hand on Albedo’s back, guiding him forward. “Unfortunately for both of us, Nari is already leaving, so we have both lost his interest.”

“No interest lost. We’re just not too far from Vimara Village, so we should check that the people are alright. You can keep talking.”

“There’s not much more to say. It’s my working theory, but obviously you know more about Sumeru than I do.” Albedo picked up his pace, attempting to catch up to Tighnari.

“Well, I don’t have anything better. Neither does anyone at the Akademiya, from what I can tell. If you’re willing to elaborate, I’m sure I can discreetly pass on some information to people who might actually be able to help.”

“Nobody can. Especially not the scholars at the Akademiya. If I’m right, this is the same kind of thing as what’s happening to Azra and Venti. That’s not something that can be solved by a thesis.”

“You are quite fond of telling us that. Albedo, I trust you entirely, and so does Cyno. You can tell us what’s really going on.”

“You don’t want to know that.”

“I assure you, we do. I think you want to tell us, too.” Cyno caught up to the other pair at Albedo’s left side. “Whatever it is, we won’t think any less of you for it. Or Kaeya, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“It’s not that. It’s just a difficult subject to approach.”

“Then start with something easy,” Tighnari suggested. “That might help.”

Unfortunately, Albedo wasn’t very good at ‘starting with something easy’.

“I’m not actually human.”

Cyno gave Albedo a very concerned look. “If that’s the easiest thing to broach, I think this conversation is best had over a bottle of alcohol. Strong alcohol.”

“Don’t listen to him.” Tighnari reached around Albedo to lightly flick the back of Cyno’s head. “Go on.”

“Lab grown, I suppose. A very meticulous process that hasn’t been replicated since, to my knowledge.” Albedo’s gaze drifted to the floor. “The woman who created and raised me, essentially my mother, is the cause of the vast majority of the recent issues. Hence my involvement. She’s responsible for Azra and Venti’s current state, as well as, if I’m right, the earthquakes here.”

Albedo was unsure what kind of expressions Cyno and Tighnari were making, but they couldn’t have been particularly promising given the moments of uncomfortable silence that followed.

“This woman… she’s the same person Allos was talking about in our meeting yesterday, I assume. His master.”

“Mine, as well.”

“You called her your mother a moment ago.” Cyno pointed out.

“She can be as close to both as possible. It’s simply a matter of what mood she’s in.”

Despite Albedo’s apparent surety in his elaboration, Cyno didn’t seem all that convinced.“You know, there’s a reason Nari’s trying to stop Collei from calling him ‘Master’. It’s because we’re trying to be her parents, and that doesn’t set the best family dynamic.”

Tighnari nodded in silent agreement, and Albedo exhaled sharply. “I know that. But it’s how I’ve been raised, and it’s how Allos was raised, too. And if she hasn’t changed over the course of several centuries—“

“Centuries? Just who is this woman?” Tighnari asked.

“You know where we went. You can very easily put the pieces together, and Master is immortal. That’s a very long story and one that I simply don’t have time to explain, however. So I’ll give you a brief summary of the consequences of Kaeya and I’s visit. There was a brief power struggle, and in order to save his and possibly everyone else’s lives, Venti restored the natural climate of… well, you know. Which leads us back my theory about the earthquakes.”

“That would mean that you’re from Khaenri’ah as well.”

“That isn’t technically correct. I wasn’t born at all, but nor was I created in Khaenri’ah. That occurred elsewhere. I’ve also actually seen the place myself on very few occasions. I won’t call myself Khaenri’ahn when I haven’t faced any of the struggles and hardships that those people have.”

“I’m glad that you said all this,” Cyno said. “But really this just raises more questions. Not that you’re obligated to answer any of them.”

“If it helps, I’d be glad to answer anything I can. I think.”

Tighnari seemed to understand Albedo’s hesitance and shook his head. “We should wait a while. That was rather a lot for all of us, I think.”

“Yes. I suppose you’re right as always.” Cyno agreed.

Albedo felt as if a weight had been lifted from his chest in a way that it hadn’t really in the past. Explaining such matters elsewhere had always been a matter of necessity, even with Kaeya, but he did this completely of his own volition. He couldn’t help but smile a little, proud of how well it had gone. It was like the perfect experiment. Not that this was one, of course, but even so.

