He spoke. This wasn't a hallucination then, was it? As much as Kaeya hated to admit it, this didn't feel like any dream he'd ever had either. This was real. As crazy and insane as this was, this was real. That-that child on the ground really was Diluc. There was no mistaking it.
"I…" It was rare, very rare, for the cavalry captain to be at a loss of words. Yet here he was, reduced to a stuttering idiot who couldn't even think of the right words to say or how to say them. "I…" Kaeya took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. If this was indeed really happening, then he had to keep a clear head. If Diluc was asking who he was, then that meant that his memories regressed with his age. Even though Kaeya still very closely resembled his younger self, it would've been too wild of a thought for Diluc to immediately guess it was him.
Kaeya plastered a smile on his face and dug his fingernails into his palms to help him level-headed. He knelt down on one knee and offered a hand to the boy. "You're right outside of Springvale," he started, deciding to give the much easier explanation first. "You were attacked by some Abyss Mages, but they're gone now."
"Springvale?" the young Diluc muttered, bringing up a hand to rub his head, ignoring Kaeya's outreached hand. He winced. "I was attacked? But I was just at the winery…"
The kid's clothes were far too big for his frame. Right…It was only a few years ago that Diluc started to bulk up. His hair, previously in a low ponytail, was tangled and falling out of its tie. The bird mask that belonged to the Darknight Hero was laying forgotten on the ground. Kaeya should have been more surprised at the fact that Diluc really was the Darknight Hero, and that his theory had been right all this time, but none of that even mattered right now.
"It's…a bit complicated," Kaeya replied, his smile becoming more forced. That was definitely putting it lightly. "Do you-do you recognize me?"
Diluc's eyebrows furrowed and a puzzled look washed over his face. "No, why would I-" He shut his mouth mid sentence and stared at Kaeya for a good, long moment. "I mean, you do look a lot like my brother…A lot like him, actually…"
Kaeya wouldn't admit it, but hearing himself referred to as "brother" again made his heart ache.
Suddenly, Diluc's eyes widened. "Wait! You're not-you're not Kaeya's father, are you?!"
Kaeya sputtered at that and stared at Diluc in disbelief. "Do you really think that I look old enough to be someone's father?! You're joking, right?" He couldn't help but be a little offended by that, but he quickly brushed it off. He was only twenty, for crying out loud!
"So…That's a no? His brother then? You look almost exactly like him." Diluc frowned. "You even…Have the same eyepatch…" His frown deepened. "And he never mentioned any other family members. Who are you?"
Kaeya cleared his throat and awkwardly glanced away. "Well, that's the thing…I am Kaeya."
"What?!" Diluc exclaimed, shock and disbelief written across his face.
Well great, now both of them were panicking. At least Kaeya was much better at hiding his nerves than his younger-older brother was. Honestly though, this whole thing was so crazy that it made Kaeya's head spin. He had to focus though; he had to concentrate and get this weird mess sorted out. For Diluc's sake.
"What-what do you mean?" Diluc demanded, looking like he was on the verge of hyperventilating. "How-how-how could you be Kaeya? This is a joke, right? This is a prank. Kaeya put you up to this."
Get a grip. You have to calm down, Diluc needs you right now.
Calming down was much easier said than done when your previously older brother shrunk down to a kid again. He was barely even a teenager!
Kaeya took another deep breath, inhaling slowly then exhaling. "I know this doesn't make much sense right now, but I need you to believe me. I'm telling the truth."
Diluc shook his head frantically as he tried to back away, but the trunk of a tree prevented him from getting very far. Though it was dark, Kaeya could see Diluc's hands grasping at the ground beneath him, fingers clutching fistfuls of grass. "You're lying."
"I'm not. Ask me anything, something that only I…Only Kaeya would know."
Judging by the look on Diluc's face, he was thinking hard about what to ask. Then, "How old was I when I got my vision?"
"Ten," Kaeya replied without a moment of hesitation. It was such a young age to gain a vision, but Diluc had always been a natural prodigy. He'd been Crepus' pride and joy. "You were training with father-dueling with him-when you got it. You wanted to get a vision and join the knights more than anything, and your passion for those goals is what led you towards them."
Kaeya knew only he, Crepus, Elzer, and Adelinde were privy to exactly how Diluc got his vision. They were the first to hear the good news.
Diluc was silent for a minute. He stared at Kaeya, looking more unsure about this than he'd ever looked in his life. Then he brought his knees up to his chest and leaned forward a little. "I still don't believe you," he said softly. "But…If you…If you really are Kaeya, then why are you so old? It doesn't make any sense…"
Kaeya held back a laugh. Nothing about this made any sense! But he just said what little he knew. "Believe it or not, I'm not the one who's the wrong age here. I know this is hard to believe, I know that, but as of just a few minutes ago, you were an adult just like me. The Abyss Mages that attacked you…They did something. They cast some sort of strange spell, and you ended up…Well, like this. I got here too late and couldn't stop it."
"There's no way that's tr-"
"Just look at what you're wearing," Kaeya said, his voice growing weary. "Those clothes are far too big for you. Your boots don't fit your feet. If this is a prank, it's a mighty elaborate one, hm?"
"But…" Diluc kicked one of his feet, and sure enough, his boot started to slide off. He looked tiny right now. Archons, Kaeya forgot how small he used to be. He knew that under that oversized shirt were slight muscles from all the training he did, but still…It didn't help that Diluc had always been very average height. Kaeya had almost always been taller than him, and now the height difference was much more exaggerated, even sitting down like this.
"Hey, everything's going to be alright, I promise," Kaeya said, a warm smile coming to his face. 'We'll figure this out together, okay? But let's get you back to the Winery first so you can get more suitable clothing. In the morning, we'll go see Jean. She…" She what? She probably wouldn't have a clue what to do, but Lisa, with all of her vast knowledge, might. If Diluc was still even in this…state…in the morning. There was a chance it was just a temporary sort of thing.
Yeah…Yeah, this was just temporary. It had to be.
"Jean?" Diluc noticeably perked up at that.
"Yep. She's the Acting Grand Master now, if you can believe it."
Despite everything, Diluc's eyes suddenly lit up. "Is she really?! That's so cool!" he exclaimed.
Kaeya had to admit, it was very odd seeing Diluc get excited about something like that again. He'd almost forgotten how bright and cheerful he used to be. Even in a deeply confusing situation like this, he couldn't stay upset very long.
Once again, Kaeya offered his hand out to Diluc. This time, though there was a moment of hesitation, Diluc took it and rose to his feet.
"Let's head back. The Winery should be more-or-less the same as you remember it to be."
They started walking, the moon shining brightly above them. A light breeze ran through the air, ruffling their hair. Kaeya kept glancing down at Diluc as they walked. One of his hands was holding up his clothing as he walked, and the other was hanging at his side, his fist clenched ever so slightly. Diluc was obviously trying to be brave about all of this, but Kaeya could tell he was still scared. After thinking about it for a moment, he reached over and placed a hand on Diluc's right shoulder. Diluc flinched a little, but then gradually relaxed.
"We'll figure this out," Kaeya said quietly as they walked. "We will."
He just hoped that wouldn't prove to be another lie.