This is a pilot story to see how well it will go in this community and the Genshin Impact community. Reviews and criticism are welcome, but please understand that I am not trying to offend anyone. If I had made any mistakes regarding the characters (except for the OC/Traveler/Aether since he is technically a self-insert in Genshin) please feel free to let me know, but no bashing.

The Brother Harbinger: Pilot

Diluc look at the Traveler with a mix of scorn, disgust and sorrow. He had just confessed the damnedest thing he has heard.

Why did this happen, he thought.

This was second only to Kaeya's confession. The mere thought of it still brings him equal sorrow and anger. But it was the truth.

And the truth always hurt.

The Traveller, no Azrael, looked at him with determination and sadness. It was the same as that day.

The day the brothers broke apart.

And like that day, the Fatuis are to blame.

"Why?" Diluc managed to whisper out. His grip on the Favonius Greatsword tightened.

Azrael looked away with some ounce of guilt. He closed his eyes for a moment and then opened it revealing the sight of determination.

"The Tsaritsa, she made me an offer." Azrael explained. "One that I could not refuse."

An offer. By the Cryo Archon herself, Diluc thought.

Diluc had traveled Teyvat to search for answers from the Fatuis. Particularly the one about why his father, Crepus Ragnvindr, was given the Delusion which ultimately killed him. And hopefully destroy them in the process.

"What sort of offer?" Diluc wonder what the Cryo Archon has offered that would bought the Traveller's allegiance.

"The truth."

"What truth?" he is getting irritated by that.

"The truth regarding the cataclysm of Khaenri'ah."

This got the Dawn Winery owner worried. This was beginning to feel too much like what estranged him from Kaeya.

"Explain. Please." Diluc pleaded with gritted teeth. He doesn't want to repeat that day again. He hated that they are no longer brothers anymore.

Azrael sighed.

"You need to know the whole story."

The Traveller than tell Diluc what he had known of the ruined nation, his sibling's revelation and the Archons possible involvement in the Great Cataclysm. He also leaned that so far, half of the Archon he met refused to talk about Khaenri'ah. The Electro Archon was occupied so she does not know much about the disaster that occurred 500 years ago. Only the Tsaritsa was willing to share that information on what had occurred.

After hearing this, Diluc looked like he had seen a ghost.

"So, The Abyss Order are the people of Khaenri'ah that were turned to monsters." Diluc said. "And the reason why they sought the destruction of Teyvat was revenge for the destruction of their home?"

Azrael nodded.

Diluc was breathing heavily, Both in anger and due to the processing of all these new information. To his credit, he took it a lot well that the revelation of Kaeya supposed treachery. No, now that he compare the Traveler and his estranged brother, they are both victims of circumstance that led to their current predicament.

I would have done the same thing to find my answers when no one else would tell him, Diluc thought.

"Y-you should have asked me..." Diluc trailed off. He loosened his grip on his sword and letting it slouch.

"What do you mean?"

"I know of someone that could have told you something about Khaenri'ah."

Now it was the Traveler turn to be angry.

"Explain, now!" He demanded.

"Kaeya. He is a Khaenri'ahn" Diluc answered. "He told me personally. On the day our father died."

Azrael's eye widened.

"But, all the survivors were turned to monsters of the Abyss, She would never lie to me. She told me only Dainsleif is the sole survivor and there is no way Kaeya is related to him."

Diluc frowned.

"I don't know who this Dainsleif is. But Kaeya revealed his true purpose was for some 'ancient plot' by his birth father and he was the 'last hope' of Khaenri'ah."

"You mean he killed your father." Azrael said in horror.

Diluc shook his head.

"No, he just choose the worse time to share this. In my anger and grief, our blades clashed and his Vision was bestowed. The Knights wanted to cover the truth of my father's death it was-"

"I know what happened." Azrael cut him off.

Normally, Diluc would be angry at that, but he then remembered that the Traveller is now affiliated with the Fatuis, so this would not be a surprise.

"My new colleagues had informed me about why you hated the Fatuis." Azrael looked away in shame. "For what's worth I am sorry about what happened."

A sympathy from his bitter enemy will normally be met with this blade, but this Fatui was pushed to them because of desperation. He can no longer be friends with the Traveler now that he has chosen the enemy side, but he refuse to let history repeat itself. The Fatui have driven a wedge between him and his brothers. And now they have return to drive a wedge between him and his trusted friend. No, he won't let them use his anger against his friend like he allowed them to with his brothers. They will have to part ways.

But this time, it would be on a less hostile terms.

"We cannot be friends anymore, Traveler." Diluc said sadly. "The Fatuis have taken everything my family from me, and now they have took my friend."

Azrael didn't say anything and just looked down with sadness. There was a single tear flowing from his eye.

"You have chosen your path. For that I can honestly respect that. But this will be the last time we can see each other as friends. The next time, I fear would blades will be doing the talking, Fatui."

Azrael nodded.

"You may leave. Please."

