Chapter 2: Kaeya

Kaeya lay on the ground covered in mud in the pouring rain. Ignoring the searing pain in his left shoulder, he stared at the space where Diluc had disappeared into the trees, trying to process what had just happened. Kaeya had anticipated his brother's anger, but this…

Would Diluc really have killed him?

Attempting to sit up, Kaeya groaned. Looking at the burnt slash in his left shoulder, he put his hand to the wound, suddenly feeling a rush of coolness that eased his pain. Right. He'd almost forgotten about his Cryo Vision.

A Vision… Picking up the pale blue gem, he examined the foreign object. He'd always dreamed of receiving the blessing of the gods, just like his older brother. But all he felt now was emptiness.

Having seen his adopted father's dead body in Diluc's arms earlier that day, he'd expected grief, mourning and sadness. But in all honesty, all Kaeya felt was relief. It was horrible. To think that instead of grieving the loss of the man who'd raised him, all Kaeya could think was that now he would never have to choose between the family who loved him and the family who abandoned him.

Between Monstadt and Khaenr'iah.

…But what about Diluc? Overcome by guilt, Kaeya had known that he couldn't lie to his brother any longer. He avoided the red haired knight all day, unable to even look him in the eye. How could he ever justify being worthy of being Diluc's brother, when he was relieved that the man who raised them was now dead?

After hearing of the cause of Crepus' death being covered up by Investigator Eroch, and Diluc quitting the Knights, Kaeya knew that he could put it off no longer. He had to come clean.

And so he made the long, slow trek from Mond to Dawn Winery, feeling empty and heavy. Words replayed in his mind over and over again as he tried to figure out what to say. He barely even noticed the rain soaking his Knights' uniform.

Would Diluc disown him? Would he tell Kaeya to leave, to never see each other again?

These thoughts felt like stabs to the heart. As much as Kaeya knew he couldn't lie any longer, he wanted nothing more than for things between him and his brother to stay the same. But after the events of today, he knew that this would never be the case.

Kaeya almost chickened out. It took a long time for someone to answer Dawn Winery's door, as it seemed all the staff had already left. When the door finally opened, he was shocked to see Diluc's appearance. He was in his same blood-stained clothes, his Knights' jacket nowhere to be seen. Looking at his disheveled brother, Kaeya's heart sank. Gone was the passionate and high-spirited young Diluc, who always prided himself on professionalism and chivalry. Now all that was left was a broken shell.

Kaeya opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He felt even more guilty, knowing that he was going to be adding yet another burden to Diluc's pain. Taking a deep breath and trying again, he finally managed to push the words out.

Now Kaeya sat, in the pouring rain, staring at the Vision in his hand. Why now? Being a Khaenr'iahn, he'd never actually expected to win the favour of the gods. And yet here he was, a Vision-bearer. What had changed? Was it Kaeya finally washing away the veil of lies, or did the Cryo god simply take pity on him?

All he knew, was that this Vision was going to be his reminder that he will always live his life under the heavy burden of lies.

Kaeya finally managed to push himself up, stumbling to where Diluc's claymore and Vision lay on the ground. Looking once more at where his brother had disappeared into the night, Kaeya chose to leave the claymore, instead picking up the Pyro Vision. Even after everything that had happened, he couldn't leave something so valuable out in the open like this. It would have to be returned to its rightful owner eventually.

The pain in his shoulder slowly ebbed away, and Kaeya decided it was time to return back to Mondstadt.

– – –

Time seemed to pass quicker than ever. With the absence of the Cavalry Captain, the other Knights had to scramble to fill Diluc's roles. Jean Gunnhildr took on the brunt of the work, organizing the other Knights with utmost efficiency. Still, there were other, more sinister happenings. Whispers of disloyalty and distrust passed through the ranks, and some of the Knights began to question Eroch's judgement.

None of these events bothered Kaeya. He went about his daily duties in a daze, taking up extra work to avoid having too much downtime. However, there was one rumour that always caught his attention.

The young Master Diluc hadn't been seen in nearly two weeks. All of Mondstadt was shocked to hear that he had quit Ordo Favonius, especially being such a young and decorated knight. On a less serious note, though the people of Mond do take their alcohol very seriously, there were growing concerns about the state of the wine industry. With Crepus dead and Diluc missing, who would be running Dawn Winery?

Eventually, the Winery had to issue an official statement to quell to rumours.

"In light of our beloved Master Crepus Ragnvindr's untimely death, young Master Diluc has decided to take a leave of absence from Winery duties. All business shall be running as usual in the mean time, as we mourn the loss of our dear friend."

This created widespread feelings of relief all throughout Mondstadt, as many were beginning to prepare for a shortage of wine products. However, this did nothing to quell Kaeya's growing uneasiness. As each day went by, there was no news on Diluc's whereabouts. The Dawn Winery staff were tight lipped, giving no clues to any curious passerby, stating that they wanted to protect Master Diluc's privacy during this difficult time.

