「太陽が逃げた夜明け」
【黎明时逃走的太阳】
As the break of dawn approaches, a faint breeze allows a whiff of the newest dandelion wine to fill the air, its sweet and refreshing aroma creating a sense of relaxation Diluc hadn't felt in days. It wasn't uncommon that he was swamped with work — rather, that seemed like the norm. As the uncrowned king of Mondstadt's alcohol industry, a nobleman like himself rarely had the time to… relax? Surely, he wasn't at Jean's level of overworking oneself — really, he worries about her sometimes, maybe all the time — but the last few days have left him wishing for a breath of fresh air.
He steps outside of Dawn Winery, inhaling the dewiness of daybreak. The air bears a mixture of scents usually absent during both day and night — a blend of windwheel asters, mint, and grapes alongside a freshness that lingered only momentarily before the sunrise. Diluc takes a liking to the silence that accompanied these moments, as the whole world was still deep in slumber. He recalls the first sounds that typically signalize a new beginning — day before yesterday it was the whispering of the wind, and yesterday it was the cry of a bird; what would it be today?
Out of the corner of his eye, Diluc sees a rustling in the vineyard to his right. Perhaps it was a rabbit, or maybe a squirrel? He turns and focuses his attention on the spot to study it more carefully; if it were a rodent or a pest, then he'd have to eliminate them. The grapes of Dawn Winery are treasures to all of Teyvat, and he couldn't have anyone destroy his business.
The rustling continues, and— wait, is that a person? Diluc's eyes narrow at the possible intruder; what were they after? Either way, he'd have to face them himself; fighting off a thief was not part of his agenda for today, but he was in no position to complain.
"Who's there?" Tightening his grip on his claymore, he ventures slowly forward toward the vineyard. The thief made no move; they were either surrendering, or Diluc would have to face an ambush of some sort and resort to battle.
"I'll ask once again," Diluc says, lowering his voice into almost a growl. "Who's there?"
"Ah, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please don't kill Klee!"
Diluc raises an eyebrow at the sudden outburst. He remembers the name; wasn't "Klee…?" He takes a step closer and peers through the leaves and vines to see a flash of red.
"Aren't you…?" Indeed, it was the little girl from the Knights of Favonius. He had seen her a few times around Mondstadt City with either Jean or Kaeya or Albedo, but he had never really spoken to her before, as she would always be placed solitary confinement after a scolding or headed off outside the city to perform some explosive antics.
"Spark Knight Klee of the Knights of Favonius, reporting for duty!" Nervously, she swings an arm up for a salute, taking a cautious peek at Diluc before scrunching up her face in anxiety. "Um… There's more after that, but Klee can't remember…"
"What are you doing out here," Diluc questions as he retracts his weapon. "Especially at a time like this?"
"Ah, well, Klee was at Wolvendom playing with Razor earlier, but Klee got tired when walking back, and after Klee took a nap, it was already suuuuper dark outside! And then Klee got lost and scared…"
Diluc stares at the whimpering kid in front of him and sighs. Seriously, do kids these days just run around unsupervised? This is why the Knights of Favonius— ah, you know what, forget it. It looks like he'll have to take matters into his own hands; after all, the Darknight Hero, no matter how much he hated the name, is a protector of Mondstadt, and he couldn't leave her to wander around the woods alone like this.
"Well, I'll escort you back," Diluc says as he surveyed his surroundings. The winery should be fine without him for a bit, as Adelinde and Elzer will be sure to manage things smoothly even if something does go wrong in his absence. "You are heading back to Mondstadt City, correct?"
Klee stares at him for a while, eyes filled with wonder and surprise. Then she nods furiously as her face breaks into the widest smile he had ever seen. "Thank you!" she exclaims as they begin moving northeast. "Klee was getting reeeeaaally worried about getting home safely! Master Jean would get sooooo angry if Klee went back so late and alone!"
Diluc bites back a laugh as he envisions Jean's pouting face, scolding Klee out of nothing but love and worry. Really, she treated Klee like her own daughter, and he could see her pacing back and forth at this very moment in concern over Klee's absence.
"How is she these days?" he asks, staring into the distance in the general direction of their destination. "Not overworking herself again, I hope."
"Master Jean is always so busy!" Klee says as she skips on the dirt path, leading Diluc to wonder where these kids get their energy from — was he getting old already? "She's always working! And whenever she finds out that Klee boom boom-ed the fish at Starfell Lake again, she can be a little scary…"
"Her unparalleled sense of responsibility forces her to overwork herself." Diluc recalls the time when she fell from exhaustion; he sincerely hopes she has learned from the instance. "Trifling matters can become Jean's greatest enemy."
