Episode 4: Spiral of Events
This world of ours is not always a black and white affair. In stories of old, the "hero" is often a spotless, righteous person that never compromises on their values, while the "villain" is the personification of evil, meant to be nothing more than an obstacle for the hero to trample upon while the audience raucously cheers on. Reality often strays far from such polarity, though.
Even the most evil individuals probably have a whole bevy of reasons behind their actions. And those who try too hard to act on justice's behalf are often those with the darkest secrets.
In light of those truths, just how should someone like her be classified?
"You fool!"
In a hidden corner of the Goth Grand Hotel, a heated confrontation was unfolding.
"Why did you go after that useless adopted brother of his? There was a much better option, didn't you even consider it?"
Damselette had cornered Arlecchino, grabbing her shoulders forcefully. Arlecchino hadn't protested yet, likely due to the fearsome aura that the winged woman was exuding. Very few were willing to stand against her when she was like this. Even in the midst of her immense irritation, she still held a straight face as she brutally admonished her comrade, which somehow made her even more terrifying.
"Absolute imbeciles. I shouldn't have told you anything at all if this was the best you could do."
As suddenly as it began, Damselette's tirade ended, her face still showing the small, unshakeable smile she usually wore.
"Guess I'll have to do it myself."
Childe and The Rooster watched uneasily as the inhuman existence they called "Columbina" left the hotel.
"Shit, this isn't gonna be good."
Childe mumbled those words, yanking his coat off the rack near the door.
Opening Theme: SECONDWALL - 君の世界を
At the mansion at Dawn Winery, all was silent. Some time after sunrise, Diluc and Keqing had finally gone inside to rest, with the assurance that the Knights and Adelinde would be carefully watching for any suspicious events. Kaeya had taken up a position on the couch near the front door, allowing his eyes to rest from time to time, but never letting down his guard in the event that they received any unexpected visitors.
However, nothing of the sort had happened in the end.
The married couple had now retired to their bed, getting some sleep at last, while Kaeya had left for Mondstadt City. He had something to discuss with someone, after all.
In a near repetition of the day before, he knocked on the door of Jean's office.
"Come in."
This time, Kaeya let himself in with purpose.
"Thank goodness, looks like nothing happened," Jean said upon seeing Kaeya.
"No, everything was quiet. Almost too quiet."
"What do you think we should do, Kaeya?" Jean asked, holding her forehead.
"Don't ask me. I'm not in the business of dealing with Harbingers."
"I see."
Kaeya thought back to the conversation he had participated in earlier that morning, just before the sun rose. He hadn't forgotten Diluc's determined expression from back then.
"Diluc wants to fight again."
Jean's eyes grew wide, but then she composed herself quickly, keeping her work facade on for now.
"That probably wouldn't be wise. The Harbingers are too strong. I doubt that all the forces of Mondstadt could handle even one of the top three."
"That sounds about right. But he probably won't see it that way."
Jean shook her head in frustration. She knew Kaeya was right. Diluc was the type of person to either retreat into himself when things got tough, or resort to violence. Of course, Jean also knew what he had been up to all these years. The "Darknight Hero" had piled up many bodies along the way, and now it seemed as if he might be drifting back to those old ways, in direct conflict with the purpose of this new world. This time, though, he faced a much more formidable enemy.
"We have to keep him from doing it on his own, at least," Jean said firmly.
"I think he'll accept help. We discussed it earlier. Let's just hope that those Harbingers aren't serious about fighting, though, or else we might suffer some serious losses," Kaeya trailed off, holding his bandaged left shoulder significantly.
"Let's pray that it doesn't come to that, Kaeya," she said with a tone of finality.
All the blue-haired man could do was nod in agreement.
The late afternoon sun filtered through the grand window of Keqing's room, reflecting off of a few stray particles of floating dust. Behind a door to the right at the end of the hall, this once-empty space had been set aside for her by the Master of the mansion himself as a place for her to take care of any business that came her way. It was a comfortable place that reminded her strongly of the office she had left behind in Liyue Harbor.
Her wrist deftly controlled the pen in her hand, writing with unconscious precision. Since their conversation earlier that day, she had made up her mind to do what she could to help. The letter sitting on her desk would formally request Liyue's aid in curbing the Harbingers' current mission. It was a long shot, but since Liyue did have a fairly decent relationship with Snezhnaya, it was Keqing's hope that a peaceful resolution could be reached through diplomacy.
She leaned back in her chair, stretching her tired fingers and wrist.
"We don't even know why they're after Diluc, though," she whispered to herself.
There were simply too many questions without answers. Why were the Harbingers here? Why had they attacked Kaeya? Why had that mysterious woman asked about Diluc? It left Keqing with many more worries than she should have had to deal with. This was supposed to be their second chance at a happy life together, after all.
Keqing stood to her feet, sealing the letter. There was still time to get to the city and mail the letter before sunset. She needed to pick up a few ingredients for dinner as well. Tonight, she was going to cook a meal for her husband.
