Episode 10: Somewhere, Those Wings Still Flutter


The orange sun was rising again over the peaceful landscape of Mondstadt. Sharp rocky mountains cast long shadows over the verdant valleys, and crystal clear waters flowed unhindered. Birds sang, greeting the dawn; the world was rousing itself from slumber once again.

Just such a scene greeted the three travelers that morning. The homecoming trip had come to an end, and a normal, everyday working life beckoned once again.

Diluc had decided to accompany Keqing and Ganyu back to Liyue. After all, he had dredged up a lead. This time, he felt certain that he could save Diona. He couldn't ponder any other possibility. Over a month of dirty work had culminated in this. It was time to bring this tragic tale to an end.

Keqing yawned as she waited with Ganyu outside the mansion. The short vacation already had her looking much lazier than ever before, a sight that confused Ganyu to no end. After a short wait, Diluc finally appeared.

"Ready to go?"

"Yes."

"I believe so."

With one final look back at his mansion, Diluc replied.

"Alright. Let's do this."


The trip to Liyue was quick, and the three made better time than ever. Before they could even begin to feel tired, the Harbor was in sight.

"Ahhh! Feels good to be back home!" Keqing said, stretching loudly.

Diluc smiled at the girl next to him. She really had changed since he met her. Her uptight nature was gradually softening, and she was showing her true self around him now. To Diluc, that was incredibly endearing (and cute!).

The three travelers entered the city, passing by bustling docks filled with dirty workers. They headed for the main staircase to the upper level of the city, ignoring the voices of merchants from their stalls lining the road.

Suddenly, Keqing squeaked.

Diluc looked over at her to see a young boy lying on the ground.

"I-I'm sorry! Are you okay?"

Keqing bent down to check the boy for injuries.

"I'm fine! Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going…"

The kid blushed at how close Keqing was to him. He looked to be about eight, and wore clothes that didn't fit in Liyue at all. A foreigner?

Keqing helped the boy to his feet. He looked away bashfully for a few seconds, then spoke up.

"Hey… I'm looking for my brother. Can you help me find him?"

"Sure, we'd be glad to," Ganyu spoke up first.

Diluc sighed, but followed along as the two women led the boy around the city. Events like this were usually nothing but trouble.

His premonition had been correct. That kid turned out to be a handful. It took nearly an hour of wandering before he remembered where he was supposed to meet his brother. Weariness began to weigh heavily on Diluc by then.

This kid just wanted to play around, didn't he? he thought, irritated.

As the group approached the meeting spot down by the docks, a tall man with brown hair spotted them and began smiling.

"Teucer! There you are!"

"Ah, you must be his brother," Ganyu said softly, with kindness written on her face.

"That's right. Sorry about that, he must have been troublesome."

"Oh no, it's fine, we're just glad we could help him find you."

Ganyu spoke with the gentleness of a saint, while Keqing and Diluc forced strained smiles to hide their irritation.

"We'd better be going now. Thanks for everything, strangers."

The tall man turned with a carefree wave of the hand, heading back toward the bustling city center. As he did, Diluc thought he noticed a strange expression on his face. That thought flashed through his mind before he once again focused on the task at hand.

"Come on, let's get you two unpacked."

For several hours after he dropped off the ladies, Diluc rested at the inn. He had made plans to dine that evening with Keqing on Main Street, so he needed a breather. His mind was on something else, though. In his head, he went over the locations that could possibly hide Diona. In this city, there were many. A place like this had too many nooks and crannies for those who wished not to be seen.

He mulled over his options for a while. This was starting to feel all too familiar.

"Ah, well. I'll turn over every stone in this city if I have to."


As the sunlight drifted away, Diluc tread the familiar streets, making his way to his rendezvous with Keqing. His brainstorming session had left him quite hungry.

He arrived at the restaurant at sunset, and took an empty seat at a table for two. He glanced around, looking for those familiar purple twin tails. Keqing hadn't arrived yet, it seemed.

"Can I help you, sir?"

"Ah, not yet. I'm waiting on someone else."

"Understood. I'll be back then."

"Yeah, thanks."

Diluc sat back, relaxing in the laid-back atmosphere surrounding him. It reminded him of those days when he had first arrived in Liyue Harbor, frustrated, desperately searching for leads. Back then, when Keqing hadn't yet taken the most important place in his heart, the scenery looked almost the same.