"Master Jean is going to be so mad when she finds the disaster at Wolvendom Klee caused…" Klee stops dead in her tracks as she covers her mouth with her palms the moment those words left her mouth. "Oh no! Klee wasn't supposed to tell anyone! Now Klee is dead meat! Um… Can you not say anything about it? I-It was an accident, Klee swears!"
Diluc glances at the hyperactive child beside him in amusement. "And if Jean asks, what shall I say?"
"Klee was… just out playing with Razor! And that's it! Klee didn't boom boom any trees or grass!"
"Lying is a bad habit to have."
"Oh…" The disappointment on Klee's face was apparent as she trudges on forward, fearing the consequences that she'd meet when she arrived back at the Knights of Favonius headquarters — would it be two days in solitary confinement, or five?
Diluc almost chuckles at Klee's reaction. "No worries. We shall only tell the partial truth: you were playing with Razor and ended up falling asleep, so I escorted you back."
"Really?!" Klee turns her head so abruptly that Diluc worries that she'd suffer from whiplash, excitement and joy making an apparent display on her face. "Yay! Big brother Kaeya sometimes helps Klee cover up mistakes. He also wrote these survival rules!"
She rummages through her backpack and presents a small notebook, which she opens and squints at due to the darkness. "Let's see… 'Explosion inside city wall, grounded be thy woe, explosions can hurt people, Jean can be dreadful, Mondstadt be bombed, Klee be doomed.' These are Klee's survival rules!"
Diluc hums in amusement at Kaeya's work; although he disagreed greatly with Kaeya's involvement with the Knights of Favonius, he definitely knew that Kaeya was a trustworthy guy and an honest person — but of course, he wouldn't admit that to anyone.
"What else does he tell you?"
"He tells Klee about how to escape from Master Jean's punishments and he tells a lot of jokes as well! He's really fun to be around! One time, Klee wanted to blow up the walls of the Knights of Favonius building so Klee can escape solitary confinement, but big brother Kaeya says that if Klee did that, then Master Jean would make sure that Klee never sees the light of day again," Klee says excitedly. But then she falters, clearly debating whether or not to continue. "But, um… Big brother Kaeya says that you're always grumpy and that's why he doesn't play with you. He said you're… 'boring and broody?'"
That idiot. Diluc considers taking back his trust in his brother; after all, it clearly seems that his respect was betrayed. He's going to have to question Kaeya about the information he's been feeding this child later.
"You can only trust half of what he says," Diluc sighs, running a hand through his hair in frustration and speechlessness. "And that's at best."
"But, but," Klee looks at Diluc in confusion. "You're a weird adult, you know? How come you never smile?"
In the moment, he didn't know whether he should laugh or cry; being questioned by a child about his seriousness and lack of happiness was definitely not something he enjoyed, but she didn't know any better, and none of it was her fault. Talking about his past would do nothing good for either of them, and it wasn't something a child could or should understand either, so Diluc only sighed and continued trekking forward along the path.
"As an adult, sometimes you encounter situations where it becomes hard to smile, even if you want to," he whispers as he recalls his eighteenth birthday. He could remember the rain and the musky smell of the earth as clear as day; even the aching of his heart was etched into his memory. He could hear his father's suffering, Kaeya's guilt, and his own sobs every time he closed his eyes, and ever so often he feels torn between his own feelings and his duties.
"Eh? If becoming an adult means not being able to smile when you want to, then Klee would rather not grow up at all!" Klee pouts as she childishly puts her hands on her hips and marches on forward. "If you want to smile, you should smile more! And if you want to cry, you can cry! If there's anyone bullying you, Klee can help take care of them, because Klee is a big girl who's always willing to help friends!"
In any other situation, Diluc would have scoffed at the speaker's naivety. The world's not all that kind, he'd state coldly. And it makes no exceptions for anyone when it displays its cruelness. But Klee's resolve seemed to take him back to his childhood, when truly, laughing was as easy as it could get. He found himself drowning in a wave of nostalgia as he reminisced those simpler times, and he was glad that Klee was able to remain an innocent child.
"It must be a pleasure to be able to do that."
"Klee wants to be a fun adult in the future! Being true to your emotions is always going to be Klee's number one rule!"
"Is that how others perceive me as well?" Diluc questions, amused. "A boring and broody person?"
Klee's face scrunches up as she searches her brain, deep in thought. "Big sister Diona doesn't like Dawn Winery very much… She says she wants to… destroy the 'wine industry?' Klee doesn't know what that means, though."