———

and finally, some absolutely gorgeous fanart of azra by stxr_flowxr!!!! she literally looks beautiful omg

Chapter Text

Azra was fourteen years old. Elize was still her retainer, technically, but she had handed in her resignation the week prior. Unfortunately, she still had the rest of the month to annoy Azra half to death. She really, really didn’t like Elize.

Now, the older woman stood to the side of the room, keeping her watchful gaze on the progress Azra was making with her ballroom dancing - one of the many tedious classes she had taken over her teenage years that she was certain she would never need again.

The teacher was a middle aged man named Jarl, an odd, red haired person who always insisted on being Azra’s partner during class. Every now and then, his hand would dip too low down her back or caress her cheek in a strange way, but she mostly chose to ignore that. She ignored everything else about the lessons, anyway.

“Your steps are out of time,” Jarl sighed, stepping back to allow Azra to practice. “You have to slide your left foot back precisely on four, you’re doing it on four and a half. Show me, please. And one…”

Azra was getting particularly tired of this set of steps. Right forward, left around, right around, left backward, right around, left around. When they repeated the movements too many times, it made her dizzy.

“That’s much better. Just imagine a metronome, I won’t always be counting aloud. Now, would you like to practice together?”

Not particularly. “Alright.”

Jarl nodded, pleased, and stepped forward to get into position again. “Miss Elize, would you mind?”

“Of course not.” Elize reached to the gramophone beside her and carefully placed the needle down onto the record. “Azra, don’t forget you have tea with your father in fifteen minutes.”

“Yes, Miss Elize.” Azra just about managed to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

As the dance began, Jarl looked down at Azra with a smug grin. “Your nanny is rather uptight, isn’t she?”

“I’m used to it.” Azra mumbled in return.

“Do you want some advice? Try to catch her at a weak point to sneak away. You have quite a large house, and I happen to know an architect who worked on it. On the third floor, there’s an unused service door that leads to an elevator. It would be perfect for having some time alone, hm?”

Azra scoffed. “She’d never let me out of her sight.”

“Claim a bathroom break. Trust me, it works every time with girls your age, given the changes your body should be going through.”

“That’s disgusting.” Azra had heard quite enough about that in recent years, thank you very much. “Why are you telling me this, anyway?”

“A girl’s cycle is perfectly natural. And I thought we could try and fit in a few more lessons, just you and me. We’ve been working on this one dance for months now, and I can imagine you’re tiring of it. I can show you more elsewhere.”

That sounded wrong, somehow. It left a bad taste in Azra’s mouth. Still, she knew better than to speak out against her elders.

“I’ll… consider it.”

“I’m sure you will. Come on, one more round of the ballroom.”

Azra was quickly swept in the other direction, turning again and again. Between turns, she saw Elize move to the large doors, opening them and nodding to someone on the other side. Jarl took the opportunity to lean his face down to the top of Azra’s head. She instinctively tried to pull away, but the dance continued rather forcefully.

And then, far too loudly, Elize’s voice echoed throughout the ballroom. “It’s a pleasure to see you here, my Lord.”

Jarl stepped away, standing to attention. “It’s you. You’re… not supposed to be here for another quarter of an hour.”

Azra found herself looking to the door, too. Standing there, in all his nobility, was her father.

He was a beautiful man - hadn’t aged since the Cataclysm, of course, and wore this fact proudly. Mostly in the form of luxurious suits and robes and jewellery of the finest silver and gold to be found from any jeweller.

His long blue hair was tied back in a braid, today, one that reached down to his waist. It was customary for men of noble origin to keep their hair uncut for as long as reasonably possible, in Khaenri’ah. And Azra’s father was committed to this fact.

“I thought I’d arrive earlier than usual. I like to keep invested in my youngest daughter’s studies.”

He did not. This had never happened before. But Jarl didn’t know that.

“W-well, of course. We were just practicing a waltz.”

“I can see that. Would you mind coming over here for a moment?”

“Of course, my Lord.” Jarl confidently strode over to Azra’s father.

Ever so nonchalantly, the other man brandished a knife, and pushed it right through Jarl’s chest. Elize averted her gaze, pursing her lips as Jarl collapsed onto the blade, slowly lowering himself to his knees.

