A/N:
This is a sequel to my first story Ad Infinitum. I highly recommend you read that one first, as it explains how we got here. This story begins directly after the "Final Episode" of Ad Infinitum.
Like Ad Infinitum, this story is formatted like an anime, broken up into episodes with opening and ending themes for each one.
Now... welcome back to the wonderful world of Teyvat.
Episode 1: Ouroboros
The night sky of Mondstadt was famous across the entire known world. As one of the less-developed countries in Teyvat, light pollution was at a minimum here. On this particular night, the stars above shone brightly, illuminating the sharp peaks and tall pines.
Anyone with any sense about them would be in bed at that ungodly hour. In fact, even Mondstadt's resident 'Darknight Hero' was snoozing away peacefully underneath that breathtakingly-beautiful sky.
But as the time neared 3 a.m., in the midst of that surreal sky, a lone figure disturbed the unmoving scene. As if gravity had no effect on it, it blended in with the dark heavens above, drifting along without making a single sound. If anyone had managed to see it, they likely would have been chilled to the bone. That being exuded an ethereal aura that was hard to ignore. With its arms stretched wide, it seemed to be taking in the landscape beneath its feet. However, that figure did not see anything - at least, not as anything resembling a human would.
"This is certainly where that pulse originated from. Yes, I can still feel it… the power of a god."
With an expression of pure glee, the being wrapped her arms around herself, as if she was shivering in the still-cool spring atmosphere several thousand feet above the ground.
"I suppose this means we'll have to come to this cursed country again after all…" she sighed.
Memories of a time long gone flashed through her mind… Memories of a plan to take a certain Gnosis, and the fallen comrade that had finally overstepped her orders one too many times. This rugged land was where everything had begun.
"Guess I should tell The Jester about this," the figure said to herself, pinching the bridge of her nose.
As her breath turned to vapor and faded away, her pale lips twisted into a dark smile. Then, in an instant, that enigmatic figure was gone.
Without a shred of hesitation, their lips met.
In that picturesque chapel, under the golden glow of chandeliers, a red-haired man tenderly held a purple-haired young woman in his arms. Her dress was beautiful, and white as snow. Two brilliant rings shone on their fingers, signifying unending, eternal love. Such love is often dismissed as an idealistic fantasy, quickly dismantled by an unstoppable, harsh concept called reality. But to anyone present on that night, that sort of love must have felt strangely within reach.
As husband and wife turned hand-in-hand to take their final bow, the audience applauded vigorously.
Out in the crowd, familiar faces were everywhere. Ganyu and Ningguang sat on the front row, smiling kindly as they watched their beloved friend's finest hour. Farther back, Kaeya's face was painted with nostalgia as he grinned at his brother. Even Jean looked happy for the two, though her true thoughts were anyone's guess. Lisa, Amber, Eula, Klee, Sucrose, Diona… naming them all would have taken much more time than Diluc could spare.
This was the world that he had chosen to see - the world he had sacrificed so much for. A world where disaster had never come to pass, where nothing had fallen apart, and no one had suffered. A world where the pursuit of ultimate truth had been abandoned, for better or worse.
And now, this was their world forevermore.
"You did great up there. I could barely tell how sweaty you were!"
Diluc was greeted by a silky voice as he entered the crowded, lively room. It was none other than his adopted brother. Diluc's friends had thoughtfully prepared a reception party in an empty room at the Knights' Headquarters, and the most important guest had finally arrived.
"That isn't really a compliment at all, is it?"
"Now now, this isn't the time for suspicion! Look, someone is waiting for you."
As Kaeya gestured grandiosely across the room, the red-haired young man took in the scene. The room was decorated with greenery, and each table glowed with the amber light of a small lantern — a sight that reminded him of another one from another time and place. At last, his eyes settled on his bride, seated at the center of a longer decorated table, looking more stunning than the most expensive of paintings. He flashed her a small grin, and her face lit up with an angelic light when she saw him.
This really does feel like something out of a fairy tale… Diluc thought to himself.
He made his way towards her, passing by the numerous friends and family that had been by his side for all these years. Countless memories flashed through Diluc's mind, many of which should have never been possible. It was almost too much to take in, but he pushed all of that aside, and resolved himself to fully embrace the moment before it too slipped away. He took his rightful place next to his bride, and the crowd applauded heartily.