He sat, waiting for five minutes… then ten. Twenty minutes after the meeting time, his concern was starting to reach critical levels. After all, this was completely unlike Keqing, the most timely person he knew.

Should I go looking for her? But what if she shows up here while I'm gone?

Diluc remained seated, considering his options. Once thirty minutes had passed with no sign of her, his decision was made.

He rose from his table, and started heading back toward the main square of the city. His eyes were pealed, searching every dark corner for a glimpse of her. Why would she be in a dark corner, though? At this point, he just didn't know enough.

With thoughts like those running through his mind, he set off to scour the city. He traced the route Keqing usually took from work, to her home, back to the restaurant. But no matter how hard he looked, nothing turned up. There wasn't a trace of Keqing anywhere.


Keqing made her way from her office with a bounce in her step. It seemed that meeting with him would never grow old to her. It didn't matter a bit that they had just spent most of the day together, not to mention the days before that. No matter how much time they spent, every single time he was by her side, her heart was filled with warmth and joy.

"Ah, crap, I'm gonna be late!"

She muttered to herself, drawing a look of concern from a passerby as she rushed for the staircase that led down into town. She didn't want to make him wait even a minute.

She reached the bottom of the stairs, making her way toward the main street of Liyue Harbor, but on the path ahead, a shadowy figure loomed. As she drew nearer, she could see that it was someone familiar.

"Ah, you're the man from earlier, that kid's brother, right?"

The tall, brown-haired man turned to face her with raised eyebrows, and scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Ha, yep, that's me."

"I'm sorry, but I'm in a hurry right now. Have a good evening!"

Keqing started to pick up speed, but the man's voice spoke up again, bringing her to a halt.

"Hey, wait just a second."

"Huh?"

"I can't find my brother. I think he went this way, but I'm not sure… Can you help me out?"

Something about the man's gaze bothered Keqing, but in the waning evening light, she couldn't make out enough to be sure. His face certainly showed concern as he entreated her. She pictured the little boy from earlier, lost somewhere in the city, and it bothered her.

"I-I really need to meet someone, though."

"Please. It won't take long."

"…O-Okay, just for a bit…"


Around 9 p.m., as Diluc backtracked from Yuehai Pavilion for the third time, his ears suddenly picked up on a ruckus nearby. Reaching the bottom of the steps near the pond, he could now clearly hear a loud voice coming from up the hillside, near that place where he met Dainsleif for the first time. He listened closer; the shouts continued, sounding quite urgent. His heart ached at the thought of setting aside his search, but he couldn't just ignore this.

"HELP! Someone send help!"

A man's voice yelled out, echoing off the walls of the canyon. Diluc upped his pace, rushing towards the voice.

As the ancient ruins came into view, he spotted the figure of a man near one of the stone pillars that flanked the cliff side. That man was kneeling on the ground next to something, looking around in panic.

Strange. What's that weird shape?

It was an object that looked totally out of place in the natural environment surrounding it. A mass of white, purple, and blue that was crumpled up in a corner by the ruined pillar. Ah, that's right, there was some red in there, too.

At that moment, Diluc's mind already knew what he had seen. It simply wouldn't make the connection to his consciousness. He stumbled forward, bringing the scene into focus bit by bit, and what he saw would never again leave his mind's eye.

It was Keqing.

She was lying in a heap, her dress spread out like a nocturnal flower blooming. The frilly white edges were stained red, slowly soaking up the pool of blood beneath her.

"Ah-"

Diluc lurched forward as his legs lost their strength. The man noticed him, jumping up with great agitation.

"S-Sir! This woman needs help!"

Diluc didn't hear anything. He couldn't. The sound of his heartbeat pounded so loudly in his ears that nothing else could possibly be heard. He continued his slow, stumbling procession, finally reaching her side.

He dropped to the ground next to her. His eyes were forced to fully take in the true scope of the scene that they had so desperately tried to avoid until now.

Her eyes were closed. She looked dreadfully pale in the dim moonlight, almost enough to glow. And below her ethereal face, her chest was painted red.

"What… is this?"

Diluc muttered, his voice tinged with a hint of insanity.

"I found her like this just now, she needs help!"

"Then why the fuck didn't you get some?!"

Diluc roared at the man, who shrunk back.

"GO, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"

The man scurried to his feet, and began running back towards the city, glancing back at the young man in fear.

After his outburst of rage, Diluc's mind felt shockingly clear all of a sudden. He reached for Keqing's hand, clutching it between his.