“Father! You…” Azra choked on her own words as her father’s attention turned to her. She never could seem to speak to him like that.

“I showed him the consequences of his actions. A life lesson we must all learn, my child.” Her father pulled the knife from Jarl’s chest, and his body crumpled on the ground, the knife quickly thrown atop it. “Elize told me what was happening yesterday. I did consider a less direct approach, but violence tends to make the most lasting impression.”

“But… he wasn’t… I…”

“Come along. I think we can consider dance classes to be finished for the time being. Elize, find someone to clean up this mess.”

Azra followed, a strange feeling of happiness settling inside of her. Father had never been this nice to her before, not even close. He’d never even taken this much interest.

As they stepped out of the ballroom, her world went dark for a moment. And then, suddenly, she was in a dimly lit room, watching her father pace in front of the hearth. She didn’t feel too happy anymore. In fact, she felt… scared.

“You don’t understand. For years, I have done everything I could to keep this family well respected. I provided for your senile mother until she was on her deathbed. I have turned away plenty of ill-meaning suitors for you, and I even made sure you had the best protection from those who might do you harm. And you, you just had to go and put it all to waste.”

Azra said nothing, her eyes wide.

A maid, trailing behind Azra’s father with his bed robes in hand, looked incredibly tired.

“Sir, please. If you’d just go to bed, you’re not well—“

“I’m not well? It’s everyone else in this house, in this nation that isn’t well! Day after day, I am made to put up with this… this torture! You’ve no idea what she has put me through.”

The maid finally stopped, rolling her eyes. “Who, sir?”

“Her!” He threw out a hand to point to Azra. “That… that wretch!”

“Sir, that’s your daughter.” Azra noticed how the maid spoke to him as if he had no idea what he was saying. She knew he did.

“She will never be my daughter. Not my little girl. Every day, I look at her, and I am disgraced.”

“Sir—“

“My daughter is gone!” His voice quickly ramped up to a roar, and he moved to tower over the poor maid, who cowered underneath him. “She is never coming back. Not to me. That… thing, standing there? She is not her. She is her mother’s self-pity, consolidated into some cruel changeling. I never wanted another. Not knowing she’d look so much like my baby.”

Nobody said anything for a long moment. Azra wanted to move, leave the room, do something. But she couldn’t. She wouldn’t even cry. Because now she knew why her father avoided her so.

Eventually, her father stepped back from the maid, giving her a light shove for good measure and turning to the hearth. He fumbled around on the ground for a moment, before wrapping his hand firmly around the long, metal fire stoker.

“I’m not going to pretend anymore. I can’t live like this. I won’t.” He ran the stoker across his other hand, lowering his voice. “This is all her fault.”

Azra watched her father suddenly spin around, rushing forward and pushing her down onto the sofa, holding the stoker against her neck. The light of the fire perfectly outlined the silhouette of his shaking, tense form as he held her down despite her desperate attempts to get him off.

She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t do anything but claw at her father as he did his absolute best to suffocate her.

She survived the ordeal, of course, eventually three of the servants managed to wrestle him off. But now, nothing was happening. There was nothing and nobody but her, her father, and the roaring blaze behind him.

She was going to die.

And it was all Kaeya’s fault. Because he was the reason her father was doing this at all.

———

Azra woke with a start. And then, before she’d even managed to process what just happened, she had sat up and was pulling on her shoes.

She just about managed to stop herself from falling flat on her face as she stood, and thankfully balanced the few extra steps that it took to get to the counter at the side of the room. She needed… gods, what did she need? Anything that she could use to get around, anything at all… there. An umbrella. Not the most practical, but it was enough.

A bead of sweat dripped onto the ground from the tip of her nose as she leaned on the umbrella, taking a moment to compose herself. She was incredibly hot, and equally tired. Not the most brilliant start to the day. Although, judging by the fact that nobody else was in the infirmary, it didn’t seem to be the start of the day at all.

She lightly rubbed her neck as she limped to the door. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say that the dream was real, somehow - her neck was in a lot of pain. Perhaps she just slept in a bad position.

The outside world was nearly blinding, and she had to use her free hand to shield herself from the sun as she walked down the path. As if that wasn’t migraine inducing enough, the world seemed to be swimming before her very eyes, twisting and stretching and tilting all at once.