"So I have heard from Lumine," Diluc says as he recalls a prior conversation with the traveler regarding Diona's rigid attitude towards him. "Interestingly, she may be shocked to find out that I myself do not like alcohol very much either."
Klee furrows her brows in confusion. "Mm… That's confusing, but Klee will let her know next time! Ah, but also! Master Jean says she… um, 'has the utmost respect for Master Diluc for his strong commitment to protecting Mondstadt at all costs.' What does that mean?"
At this, Diluc's lips do tug upwards into a ghost of a smile. It was flattering to hear Acting Grand Master Jean Gunnhildr's opinion of him, Diluc Ragnvindr, despite his departure in ways with the Knights of Favonius, and it was even more gratifying that he was hearing it from Klee — after all, children do not lie, unless it was an attempt to cover up explosions and burnt fish.
They continue along the path toward Mondstadt City, passing by Springvale and eventually reaching the northwest of Windrise. Klee excitedly rambled on about her recent adventures and encounters with several others such as Albedo and Lumine, while Diluc listened quietly to her enthusiasm, keeping an eye out for possible dangers in their surroundings at the same time.
Klee had this sort of inexplicable contagious energy about her; even Diluc, who was apparently crowned "Mr. Boring and Broody" felt the urge to smile and laugh at her various antics and funny expressions. Perhaps this was the power of youth, and he was, without a doubt, being slightly influenced by her.
The gates of Mondstadt City were in sight, at this point, signalizing a quickly approaching ending to their journey. Although his encounter with Klee was rather unexpected, what was more surprising was his enjoyment of Klee's companionship along this expedition, and he hoped that he was no longer a "weird adult" in her perspective, as she was no longer simply another "lost child" in his view but a valuable traveling companion.
A loud battle cry immediately brought Diluc's attention back to his surroundings; in the distance, he could see a hoard of enemies approaching. Five, six… maybe even ten hilichurls, accompanied by two samachurls and two Abyss Mages were heading toward their direction. At the sight of the pair, the enemies charged towards them, waving their weapons menacingly.
Diluc clicks his tongue in annoyance; dawn was approaching, and the Darknight Hero's shift was supposed to be over. Nevertheless, if Mondstadt needed further protection, then he was more than happy to work overtime.
He doesn't give them any opportunity for ambushes and sneak attacks; in a flash, Diluc summons his claymore and lunges toward the hoard of enemies, who respond with growls and taunts. As three hilichurls dash toward him, he swings his sword with a clean swipe, bringing the blade to their bodies. The well-polished tip of the sharp steel brushes past their wooden shields and pieces through their flesh, leaving them falling to the ground in agonizing pain.
With a light step towards the right, he easily dodges past the tornadoes conjured by the samachurls, who curse and create an Anemo vortex, attempting to trap him within their constraints. Concentrating power into his legs, Diluc jumps up into the air and plunges, bringing his sword to the samachurls' faces. They cower and stagger for a few seconds before falling to the ground in defeat, and Diluc turns his attention back to the remaining hilichurls. Using the power of his Vision, he infuses his claymore with the energy of Pyro and charges at the crowd.
Too slow, Diluc thinks to himself as the slightest smirk dances upon his face. With three consecutive forward slashes, he burns his enemies with the flames on his sword, and one by one, the hilichurls fall like dominoes; the sound of their burning flesh crackling from the fire of Searing Onslaught was music to Diluc's ears, proof of his successful protection against evil.
He looks up toward the remaining Abyss Mages, ready to finish them off with his fire phoenix of Dawn. The Abyss Mages, however, show no sign of fear or repentance; in a flash, they vanished before Diluc's eyes. He narrowed his eyes, understanding that things would never end so easily. Only when he heard their taunts from behind him did he understand their plan and his mistake.
Shit. KLEE! He turned around and ran in pursuit after his sly enemies, but he was too late. The Abyss Mages had already teleported in front of Klee, who stared at them with wide eyes. The monsters seemed to sneer at Klee's weak stature and Diluc's naivety, and Diluc cursed under his breath. If Klee is injured in any way, he'd have no way to face Jean ever again—
"Sparks 'n' Splash!"
The fireworks that emitted from Klee's bombs momentarily startled Diluc, and he watched Klee throw bomb after bomb at the Abyss Mage's shields as the fire flower above Klee's head attacked her opponents with astonishing power. The ice melted within seconds, and the Abyss Mages shrieked in pain as Klee's bombs exploded on their bodies. It didn't take long before they perished altogether, leaving Diluc flabbergasted at what he had just witnessed.