On his right, Keqing smiled up at Diluc with moist eyes.
"We made it," she whispered to him, her voice full of emotion.
Gripping her small hand in his, he traced the lines of her thumbnail with the pad of his thumb, then smiled back.
"Yeah, we did."
As the night grew long, the party seemed like it would go on forever. Dancing, eating, and celebration filled the Knights' Headquarters, which was more lively than it had been in years.
And of course, a certain blue-haired man was making the most of it.
"Excuse me, my lady, may I have this dance?"
Ganyu turned around with a start at the extravagant voice behind her, only to see the familiar face of a man wearing an eye patch.
"O-Oh, Kaeya. I'm afraid I don't dance very well, you see. So, I'm sorry…"
"I see. Well then, do enjoy yourself, Lady Ganyu."
Kaeya turned away with a dejected expression, and limped back to where Diluc was heartily laughing beside Ningguang.
"Rejected again? How unfortunate," she chuckled, enjoying the blue-haired man's trauma to the fullest.
"Oh shut it. Is there ever a time where you DON'T share your opinion?" Kaeya spat back.
In response, Ningguang only smiled.
"You were destined to fail from the start. That one doesn't even understand romance, so you're barking up the wrong tree."
"Ha, but that's what makes her soooo interesting!" Kaeya said gleefully in return.
But the next instant, he felt an impact on the top of his head. Ningguang had chopped him with the edge of her hand. Diluc shook his head at the pitiable scene.
"Listen, try to control yourself tonight, alright, brother? Diluc spoke up, his low voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Hmph," Kaeya grumbled, crossing his legs and looking over the large group that threatened to spill out of the small-ish room. "Seems like half the damn city showed up tonight."
"And none of them want to fuck you, so just cool it," Diluc whispered.
"Awfully bold assumption you're making there," Kaeya chuckled, glancing at Lisa, who was at a nearby table with some of the Knights.
"I saw that," Diluc said with a sigh.
In the chaos at the end of the last world, it had almost been overlooked, but Lisa had not been present for the Reset. She had taken a trip to Sumeru to her old stomping grounds, and at the worst possible time. As a result, she had not known of any of the revelations that had taken place before time was rewound, and as far as Kaeya could tell, she had no memory of the previous world. As to why that had happened, the blue-haired man couldn't be sure.
"Why don't you just treat her right already, you asshole," Diluc continued.
Kaeya's face looked strangely conflicted, and he answered in a low voice.
"I don't think she knows yet. Who am I to change that?"
At that moment, Keqing returned to her husband's side.
"Sorry, I was just talking with someone. Wait, what are you two up to?"
"Oh nothing, my dear sister. Fret not, your special night will go on without issue," Kaeya spoke up quickly… way too quickly.
"I… see." Keqing said, looking at Diluc with an almost-visible question mark over her head. "But it feels kinda gross to be called "sister" by someone like you, just saying."
With that, the last of Kaeya's strength left him, and he shrunk down in his chair like a chocolate figure that someone had left near an open flame.
Diluc and Ningguang chuckled, sharing a glance that spoke of the bond they shared - a bond of knowing the unthinkable.
Meanwhile, from a distance, Jean watched this discount comedy show with a complicated look on her face. She had long accepted the awful truth: she would never hold first place in Diluc's heart again. Still, those old wounds stung even now, nearly a year after Diluc had made that loathsome decision. She had been right by his side when he did, and that moment still stood out as one of the most painful moments of her life.
And yet, in direct contradiction to that fact, she hadn't let go of a single one of those precious memories from their time together, even though that time had been erased forever.
As she gazed at him deep in thought, those fiery red eyes of his caught hers, and he gently nodded at her.
I'm sorry, Jean. I truly am, he whispered in his heart.
In return, she gave him a resigned smile, almost seeming to understand his innermost thoughts. Perhaps she did. After all, that was the bond that they shared, even now.
As the clock relentlessly ticked further into the night, the amount of guests finally began to dwindle. Diluc and Keqing were completely worn out, feeling a palpable weight fall off their shoulders now that the big day had come and gone without any problems.
One by one, their precious friends left, headed back to their own lives. At last, the bride and groom bid farewell to the last few, and the core group of their closest friends was all that was remained.