As she walked, every now and then, someone would approach her to ask if she needed any assistance. She didn’t say much in reply, only gently shook her head and continued along. She definitely did need help. She didn’t even know where she was going, or what she was trying to do.

Time seemed to jolt from place to place as she walked. One moment, she was beside a stack of crates holding various medical supplies. The next, she was masterfully sliding through a small crowd of people. And then, at last, her luck ran out, and she tripped straight into someone’s side.

The man looked over at her in surprise, but Azra held out a hand to stop him from trying to help her up.

“Azra? What are you doing out here?”

Azra forced herself to train her eyes on the man to figure out who he was. When she eventually figured it out, she only groaned softly. “You’re my replacement.”

“Excuse me?”

“Sorry. Sorry, I don’t know what came over me there. Diluc. That’s your name.”

Diluc held out a hand. “Do you need—“

“No. I’m perfectly fine.”

“Just let me—“

“I said I’m fine!” Before she could even think about what she was doing, she had yelled at him loud enough to attract the attention of almost everyone in the area and slapped his hand away. It was a very weak slap, but even so.

Diluc only frowned. He didn’t seem hurt or offended at all, which was relieving, but not necessarily the best outcome. He could be furious, for all she knew.

(Like Father, she thought for a moment, but just a moment, because that was unreasonable.)

“I’m sorry. Again. I just… I need to go. Excuse me.”

A newfound clarity overcame her as she ditched the umbrella, rushing away as quickly as she could. Nobody tried to stop her.

Chapter Text

Somehow, Azra had found herself in the middle of the forest. And this was obviously an issue, for she had barely left her home before, let alone wandered all the way out into a completely foreign land surrounded by trees that all looked exactly the same. And she had been spinning around and changing directions so often that she didn’t even know where she had come from.

“Are you lost, little finch?”

Azra knew that voice. She span around to find its source, and there she was, dressed in a pristine gown, her dark hair pinned firmly behind her head as it often was before her condition worsened and she lost time to care for herself.

“Mama,” She breathed, a faint smile slipping onto her face. “How are you… here?”

“I came back for you. You’re my darling child, how could I not? And you look as if you need some help.”

“I do.” Azra sniffed, rubbing a tear from her eye with the heel of her palm. “Mama, I’m so scared. Everything is so wrong, and I don’t know how to fix it. Please just tell me how to fix it.”

“Of course I will, little finch.” A hand came forward to lightly rest on Azra’s cheek. “Come on. Let’s get you out of this place. You just need to rest a while, that’s all.”

Azra was still sobbing, even as she followed her mother through the forest. She clutched her arms tightly, her nails digging into the skin. “I can’t walk much further, Mama.”

“You can do it, Azra. Come on, just a little further. You’re so strong, you know that?”

“It’s all too much. First… first Papa dies, and then Kaeya comes back, and now I’m here. And I don’t know anybody, and everything is so new, and so wrong and painful. I just want it to go back to how it used to be.”

Her mother gave her a pitiful look. “Do you, darling? But wasn’t it ever so lonely before?”

“I’d rather be lonely than like this. I can’t have a brother, Mama. I can’t. He… it’s his fault, all of this. And I wish I hated him, but I don’t.” Azra stopped, taking a deep, shaking breath. “I know you told me he’d keep me safe. But ever since he arrived, nothing good has happened.”

“Is that his fault, though?”

“I don’t even know anymore. What do I know, anyway? I’m just someone you made as a replacement for Kaeya. You didn’t even love Papa, why else would you have another child with him?”

Her mother stayed silent, continuing on ahead.

“Talk to me!” Azra yelled.

“I can’t answer that. You know I can’t. All I can do is help you with what you know. What do you want from me?”

“I want… to feel safe again.” Azra said quietly.

Her mother stopped in her tracks, turning her head with a smile. “Well, why didn’t you just say so? Come here.”

Her mother spread her arms wide, and Azra almost fell into them, breathing a sigh of relief as she held herself tight against her mother. She could just about feel her combing a hand through her hair, softly singing a tune.

“You used to sing this to me when I was little.”

“I did, didn’t I?” The song continued despite her mother stopping to speak, floating gently through the air.

