Episode 5: Across the Divide
Opening Theme: SECONDWALL - 君の世界を
A soundtrack of chirping crickets accompanied Diluc's twilit journey, along with the occasional clank of his sword in its sheath and the flapping of his long coat. Other than those, no sounds broke the stillness of the encroaching night.
Dragonspine was still a ways off, but he very well knew the quickest way to get there. It was a path that he and his friends had taken once before, in another time and place that was now forever buried underneath the sands of time. Back then, the hike had taken them a little over an hour, but Diluc planned to at least cut that time in half.
Soon enough, he came to a split in the path. To his right was the rickety bridge over the waterfall, which led to the hot springs they had visited back then, and a breathtaking vista of the neighboring country of Liyue. To his left was a steep, rocky path leading up to the snowy plain at the base of Dragonspine. Behind him, the lights of Dawn Winery glowed softly through a light mist that clung to the ground like a veil.
Without a second's hesitation, he dashed up that hill, feeling a few flakes of snow hit his face as he climbed higher. The sudden cold stung his exposed skin, making him grateful for the attire he had chosen.
The majestic, imposing peak of Dragonspine came into full view as he reached the plain, along with a small crew of hilichurls patrolling the path ahead.
"Dammit, don't have time for this shit!" he growled, launching an attack on the unsuspecting group.
His sword instantly decapitated the one closest to him, sending the head flying. It struck the back of the tallest churl, painting his fur red. Startled, he turned around with a grunt, but Diluc was already upon him. His flaming sword chopped the churl in half at the middle, leaving bowels strewn about on the path. The final hilichurl screeched in fear and fled, heading for the cover of the nearby beech forest.
Diluc didn't bother pursuing, opting to forge ahead. The dim face of a full moon occasionally snuck a peek through the clouds as he followed the river that wrapped around the base of Dragonspine. Soon, he came to the broken bridge that led to the path up the mountain proper. With a flying leap, he cleared the river below, landing in snow that almost spilled over into his boots - much deeper than on the other side.
With a dreadful sense of anticipation, he rushed up the dark, snowy path that led past the Frostbearing Tree and up the mountain. Before he reached the Tree, though, he turned right, arriving at a large cave opening that led down - into the mountain itself. Rushing past an old decrepit Fatui tent, he entered the cavernous opening.
"This has to be it."
Inside, the path immediately split. To the right, the cave headed up towards another opening that glowed softly in the darkness, revealing the pale, snowy moonbeams beyond. To the left, the cave descended steeply down into the earth, and just around a corner, another glow beckoned him - that of an orange, flickering campfire.
Opting not to waste any time, Diluc slid down the incline, using one hand to steady himself. At the bottom, a scene that resembled some of his worst nightmares awaited him.
Amidst the ice and fallen stone, a gray figure stood near the fire. The dim light from the flames illuminated her pale face. Her eyes were closed, and her lips were curled into a peaceful smile. Her long, dark hair fell down past her waist. Her gorgeous, feminine appearance clashed harshly with the oppressive aura that was oozing into every crack and crevice of the cavern.
Beside that figure, lying against the wall with her arms tied, was Keqing. She didn't stir at all as Diluc approached, sending a physically-painful pang of horror through his whole body.
For an uncanny few seconds, the only sounds to be heard were the crackling of the campfire and the wind as it howled through the cavern. Then, a beautifully-soft voice broke the trance.
"You made it with plenty of time to spare. Well done, Mr. Ragnvindr," she said, smiling gently.
Diluc was flabbergasted by this woman's demeanor. In fact, everything about this situation resembled a spider basking in the final moments before it consumed its prey. Despite his terror, he managed a reply.
"What the fuck is this about, Damselette?"
"Oooo~, very good. You actually acknowledged me this time, and knew my name too! My chest feels really warm right now," she sighed, putting a hand over her breast.
"Enough. What did you do to her?" he growled, trying to get closer to the purple-haired girl to confirm that she was alive.
Columbina immediately blocked his path, though, moving so fast that Diluc couldn't track her.
"Now now, don't skip steps. We haven't done any negotiating yet, you see," she said, still smiling with all the gentleness of a mother holding her newborn child.
"Fuck that. Tell me if she's okay, NOW!"
Diluc roared angrily, then took a swing at the woman with his sword. The strike was quick and powerful, but didn't even manage to scratch her.
"Please try to keep your composure, Diluc. She's fine, just sleeping until we finish this little meeting. That was a nice swing, though~."
That initial feeling of his was proving scarily accurate: Diluc had stepped into a spider's den, and was already ensnared from the moment he arrived. This being had no fear of him. In fact, she was toying with her prey.
"You shouldn't be attacking me, though," she continued on. "After all, you once defied Celestia too, didn't you, young man?"
"What?" Diluc frowned, feeling a shock go through him.
"We may not be so different after all, Mr. Ragnvindr."
I promise I won't hurt you. Trust me.
"W-What the hell…?" Diluc mumbled, unable to believe what had just happened.
Don't be afraid. I only want to know about what happened before, and who helped you do it.
The angelic girl standing before him was still smiling, but her lips weren't moving. Still, her whispers echoed in his mind, gently prodding him, almost as if she was reaching out and touching his very soul with hers. It was a deeply unsettling, yet strangely alluring feeling.
"You… what are you…?"
"Hehe, don't worry about that. You'll be able to forget all about me in no time. All you have to do is tell me a few things, and she'll be free. You can go back to your happy little life together, and we won't bother you again."
Diluc balled up his fists, hiding his face behind his hood.
"What do you want to know?"