"Alright you two lovebirds, it's about time you consummated your marriage like proper mammals!" Kaeya practically shouted with the gleeful expression of a dirty old man.
"Ugh, you couldn't have put that any worse!" Keqing said, holding her nose as if Kaeya was nothing more than a piece of rotten meat.
She then side-eyed Ganyu, who was red as a beet, with eyes wide as saucers. Keqing sighed, and held her forehead in one hand. This was a gag that she had seen too many times to count.
Ignoring the awkwardness he had created, Kaeya rustled around in his pocket, pulling out an ornate golden key.
"Here, for the room."
"You couldn't have afforded to send us out of town, at least?" Diluc said flatly.
"Hey now, the Goth Grand is a fine establishment. Now get out of here. Don't worry about anything, we'll clean up."
"Yeah, yeah, got it. Keqing, you ready?"
"I thought you'd never ask," she smiled in reply, taking his hand.
And like that, the two of them set off on their short honeymoon romp across town. Curiously, though, even though this was the same city he had known since the day he was born, tonight, the night felt different somehow - more alive. Diluc took in every cricket's chirp and creak of the windmills like it was the first time he had ever experienced them.
All too soon, though, that rapturous journey was over. They drew near to the hotel, where the glow of lanterns could still be seen inside. Perhaps it was because of his heightened perception of his surroundings, but Diluc couldn't help but notice several unusual people milling about outside the hotel. One was a woman, with short silver hair, and the other was a rather diminutive, older looking gentleman with a hat almost as tall as he was with a nose to match.
"…checked it herself a few days ago, looks like that asshole wasn't just making up shit."
"I see. Well, no matter how you feel about him, that doctor rarely makes mistakes."
"Whatever, old man. Where are the other-"
The woman abruptly fell silent as Diluc and Keqing passed by them. The couple headed for the front door, but on the way by, Diluc noticed the strange woman's eyes, for how could he not? They were cold and unfeeling, with a red "X" in the center of each one. Those eyes stared him down, scrutinizing him as if that woman was sizing up her prey. Diluc gave the two a curt nod and quickly continued inside with Keqing in tow, pushing open the large wooden door with a creak. After the door closed, the two outside continued their conversation.
"That guy looked damn familiar. Anyway, where are the others?"
The old man gave a jerk of his head to a nearby corner, where a younger man leaned against the wall in the shadows.
"Childe is already here. As for the others? Who could say. For now, let's head inside. We shouldn't be loitering around out here."
As the old man spoke, the brown-haired man stared straight ahead with hollow eyes full of disbelief at what he had just seen.
"…How…?" he whispered to himself, then followed the other two figures inside, his brow deeply furrowed.
Meanwhile, upstairs in the Penthouse Suite, the young couple finally began to relax, alone with each other at last.
"This really is a lovely room, Diluc," Keqing said as she began to carefully remove the wedding dress she had worn all night.
"Yeah, but seems like there's some shifty types around here lately. The mansion is more classy. We could have just gone there, right?" Diluc replied as he loosened his fancy tie.
"Sigh, you really should try to understand a woman's feelings. Going back to the same old place on your wedding night? Bland!"
"Really embracing your feminine side lately, I see," Diluc said with a teasing grin.
"I-I've always been feminine!" Keqing shot back, now clad only in her underwear.
For emphasis, she winked and turned her hips to the side, pulling on one side of her fancy panties, showing off more of her ass cheek than she had probably intended to.
"Yes, of course, my beloved wife," Diluc responded dryly.
"B-beloved?!" Keqing sputtered.
"Figured I should try to take your feelings into account, for tonight at least," he replied with a smirk.
Keqing could have been mad, but instead she melted. She sat down beside Diluc on the sofa, laying her head softly on his shoulder.
"That might be nice," she whispered softly.
He draped his arm around her, and pulled her closer.
"Fair warning though, I might not be able to hold back much longer."
"I-I see. W-Well, I probably wouldn't mind if you got a little rough."
"Glad you don't mind. I'm already so tired I could fall asleep at any minute."
"…Wait… what…?"
"I can barely hold my eyes open… what did you think I meant?"
Keqing was flabbergasted, opening her mouth with no sound coming out. Diluc held a straight face for as long as he could, but finally snorted and began chuckling.