Though Kaeya suspected no one else was aware, he had easily deduced that no one had seen Diluc since their fight at the winery. In the meantime, Kaeya was receiving many congratulations on his Vision. All he could do was muster up an uncomfortable smile, being the only one who knew the true context in which he had received it. The only one other than Diluc.

Although he had no desire to return to the Winery, Kaeya's anxious curiosity eventually got the best of him. He knew that if anyone was to give him an honest answer, it would be Adelinde.

Taking the same path he had that night, Kaeya made his way towards Dawn Winery. His wound was now completely healed, thanks to Barbara. Some part of him still felt guilty, knowing that she and the rest of Mond thought that he was injured while fighting Ursa the Drake, when in reality all he had done was arrive too late.

The sky was clear and day was warm, in stark contrast to the last time Kaeya had traveled this way. It seemed like everyone was able to easily move on from the events of that day. Everyone except Kaeya. All the other Knights assumed Kaeya was grieving the loss of his father, when in fact he was grieving the loss of his brother.

He finally arrived at Dawn Winery, which was bustling with activity. In a way, Kaeya was relieved, since no one paid any attention to his arrival. He hesitated before knocking on the door, feeling a pit in his stomach, when suddenly it swung open in front of him. Startled, he took a step back, seeing that it was Adelinde who had opened it.

"Kaeya…" she breathed, pulling him into a warm embrace. He hadn't realized how badly he needed this familiar hug.

When Adelinde pulled back to look at Kaeya, he noticed how tired she looked. The crows feet around her eyes were far more pronounced that usual, and her usually meticulous maid uniform was wrinkled.

"Come in, come in," she said, waving at Kaeya. He followed her inside, watching her give instructions to others as she went. Finally she turned around just in front of the staircase, putting her hands on Kaeya's shoulder, and gave him a warm yet sad smile.

"Let's go upstairs into your father's office, where its more quiet." Kaeya's heart sank at the sound of Adelinde referring to Crepus as "his" father. He felt he no longer deserved it.

The two made their way upstairs. Adelinde opened the door to Crepus' office, allowing Kaeya to walk inside before shutting it behind them. She then threw her arms around the younger man once again.

"You promised you would visit me more often," she said, tears forming in her eyes.

Kaeya couldn't help but choke back a sob. He had been so afraid to return to the winery or the mansion, that he'd neglected to see Adelinde. She was like a mother-figure to him, having helped raise Kaeya alongside Crepus.

After crying together silently for a few minutes, the two finally broke their embrace. Kaeya felt even more guilty, realizing how he'd never even stopped to think about how all this would have affected Adelinde.

She reached up, putting a hand on Kaeya's cheek to wipe away his tears. She still wore the same sad smile.

Kaeya made an effort to work up the nerve to ask Adelinde his burning question.

"Where's Diluc?"

The older woman winced, no longer looking Kaeya in the eye.

"I was hoping you knew," she said quietly.

"What?" Kaeya breathed, those few words feeling like a punch to the gut.

"No one has seen him since we left him to grieve in the Winery the day that Crepus…" Adelinde trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. She swallowed nervously. "All he left was this." She pulled a folded piece of paper out of her pocket, handing it to Kaeya.

His hands shaking as he unfolded to note, Kaeya read the short, scribbled message:

"Adelinde,

Please take care of the winery in my absence.

-Diluc"

"That's it?" he asked incredulously.

"That's all he left." Adelinde shoulders slumped in defeat. "We sent out people to look for Diluc, but there's no sign of him anywhere in Mondstadt. Although we did find his claymore on the ground just outside the Winery…"

Adelinde let out a heavy sigh. "Oh, I do hope he's alright. At least he has his vision to protect him."

Kaeya's hand immediately went to his pocket. Slowly, he pulled out Diluc's Vision.

Adelinde gasped, her hand flying to cover her mouth. Tears formed in the corner of her eyes once again.

Kaeya let out another heavy sob. "Its my fault– its all my fault," he cried, surprised at his own anger. "Diluc– we– we had a fight that night… he left his vision, and then he ran… If only I wasn't late, if only I saved Father… none of this would have happened." Kaeya ran his hand angrily down his face, trying to wipe away his own tears.

Suddenly Adelinde firmly grabbed both of Kaeya's hands in her own. "Kaeya. Kaeya look at me." He obliged, surprised my her sudden serious tone.

"None of this, none of this is your fault," she said firmly. "You did all you could, you did what you thought was right. Diluc's reaction is not your fault," she insisted.

Tears still flowed freely down Kaeya's face as he took a deep breath. "Is he even coming back?" he asked shakily.

Adelinde looked down. "I… I honestly don't know. All we can hope is that he's planning on coming home soon, since at least he left instructions…"

She looked back up into Kaeya's eyes, attempting to crack a smile. "Kaeya… my dear Kaeya," she said. "All we can do now is carry on, carry on serving Mondstadt. It's what Crepus– and Diluc– would want. Can you do that? Can you do that, for me?"

Kaeya drew in a deep breath.

"Yes. Yes, of course."