"You're going to tell me all about that little 'miracle' you performed, and where she is now," she declared with a biting smile.
"So you haven't forgotten about that, huh," Diluc said bitterly.
"I would never," she smiled, holding her hand over her mouth.
Diluc sighed deeply, then began to pour out the truth he had long kept to himself.
Or at least, he would have, if another voice hadn't interrupted him first.
"So this is what you've been up to, Columbina," a male voice echoed from above.
Diluc whirled around in an instant, and spotted another dark figure just outside of the reach of the campfire's glow.
"Oops, I've been found out," Damselette whispered playfully, still completely unperturbed.
As the man stepped into the light, his face became clearer. That was when Diluc's patience reached its limit.
"You fucker, I thought I told you to stay away from me," he hissed, still keeping one eye on the dangerous woman beside him.
"Is that any way to treat the man who's dropping you a lifeline?" Childe said, making a carefree shrugging motion with his hands.
He continued walking, stopping when he was only a few feet from the fire.
"I don't know if you're aware, but this old bitch is batshit insane. Going along with her plan might not end well for you, Diluc."
"I got that much, but what other options do I have? You see this shit as well as I do," Diluc angrily gestured towards where his wife sat, bound, leaning against an old rock wall.
"I told you I wouldn't hurt her, didn't I? And I haven't," the woman responded. "But I'm not afraid to remove a few limbs if necessary, or worse," she ended with a smile.
"Fuck you!" Diluc growled.
"Enough of this. We're going in circles," Childe interjected, clearly annoyed. "I came here with a proposition of my own."
"Oh? I didn't expect this from someone as dull as you, Tartaglia."
"Just shut up and listen."
Childe strolled over to the wall of the cave, and leaned back against it before continuing.
"Diluc, join us."
Silence reigned in the cavern after that short, yet absurd sentence. As if their brains had both suddenly short-circuited, neither Diluc nor Damselette spoke for an awkwardly-long time.
"If that's a joke, it's the shittiest one I've ever heard," Diluc finally muttered, his expression hidden behind his hood.
"It's no joke. Join the Harbingers, and I can guarantee Keqing's safety."
"What?" Columbina asked, looking mildly confused. "I'm the one in charge of that girl's safety, young man."
"And you're also the one secretly plotting something behind Dottore and Pierrot's back, aren't you?"
For just a millisecond, Diluc thought he saw Damselette's expression waver. Then, she smiled sweetly at Childe.
"As I thought, you really are boring, Tartaglia."
"Don't try me. I won't hesitate to tell them what you're up to," he continued on bravely.
"I see. I guess that's that, then."
Columbina took a few steps over to where still Keqing lay. The twin-tailed woman still hadn't moved an inch. Columbina pulled out a small, cruelly-shaped knife from her oversized winter coat. Diluc's heart flew into his throat, but he couldn't move a muscle.
The woman gently guided Keqing's body, twisting her sideways, and with one quick slice, the ropes that bound her fell to the cave floor.
"What… the hell…?" Diluc muttered in disbelief.
"It seems my plan has been foiled by my annoying younger comrade. However, I'll need to confirm the details of this new plan. Childe, if you will~."
"I uh- What?"
"Your plan? How will this benefit me? Isn't that how a deal works?"
"Yeah, well… I won't tell them that you're sneaking around behind their backs…?"
"I heard that part already. What's next?"
"Diluc joins us, and uh, he helps us accomplish our goal?"
"Our goal? Hehehe," Damselette chuckled daintily. "Please, continue."
"Look, I don't fuckin' know what's next! Just stop messing with this guy's wife for now, alright?"
"I didn't realize you had any sentiments for this man. If anything, he should be your enemy. What exactly happened to you two, Childe?"
Damselette was undoubtedly a very dangerous person. She had somehow steered things back to the brink of finding out what she wanted to know even as she released her hostage, and it had almost worked, too. Childe shook his head, and answered.
"I already forgot."
Diluc's mind could almost construe Damselette's current expression as a grimace if he tried hard enough, but now wasn't the time for flights of fancy.
"You're assuming I'll agree to this," Diluc rejoined the conversation with distaste.
"Come on now, you already seem to fit the fashion sense. What's up with that edgy coat, by the way? Regressing back to your school days?"
Childe had probably intended to lighten the exceptionally tense mood, but he had only succeeded in pissing Diluc off even more.
"Nah, I won't bring myself down to the level of someone like you."
"Funny coming from someone as selfish as you are."
The two young men continued their verbal sparring match, and thus didn't notice a certain someone edging closer to the helpless girl lying on the cave floor.
"Silence, you two."
That ice cold voice forced the two to stop arguing and whirl toward its source. Instantly, Diluc's heart rate skyrocketed into the stratosphere.
"I've decided that you're going to become a Harbinger, Diluc Ragnvindr. Any arguments?"
Her voice was relaxed and calm, but the knife in her hand gleamed as it traced a line across the soft flesh of Keqing's neck. A tiny trickle of blood dribbled down towards Keqing's collarbone, thoroughly inscribing the seriousness of the situation into Diluc's mind.
In that moment, Diluc considered his options. She was too far away to attack, and would surely cut Keqing's throat if he made a move. Despite his seemingly endless combat knowledge, Diluc couldn't find a single scenario where he could emerge the victor while sparing his wife's life.
A cruel smile spread across Columbina's face, as if she already knew that fact.
There was no other choice left if he wanted to protect their second chance.
On a whim, their future - and the future of the world - had already irreversibly changed.
Ending Theme: satella feat. Sennzai - Reincarnation
Next:
Episode 6: To Become a Blasphemer