"Sorry, sorry. I couldn't resist teasing you a bit, what with reactions like that."
"Hmph. Meanie. How could you leave your wife hanging on her wedding night?"
Keqing replied with surprising wit. This was one of the things Diluc loved most about her: her ability to go with the flow.
"I wouldn't dream of it," Diluc replied smoothly.
Keqing smiled earnestly at him, then chuckled.
"Haha, what would Ganyu say if she knew how we really are?"
"Hmm, if I had to guess, I'd say she would turn red and panic?"
Keqing put her hand over her mouth and snickered at the accuracy of Diluc's interpretation. Soon, Diluc was also chuckling at the mental image they both shared.
"I'll go run the bath. Care to join me?" he finally said, standing up.
"I'd be glad to," Keqing replied with a warm smile.
Inside the first floor of the hotel, one man clad in a large fur coat stood at the front desk, with a small book in his hand. He was gazing at the book sternly as if it was a thing most anomalous, causing the older gentleman with him to raise an eyebrow.
"Diluc Ragnvindr… his name was definitely Diluc. And her name is the same too… but how…?"
"The hell's wrong with you, Eleven? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Hm…"
"Oi! Are you deaf?"
The woman chopped him on the back of the head, finally getting his attention.
"A-Ah, Arlecchino. It's nothing. Just checking our reservations."
"Better not be hiding anything. You know why we're here."
Childe nodded. This woman was disturbingly sharp at times. She was someone you could never truly let your guard down around.
Setting the book down, Childe followed the other two down a secluded staircase that led to a large hall that had been set aside for their exclusive use. This hotel was quite familiar to most in this group; in fact, they practically owned it.
Once inside the hall, the group spotted a familiar figure leaned over on the table. Childe immediately felt a chill, and drew his face tight.
"Damselette."
"What's the matter, Childe? Scared of this little old hotel? Old man Goth did tell me it was haunted."
The voice that greeted them was smooth and cold, yet beautiful and serene. The person it belonged to was an equally-beautiful woman with long purple hair. She turned towards them, but her eyes were closed, covered by an ornate blindfold, only adding to her vaguely unsettling appearance.
"You of all people shouldn't be calling someone old," Arlecchino growled.
"I see you're as friendly as always, Knave," the woman called Damselette replied.
"Now, now. Let's calm down and wait quietly for the others. They should be here soon," the older man interjected.
"It seems The Jester intends to make us wait," Damselette spoke up again.
"And that is well within his authority," the gentleman replied evenly.
"Hmph," Arlecchino crossed her arms and sat down at the long, ornately-decorated table.
A short time later, that same "Jester" that they spoke of finally showed up. However, he failed to live up to his carefree-sounding title. An imposing man with blond hair and a half-mask, he gave off an impenetrable aura of strength that overwhelmed the small hotel hall.
"Greetings, Harbingers. Have a seat," he boomed. "I'm sure all of you know why we are here, so I'll make this short. Columbina."
The man gestured to the winged woman, as if he was in complete control of the situation. His demeanor left no room for disagreements.
"Yes. It was as Dottore told us. I can feel the afterglow of that power even now, somewhere nearby."
"Where is that shitty excuse for a doctor anyway?" Arlecchino spoke up.
"He will join us in time. He had some final preparations to make. Once he arrives, you will understand," the Director of the Harbingers replied.
Childe sat silently with his arms crossed as he halfway listened to this important meeting.
"Childe. Is something the matter? You seem spaced out." The Jester turned his attention to the eleventh Harbinger.
"No, it's nothing. Just feeling under the weather from the long trip."
"Is that so? You'll have plenty of time to rest later. For now, I'll brief you all on what we know."
Despite their earlier tiredness, Diluc and Keqing ended up not getting much sleep until late that night, for a variety of reasons. Around 2 a.m., Diluc stood up from the comfortable couch where he had been reclined, reading a book. The dimly-lit room was quiet and serene. On the bed nearby, Keqing was sound asleep, her chest rising and falling in pleasingly-regular intervals. Diluc had originally been right there beside her, but couldn't sleep for some reason; something was bothering him.
Wonder if there are any snacks downstairs? We left without much preparation, after all.
Diluc's stomach was starting to regret their hasty retreat to the hotel. He stealthily opened the door to the suite, and stepped out into the silent hallway without waking his sleeping bride.