Ah, she really didn't need anyone to protect her, did she?
Klee stared at the residue of the Abyss Mages' power for a few seconds before looking toward Diluc. Grinning proudly, she put her hands on her hips as Diluc stared back at her.
"I've got your back, big brother Diluc!"
At her proud tone and heroic stance, Diluc could no longer repress the urge to laugh at this funny child. The laughter bubbled up from deep within and escaped with such genuine happiness and amusement that even he himself was surprised. He hadn't laughed like this for a while; perhaps he wouldn't be regarded as a boring, broody figure anymore.
Klee's eyes shine as bright as the stars as she ran up to him, backpack bouncing up and down as she took quick strides forward with her short legs.
"You laughed!" Klee smiles brightly as she jumped around in front of him, throwing her arms up in celebration. "Yay! Big brother Diluc laughed!"
"Does this make me less of a 'weird adult?'" Diluc muses, chuckling at the energetic kid.
Klee nods furiously in response. "Klee's super glad that big brother Diluc laughed! You should laugh more often!" At this, her mouth widens into an enthusiastic grin, as if demonstrating what she wished for Diluc to attempt.
Diluc gives her hat a few reassuring pats before turning back to the path. "Let's go," he says, straightening back up. "Mondstadt City is close, and dawn is approaching."
The pair arrive within the city boundaries just as the sun shines its first rays onto the earth. Klee yawns, and Diluc is amazed at her stamina, having had no breaks in between their journey. He surveys the market district, wondering if Jean, Albedo, or perhaps Kaeya was anywhere near so that he could drop Klee off with her guardians.
"Diluc?"
In the distance, he sees Jean approaching them with a worried expression on her face. Instinctively, Klee frantically hides behind Diluc, peeping her head out to the right ever so slightly to observe what was about to happen.
"Jean," he says, and the way her name rolls of his tongue makes him smile involuntarily. "As always, you look like you're overworking yourself."
"That's not true," Jean insists with determination. "I was looking for Klee. I haven't seen her all evening, and I'm starting to get worried."
"Well, look no further," Diluc steps to the side, revealing a guilty-looking Klee. "She's right here, safe and sound."
"Klee!" Jean exclaims as she kneels and hugs the little girl. "Where were you? God, you made me so worried, you know?"
"Sorry," Klee mumbles as she buries her face in Jean's shoulder.
"You didn't blow up anything today, did you?"
"N-No!"
"Really?"
"She fell asleep before she was about to head home, and before she realized it, it was already very late," Diluc explains, maintaining his serious composure as Klee shot him a look of pure glee. "I saw her by Dawn Winery, so I escorted her back."
Jean sighs as she stands back up. "Seriously, I can't thank you enough," she says to Diluc. "Sorry for all the trouble she's caused."
"No worries. It was interesting to have a new companion, to say the least."
"Please, let me treat you to dinner sometime," Jean insists. "It must have been a hassle."
"There's no need for that. Simply stop by Angel's Share and I'll make you a drink; whenever you're free, that is."
"That defeats the purpose of me thanking you," Jean says, laughing. "I do have a lot of work, but I'll make time to properly thank you."
Diluc smiles ever so slightly. "Then let me know once you have time."
Klee stares back and forth between her mother figure and who seems to be the father figure, mesmerized. She tugs at Diluc's coat softly, prompting the red-haired man to look at her and crouch down, wondering what was wrong.
"Big brother Diluc, you smile a lot more when you're with Master Jean," Klee whispers in his ear.
Diluc doesn't respond; instead, he pats the little girl on the head and holds a single index finger to his mouth, keeping the slight blush from being noticeable on his face. Klee blinks and covers her mouth with both palms, nodding in silent agreement.
"When did the two of you become such good friends?" Jean asks, amusement creeping into her voice as she studied the two of them.
"During our journey, perhaps. Anyways, I'll leave her with you," Diluc says, standing up once again to face Jean. "I'll be at Angel's Share if you need anything."
"Understood. See you soon, then."
Diluc watches them leave toward the headquarters of the Knights of Favonius. Klee grabs onto Jean's hand as the latter instructs her never to do that ever again. The little Spark Knight turns to look at Diluc once again, and as their eyes meet, she waves at him enthusiastically. He waves back at her, the remains a smile tugging at his lips, as he finds his heart softening due to Klee's innocence and playful nature.
At dawn, the Darknight Hero meets a fleeing ball of sunlight, and perhaps this sunshine filled his heart with a warmth reminiscent of his past that gave him the courage to move forward towards a new day.