“Sometimes, I’d sing it to myself, too. It helped me sleep.”

“I’m glad you still know all the words.” Her mother’s smile widened as she looked out around the forest. “Look at what you’ve found, my little finch. A sanctuary. A home.”

“No. This can’t be my home, nobody I love is here. Even you… you aren’t here.”

“But I am now. And I will be for the rest of time. I am wherever you are, darling. Would it truly be the end of the world if you go back? It’s dangerous out here, after all. You don’t know your way.”

“But you’re showing me the way through. How can it be dangerous?”

Her mother sighed, shaking her head as she took a step backwards. “I’ve blinded you, Azra. I didn’t mean for it to go this far. You need to wake up.”

“What do you… I am awake.” Upon receiving little more than a sad stare, Azra reached up and harshly grabbed the front of her shirt. “I am awake, Mama!”

“No. You’re not. I love you, my little finch.”

Azra blinked, and then her mother was gone. She was still standing in the middle of the woods, but now she was alone. Why was she always so alone?

“No…” Azra span around, as if her mother had simply moved. “Mama, come back. Please. I need you.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Azra could see something emerging from behind a tree. The same went for her other side. Upon turning to face one of them, she noticed they were awfully familiar, but her vision was blurred with tears. Large, glowing orbs with smaller figures floating about inside was all she could see. And they were quickly closing in.

“Stay away!” Azra reached up to her hair, only to remember that it was completely undone and decidedly void of a blade. “I… I will fight you!”

One of the creatures chuckled, and more appeared. She was surrounded.

“Stop it! All of you! I just… I just want my mama back.”

Behind two of the creatures, a tall figure suddenly stepped forward. He was slowly uncovered from the shadows of the tree to reveal a man that Azra somehow knew she loathed. She had no idea why, or how, but there he was. Blue hair and all. Glaring at her down his nose.

(But was he Father, or Kaeya? Did it even matter?)

“You. This is your fault. If you hadn’t…”

(Hadn’t what?)

(Who is this?)

“If… if Father hadn’t had another child. If Kaeya hadn’t come back at all. I could’ve been normal! I could be at home, with Mother, and with Elize, and Iason, and everyone whose blood is on your hands!”

The figure in the trees didn’t move. The creatures kept closing in.

“Why won’t you talk to me? What do you want from me, any of you? I don’t understand what I’m supposed to do, how any of this has anything to do with me, and I’m… I…”

Azra screamed, throwing her hand out. A shock of purple erupted into the air, circling around each and every one of the creatures and causing their shields to shatter, sending them straight to the forest floor.

She stared down at her hand in bewilderment. What was that?

She slowly lowered herself to her knees, looking back up to the figure in confusion. “What have you done?”

“What have you done?” Kaeya-slash-Father echoed. There was a hole, right through the centre of his abdomen. The air around him seemed rife with electricity.

“That wasn’t me.” Azra shook her head slowly. “I couldn’t have done.”

“But you did.” Kaeya looked betrayed.

“Maybe you were better than your brother all along.” Father looked awed.

“I didn’t hurt you. I didn’t. You… you hurt me.”

“I never did anything to hurt you.” Kaeya was probably right.

“But you hurt all of them.” Father was right, too. Not a single one of the creatures had moved an inch. “I raised you well.”

“You didn’t raise me at all. I was scared, I just wanted them gone. Wanted you gone.”

“Don’t be childish.”

“I am a child! Please, just… go away.”

“Of course we’re going away.” Father smirked.

“You killed us.” Kaeya muttered.

“I didn’t kill you. You… Father killed himself. And Kaeya is still alive.” He was, wasn’t he? Everything was so out of order in her mind.

“Not after what you’ve done. You’ve betrayed your home. You left.”

“Stop. Stop it, just leave me alone.” Azra lowered herself onto her side, pressing her hands over her ears. “That’s all I want.”

The figure disappeared. And then a new one came running out from behind the trees, quickly obscuring Azra’s vision as it knelt down beside her. She almost thought it could’ve been any of the members of her family who had been causing her so much pain over the past few minutes, but then a face came into focus. It was one she recognised, but she couldn’t put a name to it.

“Can you hear me? I’m just going to check you over for any injuries.”