The hall lanterns still shone even at this hour, but no one else appeared to be around. It was almost eerily quiet. Diluc had already started to lose hope of finding any snacks, but he headed for the stairway nonetheless.
His footsteps made little noise on the carpeted, grand stairway leading to the floors below. For some reason, he felt on-edge, and he couldn't quite pinpoint why.
Down and down he went, passing the third and second floors. As he neared the ground floor, he detected presences below.
The hell are they doing at this time of night?
His uneasiness grew at the idea of meeting strangers alone in the dead of night like this. He silenced his footsteps and headed for the front desk, where he found nothing even resembling a snack. With a sigh, he turned to head back up the stairs.
As he reached the second floor once again, he began to breathe easier.
But at that very moment, his vision flipped on its side as he was nearly knocked off his feet. A hand reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling him roughly into a sitting room near the stairs.
"Wha-?!" he started to yell, but his mouth was covered almost instantly by someone's hand.
"Quiet! Don't let anyone else hear you. And no sudden moves, either," a vaguely-familiar voice hissed in his ear.
Diluc whirled around to see someone he had hoped to never see again: a brown-haired man, dressed in a large fur coat, with a small mask on the side of his head. Despite his more unique attire, there was no doubt about it: this was the very same man who had once helped end Keqing's life. Diluc could never forget that face.
"Y-You?!" Diluc growled. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
"I'm the one asking questions here. What in the fresh hell did you do?!"
"Huh? You're not making any sense."
"Oh, I think I'm making perfect sense. You see, I just happened to remember some weird shit that never happened earlier. And for some reason, I remember you. Now you can lie to me, but I don't think it was just some weird vision I had due to a bad case of traveler's fatigue."
As that brown-haired man gestured casually, Diluc's eyes widened, then looked down at the thick carpet beneath his feet.
"Shit. So it worked on you too, huh."
"WHAT worked on me?"
"Pipe down, Tartaglia. Or else I'll tell your brother everything."
"Y-You fucking…"
Diluc sighed deeply, then took a seat in one of the plush red chairs nearby.
"You're really a pretty simple guy, aren't you? Ever thought that I couldn't tell your brother anything if I'm dead?"
"I don't just kill people for fun, asshole."
"Hm. My memories seem to disagree."
"I didn't fucking kill her for fun!" Childe practically yelled, then dropped his volume several notches. "In fact, I never killed her at all, so why do I remember it? Care to explain?"
"I do care, actually," Diluc said with another sigh. "Look, it would take too long to explain it all, and I don't really trust you enough anyway. The long and short of it is this: those memories are from a time that's long gone now. It'd be best to just forget all about it."
"What? So what did you do, retcon everything or something? That sounds like bullshit to me."
"Call it what you want, but I'm not going to be insulted for telling the truth. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a wife to get back to."
"So you married her, huh… I'm a little jealous. Congratulations."
"Don't play friendly with me. And by the way, if you so much as touch her again, you won't live to tell the tale."
Childe snickered a bit, then replied.
"I have no reason to do anything like that. But I would like to know why I have all these weird memories all of a sudden, and I have a feeling you have some answers."
"That will have to wait. Can't you see I'm on my honeymoon?"
"Don't you live in Mondstadt? Bit of an underwhelming destination if you ask me."
Diluc's eyebrow twitched in irritation, and he stood up quickly from his seat.
"Enough. I'm leaving. Don't bother me again."
Diluc would have walked right out the door, but when he made his move, he found it blocked by someone else.
"Hmm, that was quite the interesting conversation I just heard."
A voice as smooth and cold as ice greeted the two men. A short, long-haired woman stood in the doorway. She was clad in the same over-sized fur coat as Childe, and her eyes were tightly shut behind the strange white blindfold she wore. Several very real-looking wings protruded from the back of her head. Just the sight of her sent a chill through Diluc as his adrenaline spiked.
"Damselette…" Childe said, his eyes wide.
"Could this be what was bothering you earlier, my dear comrade?"
"Hey, who is she?" Diluc spat, turning to Childe with rage burning in his red eyes.
"How rude, treating a lady as if she isn't even there. I'm hurt, even if you are a married man," she said with a smirk.