Her footsteps echoed on the wooden floors of the quiet mansion. She descended the central staircase, finding the first floor empty as well. Diluc had sequestered himself away for most of the afternoon after they had gotten out of bed, but Keqing didn't know what he was working on. This wasn't anything new, though. She had learned early on that he needed space at times. She had also learned to trust his judgment in situations like this.
When she pushed open the front door, the sound of birds chirping greeted her. The sun was just beginning to take on an orange tint, but the night was still a ways off.
She smiled, enjoying the serene ambiance of the Mondstadt countryside. The dusty road to the city beckoned, so she set off, taking the less-traveled path that led eastward towards Springvale.
Crickets chirped in the tall grass at the sides of the path, and the wind gently brushed against the needles of the fir trees enclosing her. Ahead and to her right, a gentle blue glow came from the entrance to the Valley of Remembrance.
Past there, just as the path reached a left turn, a faint sound came from above - something resembling the rustling of feathers. Keqing wouldn't have thought twice about it, but something inside her was almost audibly screaming-
RUN.
Too terrified to look up, she turned around and started sprinting back towards Dawn Winery as fast as her legs would carry her. After only a few meager steps, though, something black covered her vision.
"No!" she screamed and tried to flail, but her arms and legs weren't moving like she wanted them to. In fact, the whole world seemed to be getting strangely… hazy…
Less than a minute later, nothing remained where she once stood but an empty path, and a lone letter lying crumpled in the dust.
In the basement of Dawn Winery, a red-haired man sat in an old upholstered chair that matched the color of his hair, reading under the light of a single antique lamp.
His afternoon had been spent poring over countless books from his father's extensive collection, hoping to find any information about that enigmatic group known as "The Eleven Harbingers".
Having an enemy was one thing, but facing a powerful enemy with unknown intentions was quite another. Diluc wanted to know everything he could about this enemy. Preparation is the most important part of success, after all.
It is hard to discern the origins of the highest-ranking Fatui agents, as they are an ancient and powerful organization, but the top 3 Harbingers have not changed for many years. "The Jester" in particular is believed to be an old and dangerous entity, possibly dating back to before the fall of the ancient kingdom of Khaenri'ah.
Diluc furrowed his brow, reading intently from the book A Brief History of Snezhnaya and Its Tsaritsa.
The 3rd-ranking Harbinger, known as "Damselette", is also of note, as she is rumored to be connected to a race even more ancient than Khaenri'ah. This has never been confirmed, however, and is most likely the fancy of some overly-imaginative writer from years past. Regardless, her appearance is quite striking, with winged features resembling angelic beings of legend.
"Hmm. That has to be her."
Diluc hadn't gotten the best look at her that night, but the wings were something that stood out even at a glance. They were unlike anything he had ever seen, and gave the woman an ethereal, yet stunningly-beautiful aura.
Seems like she might be a troublesome one, Diluc thought, then snapped the book closed.
Standing to his feet, he stretched his limbs and headed back upstairs.
Above ground, the sun was nearing the horizon already, with twilight approaching rapidly. Diluc glanced around the room, and spotted Adelinde dusting the owl statue near the bottom of the grand staircase. She turned towards him as he approached.
"Ah, Master. A letter arrived for you."
"I see," he replied, taking the piece of paper.
He took a seat at the long table nearby and opened the nondescript envelope. Within seconds, though, he had leapt to his feet again, gripping the paper so hard it threatened to rip.
"What the fuck is this?! Adelinde, who delivered this shit?"
"I'm not sure, Master. It was left on the doorstep when I checked earlier."
Diluc's eyes burned with rage at the contents of the letter.
"Damn it to hell! Where is Keqing?!" he cursed.
"I believe she left to go shopping around an hour ago."
Diluc spun on his heel without another word, rushing back to the basement.
In his wake, the letter fell to the table top, revealing its odious details. It had no name - no means of identification. Just a simple, cold statement that changed everything.
We have your wife. Come to the cave near the Snow-Covered Path at the base of Dragonspine, and come alone. You have 2 hours from sunset to arrive, or we cannot guarantee her safety.
In the basement, Diluc quickly grabbed the ancient relic sword Wolf's Gravestone from the wall of weapons he kept, setting it by the door. Then, he dug through an old closet that hadn't seen many visitors lately. He pulled out a black hooded coat, decorated with several white buckles across the chest. This coat was reinforced with light chain mail, and had a custom-made sheath for his sword on the back.
He hurriedly slipped into the coat, finding it still fit somehow. Then, he carefully slid Wolf's Gravestone into the metal sheath that was sewn into the back of the coat. Without any further preparations, he flipped the hood over his head, all but covering his burning eyes, then leapt up the basement stairs two at a time.
Adelinde glanced in surprise at her Master as he flew through the living area, shoving the front door open with force. In an instant, he was gone, leaving her to close the door behind him.
Ending Theme: satella feat. Sennzai - Reincarnation
The sun had already dipped below the horizon, steadily counting down the time remaining until the letter's deadline. In the chilly twilight, a dark figure darted amongst the deepening shadows as if it was merely another one of them. And every step he took brought him closer to a turning point of fate.
Next:
Episode 5: Across the Divide