Azra didn’t respond, only flinching slightly every time she was moved about.

“Alright… you look fine, physically… can you tell me what happened?”

She said nothing again, straining her neck to look over the man’s shoulder. Still no Father, no Kaeya.

“Where did he go?” She whispered.

“Who? Who was here?”

A second man came into view, poking at something on the ground with a greatsword. “Six abyss mages. All dead. What happened?”

Azra frowned, choking out a sob. “I… I killed them. It’s not my fault, I… my father… and, and Kaeya…”

The man closest to her - Tighnari, she was now recalling - only seemed more troubled by this. “Kaeya? What do you mean? No, hold on, how did you kill them?”

“I don’t know. I was scared, and then…” She slowly removed her hand from her face and mimed throwing it outwards like she’d done earlier.

“I think I know what happened.” A third man came forward, holding a small, purple gem in his hand. Azra knew she was supposed to know this man, and somehow she was filled with a sense of dread upon seeing him. “Still glowing.”

“And the mages are still twitching.” The second man hummed.

Tighnari nodded. “We should get Azra back. We can deal with… whatever this is later.”

“No, I don’t want to go back.” Azra mumbled, limply shaking her head. “I can’t.”

Tighnari looked as if he very much did not know what to do with this information. He stood up, uttering a few quiet words to the third man, who then took his place in front of Azra.

“Hello,” He said simply. “Can you walk?”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Azra insisted. “Mama, she said she’d take me.”

“Where?”

“Home. I need to go home.”

“Okay.” The man nodded. “Do you know who I am?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Well, then, at the very least, do you know that I can take you back home?”

Azra’s eyes glimmered with hope. Somehow, despite her distrust for the man, she believed him. “You can?”

“Yes. Now, if you’d like. Again, can you walk?”

“… help me up.”

The man nodded, standing up and holding out his hands to allow Azra to stand. She didn’t notice the glance he shot the other two, or his discomfort as she leaned on him to walk, suddenly so quick to trust.

“You said something about Kaeya. What about him?” The white haired man appeared at Azra’s side, walking alongside the others.

“Cyno, not now.” Tighnari sighed.

“It’s fine.” Azra replied softly. “He’s gone now, anyway.”

Tighnari’s ears perked up. He was suddenly interested, exchanging a glance with the man Azra was leaning on. “Gone? You mean he was here?”

“I think so. It was him or…” Azra shook her head. “I didn’t hurt him. Not on purpose. There… there was no blood, so I couldn’t have.”

Tighnari started to ask something else, but he was cut off by the man whose name Azra still didn’t know.

“Kaeya’s fine. He’s back at Gandharva Ville.”

Azra breathed a heavy sigh of relief, sniffing. “You’ve seen him. You need to go back there, take him with us. He’s not safe here.”

“Why not?”

“If… if Father comes back… he’ll find him.”

The man relaxed slightly. Azra felt it. She wasn’t sure why he did so, because Father was a danger.

“Not to my daughter.” Father pointed out. Azra couldn’t see him, now, but he was there.

She stopped, drawing everyone else to a halt. “Fuck… off.”

“Azra, what’s wrong?” Someone asked.

“They’re lying to you. You know that.” Father said.

“Stop. I’ve had enough, please.”

“Excuse me for not being a fantasist like your mother. I wish I’d killed you that night.”

Azra broke away from the man’s grip, only to fall into Tighnari’s arms. “Stop it. You don’t mean that.”

People were saying other things, but all she could hear was her father.

“I would never harm my daughter. And that’s why you need to die. You understand, don’t you? That sacrifices must be made.”

Azra clutched her throat, suddenly feeling as if something was pressing down on it. With her free hand, she grabbed at Tighnari’s sleeve, falling to the ground again and gasping for air.

He was doing this to her. He’d come back to finish what he started. And it was working.

“Your mother made her sacrifice. I made mine. It’s your turn to make way for the success of my child.”

Despite how everyone was crowding around her and trying their best to figure out what the problem was, Azra couldn’t keep her breath. Not even for a moment. Her nails dug into her neck until someone pulled her hand away, but even then nothing changed. Slowly, her vision began to darken.

And darken.

And darken.

Until her consciousness slipped away entirely.