"You heard everything, huh? I don't have time for this. Get out of my way," Diluc ordered, hoping his voice wasn't shaking.
"Certainly, my apologies."
Not expecting that polite of a response, Diluc stood there for a few seconds before beating a hasty retreat. Damselette smiled gently as he left, then shut the door behind him, locking it from the inside with a key.
"Oi, what's the meaning of this?" Childe said, concerned.
"Oh, nothing much. I just suddenly had the desire to catch up with my old friend. Why don't you sit down for a bit, Tartaglia? You seem tired."
"Damn it!"
Diluc cursed under his breath as he practically ran up the stairs, half expecting that being to chase him.
Why is this happening? I thought this world was safe…
An old, familiar friend had returned once again: fear. It had been over a year since the Reset, and he had grown accustomed to the peaceful life he had built since then. Perhaps he had even grown complacent.
Is he here to kill her again? But why? Did Dain forget everything and send the order again? Shit!
He was on the verge of panic. As he slipped back into the room, he locked the door behind him swiftly. Only then did he start to calm down a bit.
He didn't seem to have much hostile intent, though. Maybe this is just a coincidence. But… what the hell was she?
That woman had an aura unlike anything Diluc had ever experienced. It was oppressive and otherworldly.
No, I'm missing something more important. Is she another Harbinger like him? If so, why are they here? None of this makes any sense.
Diluc gazed at his wife, still sleeping peacefully in the bed nearby. The tiny seed of fear that had nagged at him since the Reset was now so large that it was impossible to ignore.
Keqing's long eyelashes fluttered, and soon Diluc was staring into sleepy, drooping amethyst eyes.
"…Diluc? Is it morning already?"
"No, it's barely 3 a.m."
"Then why are you awake?" she muttered, sitting up. "Is something wrong?"
"No, just couldn't sleep. But I'm joining you now."
"Ah, okay," she smiled.
As he slipped under the covers beside her, she snuggled up to him like a cat seeking affection. He wrapped an arm around her, feeling a pang of guilt in his chest at his blatant lie.
I can't tell her yet. I can't let her worry about anything.
In a matter of minutes, Keqing was sleeping in his arms. But no matter how hard he tried, the numerous thoughts clouding his mind wouldn't allow him a single minute of sleep until the sun had already peeked over the distant mountains.
Before then, though, something else had already begun.
"I'm telling you, I don't know!"
"Are you suuuuure that's not a lie?"
"I swear on my brother's life! I don't know what he did or how he did it!"
"Hmmm~. That's no fun. You're too honest, Childe."
"The hell is that supposed to mean? And while you're at it, can you untie me already?"
"I suppose so, since you're incredibly boring. I thought someone like you would be hiding so many more secrets."
"Well pardon me for not entertaining your insane proclivities, Damselette," Childe sarcastically sneered as he stood, rubbing his chafed wrists.
"But still, I heard enough. It seems there was a variable that not even The Jester had accounted for."
"Don't get too excited, it probably has nothing to do with this backwoods-ass mission."
"Oh how naive you are, young man. There is no such thing as coincidence in this world. You would do well to learn that."
"Yeah, sure. I'm going to bed now until Il Dottore decides to show his ugly mug."
Childe strode carelessly out of the room, leaving Damselette sitting in a chair with a hand on her chin.
Ending Theme: satella feat. Sennzai - Reincarnation
"So that's how it is, huh… turning back time… Hehe… Hehehehehe!"
She daintily chuckled, covering her mouth with one hand.
"It must be you, right, Istaroth?"
Next:
Episode 2: Emergence
A/N:
This is a preview of the first chapter of the sequel to my first fanfic: Ad Infinitum.
It begins directly after the "Final Episode" of Ad Infinitum, following the married life of Diluc and Keqing in a world that isn't as it seems.
I'm still finishing the rest of this story, and probably won't post more until I'm 100% happy with it, but it will definitely get finished sometime soon.
That being said, this story will complete the "other half" of Ad Infinitum while focusing on several new characters (notably Columbina, who I'm currently obsessed with), and I can't wait to show the end result.
Thanks for reading.
And just for you FanFiction readers, I'd like to point out that the definitive version of this story is on AO3. FF is very restrictive with tags and story formatting, but I know there are a lot of people still here, so I will post in both places.
-Mr. Standoffish Man