Cold. Terribly cold.

"Keqing, talk to me! Move if you can hear me!"

But the beautiful Hina Doll didn't speak, and didn't move an inch.

"KEQING!"

Diluc yelled at her like a man possessed, squeezing her hand even tighter. Finally, he gathered the courage to do what he should have from the start. He reached for her wrist with his thumb, feeling for that precious heartbeat that meant life.

…But no matter how much he searched for it, it simply wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Keqing… no… stay with me! YOU HEAR ME?!"

He cried out in agony, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. As the dreadful truth encroached upon his mind, he threw his head back.

"RRRAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHHHH!"

The crimson-haired man roared like an injured animal. Flashes of awful memories overwhelmed him. He saw his father, dying on the ground. He saw the sword pierce his chest… the sword that his very own hand held. Huge tears began to fall, making tiny, almost inaudible dripping sounds as they fell into the pool of Keqing's lifeblood.

Laying there, in such a pitiful pose, her body looked so tiny. The lovely, dignified air she usually radiated was nowhere to be found. Her face was frozen in a melancholic expression, as if she was longing for something in her last moments.

Her face… It looked so incredibly peaceful. It was almost like she was having a sad dream. Her long eyelashes almost touched her pale cheeks. It really felt like she could wake up at any moment.

"Keqing… why…? Who… did this to you…?"

Diluc forced out words, though it felt like his chest was being crushed by a huge boulder, and his heart was being forced through a sieve. He couldn't breathe, and his surroundings felt disconnected and surreal, as if he could go floating off into space untethered at any moment. Vertigo assailed him as the world itself went off kilter.

Through spinning vision, he studied the wound on her chest. It was just to the left of center, and appeared to go straight to the heart. It was probably made by a large knife. A pool of her blood had welled up around it, oozing out through the hole in her dress and running down her stomach to the ground below. Diluc had witnessed a scene like this before, and he knew one thing with certainty.

It wasn't survivable.

As that sunk in, Diluc wept bitterly. That old wound from the past was superimposed over this brand new one, and his heart was destroyed in the devastating aftermath.

He reached down into the pool of blood, not caring that his hands were getting stained red. He carefully slipped those hands underneath Keqing's lifeless body. He lifted her, pulling her closer to him, until he was hugging her like a large, oversized doll. The blood on her chest stained his shirt, and her head lolled around, until her chin came to rest on his shoulder.

"Keqing… I'm so sorry… Ke…qing…"

Just like that, he embraced the empty shell that once held the woman he loved. He remained there, sobbing like a lost child, until several Millelith soldiers returned with medical supplies. Their urgency was rendered utterly meaningless once they saw Diluc.

"There's no point. There's nothing you can do."

His tears dried, his voice came out strangely clear. It was the voice of a man who had left something behind.

"Go tell Ningguang, hurry."

"Y-Yes! We're on it!"

As the men left, Diluc's face darkened. He placed Keqing's body back on the ground, this time in a small patch of soft grass. He gently situated her head in a proud, upright position, making sure she looked presentable. He took her small hands for the last time, crossing them delicately in front of her. Then, he brushed her hair with his fingers, trying to replicate how beautiful she always kept it.

He rose up, and when he turned around, the person that Keqing had grown to love was no more, overwritten with a conglomeration of pure hatred and rage.

As his eyes burned in the darkness, he swore to the night sky that he would kill the one responsible for this, even if it cost him his own life.


Less than an hour later, chaos reigned in Liyue Harbor. The normally-peaceful city was stirred into complete bedlam by the unbelievable news. Millelith scurried around, heavily armed, searching for clues. Every watch tower had bows cocked and ready to fire. Civilians weren't sleeping, even though the hour was late. It resembled a country going to war.

A group of medical experts had come to take Keqing's body away. Diluc had followed them all the way until they reached the morgue, where they turned him away apologetically. Now, he drifted through the chaotic streets like a balloon that a child had lost. His blank mind simply couldn't fathom this turn of events.

Meanwhile, in another part of the city, a white-haired woman was carefully approaching a room inside of Yuehai Pavilion, dreading what she had to do.

Ningguang hesitantly raised her trembling hand to knock on the door.

After a few excruciating seconds passed, the knob turned, and Ganyu opened the door.

"E-Eh…? What's wrong, Ningguang?"

The blue-haired woman rubbed her eyes sleepily as she looked at Ningguang in confusion.