Diluc said the last part with a pleading tone. He honestly refuse to clash with him now.

The Traveler walked past the Angel Share owner to the exit. It was both conforting and sad that he had to part way with Diluc like this. Especially after he confessed that he aligned himself with the enemy. At the very least, they will part ways in a more diplomatic term.

"Traveler."

He stopped at the door of the tavern exit.

"Why did you revealed this to me?"

"Because you are one of the closest friend I had in Mondstadt." Azrael answered without hesitation. "Had I kept this a secret, you would have found out. And the situation would haven been worse."

Diluc thought about it and agreed that had the Traveller kept this affiliation with the Fatui a secret and was found out, he would be enraged.

" Besides, I wanted us to part ways in a less hostile matter."

This would probably be the last thing they will agree after this.

The Traveler then left the tavern, leaving its owner with his thoughts.

The hill overlooking Mondstadt

Paimon was told to stay here after her companion said that he will meet with Diluc. She argued that this was suicidal as he hates the Fatui with passion, but the Traveller insist that this was the only way to approach this delicate situation. He also does not want her to get hurt should things go south.

"I hope Azrael will be alright." Paimon said.

"Oh, he will be fine. I doubt Master Diluc will be able to kill him, especially with his new 'gifts'"

Paimon glared at her temporary companion next to him. Childe, one of the Eleven Harbingers.

"I still don't like you Fatuis." Paimon stick her tongue out to him. "Why did the we have to join the Fatuis? Just because the Tsaritsa knows something about Khaenri'ah doesn't mean that we should join them."

He merely laughed at that.

"Thats because the Tsaritsa was the only Archon that was willing to share about Khaenri'ah. Thank goodness Zhongli can't speak about what happened thanks to a contract. I think out the Archon he had met before the Tsaritsa, Zhongli was a threat to getting Azrael allegiance."

"Why did you want to get him to the Fatuis' side?" Paimon asked. "I thought you want to fight the Traveller?"

"I do." Childe answered. "But just because we are on the same side, don't mean we can't spar to see whos the best."

"But it would be less thrilling that before." she pointed out.

"A small price to pay to get someone as powerful as him on our side." Childe shrugged. "Besides, I don't want to be force to kill him if he choose to side against us. Also what do you mean 'we'? The Traveler was the one being recruited. You are at best his flying pet."

"WHAT! WHO ARE YOU CALLING FLYING PET!"

"Its the only way to slip you in without seeing you as a threat." Childe explained. "Say what you will, but a mysterious flying being that can speak and think like a normal human. Sounds a bit suspicious, don't you think?"

Paimon begrudging acknowledge the point.

"Also, something like you will get Il Dottere attention. He has some disturbing interest in you that freaks even the Tsaritsa out."

She paled at that. Paimon wanted to ask something when a voice called out.

"I am back."

"Traveler!" "Comrade."

Azrael waved his hand and gave a sad smile to them.

"So, How did it go?" Childe asked.

"Smoothly." That was his only decided not to press it for now.

Azrael went to the edge of the cliff and looked at Mondstadt under the moonlight. He sat down as he glimpse at the first town he had started his journey throughout Teyvat. As he reminisce how it all started. When he fished Paimon, talked about the seven nations and their Archons, standing on the very cliff that overlook the City of Freedom. It was bittersweet for him to leave all of it behind for his new life as a Fatui. But that was the path he had to choose. Zhongli, Venti, they had chose to withheld the truth from him and it will cost them. He knows that he can't blame them as they have their own reason for keeping it a secret.

This Celestia must be a large of a threat, more so than the Abyss Order, Azrael thought.

The Tsaritsa had told him that Zhongli was compelled by Celestia to keep what he knows about Khaenri'ah a secret. Venti was said to be in slumber throughout the Cataclysm, and the Raiden Shogun was too busy mourning her sister's death to worry about Khaenri'ah. But fortunately for him, the Cryo Archon knows and was not under any compulsion to keep the truth of the Cataclysm.

"We will be reunited, sister. This time I will learn the truth of this world. My way." Azrael whispered to himself.

He took out the mask that was given to him to Diluc, it was the disguise he had used to infiltrate the Fatui, he sat it on the floor next to him and stood up.

"Let's go Tartaglia, we have a lot to do, and I am going back on my words that I will help the Tsaritsa in her dreams, to burn away the old world."

Childe smiled at his new comrade-in-arms and fellow Harbinger.

"Of course, Comrade Brighella."

Authors Note: Yes, you have heard it right, the Traveler is not just a Fatui, but the Harbinger replacing La Signora after the Tsaritsa recruited him in exchange for information regarding Khaenri'ah. Since by this time (3 December 2021) we still have little information on what happened in the game canon, I only gave vague answers that the Tsaritsa shared to Azrael that pushed him to the Fatui. If this gets support then I will publish a full story with more elaboration on what happened that pushed the Traveler to the Fatui, but there will be no dedicated schedule since I only have limited free time between working. Please share, like and review.