"Ganyu… There's something I have to tell you…"

"Oh, okay…? Did I mess up again?"

Ganyu's groggy voice was hesitant, as she began to pick up on Ningguang's somber tone.

"No… it's… Something terrible has happened…"

Ganyu's eyes instantly looked more awake as she studied Ningguang's face. But nothing could have prepared her for what came next. Ningguang choked back her welling tears, and finally spoke.

"Ganyu… Keqing has passed away…"

Ganyu didn't speak. Her eyes just widened, then looked back and forth between Ningguang's, searching desperately for a hint of a joke or a lie.

"N-No… that's not possible… right? That's…"

But Ningguang's face showed nothing but despair as she looked away from her dear friend.

"A-A…hh? N-No… No, please…"

Ganyu's heart shattered at that moment. Her mind desperately sought a way out, as she grew more and more hysterical. She screamed, completely unhinged, as her normally-soft and proper voice cracked under the pressure.

"No, It's not possible! STOP IT! DON'T LIE TO ME! Ahhh…ugh…aaaa… I… just saw her a few hours ago!"

Spit flew everywhere as Ganyu yelled like someone who had gone mad. Her eyes were desperate and full of denial. Ningguang couldn't say a word. She grabbed Ganyu forcefully, hugging her tight.

And as she held her, Ganyu relinquished the last vestiges of hope. Inhuman sounds filled the halls of the building. Guttural shrieks and gagging sounds mixed with Ningguang's sobs. They just kept on and on, without end.


That night would be remembered from then on as one of the longest and most painful in Liyue's history. The news of Keqing's death spread like wildfire. The whole city mourned, forgetting to sleep at all. As the people cried, the Millelith were deployed like an army, turning the city upside down to find the culprit behind that heinous act. But the Millelith wouldn't be the first to discover the truth.

Some time around 2 a.m., Ningguang called a meeting.

"Listen up, everyone!" she yelled, trying to bring order.

The room was all but in an uproar already. Important citizens and political leaders were crammed into the main hall of the Yuehai Pavilion, discussing the events of the night animatedly.

"QUIET!"

The last few mutterings died down, and everyone's attention was now focused on the white-haired woman.

"Tonight, we received a letter from Snezhnaya. I will now be reading its contents."

Murmurings began again at the mention of that nation. Ningguang disregarded them, and began to read, with a sour look on her face.

"Lady Keqing of the Qixing has violated the non-aggression pact by killing several of our men stationed in Liyue. We are left with no choice but to retaliate for this violent act. By now, you will know what that means. Any further escalation will be seen as an act of war, and handled as such."

The room instantly exploded.

"FUCK THAT! DOWN WITH SNEZHNAYA!"

"Kill them! Run them out of this country now!"

"How could they kill our Lady Keqing?! Fucking scum!"

The room was charged with rage. Shouts of hatred and threats of violence prevented Ningguang from elaborating any further. The meeting quickly got out of hand, and started to resemble a lynch mob more than anything.

As she watched the pandemonium unfolding before her, Ningguang lowered her head. A tear escaped from her eye, falling to the floor below. Her lips moved in the cacophony, but only she could have heard what she said.

"Keqing… I'm so sorry… my friend…"

But her bitter regret wouldn't change a thing. It was too late to overturn fate now. The die had been cast, and all that was left was to see where it would land, and what awaited at the end.

In the blackened streets of Liyue Harbor, one man had already decided upon his response to this tragedy. The loss of his beloved had changed the course of his history. Never again would he be able to find comfort in her loving arms. Now, that man's sorrow and pain were converted into pure rage in a one to one ratio, and he would pour it out on those who had snuffed out that beautiful soul. That was the only thing he had left.


Somewhere, within the embrace of an infinite, silent void, a voice spoke out. That familiar, kind voice was tinged with nostalgia and melancholy, as if lamenting over a long-lost friend.

"I watched over those two ever since I met that young man. I witnessed their love grow, and I truly wished for their happiness, from the bottom of my heart. After all, once upon a time, when that land was mine alone, that young lady was a child of mine… a child whom I was very proud of. Alas, fate can be as cruel as she is indiscriminate. She flaps her wings once, and a hurricane is created somewhere far away. That was simply the nature of that world, an unremitting certainty that I failed to take stock of until it was too late."

"To this day, that remains one of my greatest regrets."


Arc 1: END


Next:

Episode 11: Wrath