Episode 8: The Paradigm
After his acceptance into the Harbingers and the resulting fight against Childe, Diluc had returned to his home, and was promptly caught red-handed by Keqing. Still in her bath robe, she was waiting for him on the couch when he entered the front door.
Her questions were not answered honestly, though. Diluc spun a tale of bandits that needed dealing with, and thus explained away his dusty and battle-scarred appearance.
Whether she believed him was anyone's guess.
One thing was certain, though. When her head rested on his chest that night in bed, the guilt he felt was enough to crush him beneath its weight.
Opening Theme: SECONDWALL - 君の世界を
Over a week had now passed since Diluc was begrudgingly accepted into the Eleven. Since then, he hadn't heard a single peep out of them. No one had contacted him about any missions, and Dawn Winery had returned to its usual laid-back atmosphere. He hadn't expected to be deployed to Snezhnaya immediately or anything, but this sudden peace was equally surprising.
Of course, with a group like the Harbingers, that peace wouldn't last forever.
One Friday afternoon, as Diluc was heading inside from a long day of maintenance work around the Winery, he once again heard a voice that was not his speaking inside his mind.
Diluc, meet me at the usual place. I'm waiting.
"What the hell? How far does that telepathy of hers work, anyway?" he grumbled.
Placing his tools on a table outside the mansion, he headed towards that place near the edge of the valley - the same one where he had met them last. Once he arrived, he spotted that woman amongst the fir trees, and called out to her.
"I'm here. What's up?"
"Strictly business. I'm here to give you the details of your first mission as a Harbinger."
Diluc felt his heart beating faster at those words. This was the moment he had been anticipating, and blood was rushing to his head already.
"Alright, shoot," he said, leaning back against a fir tree and crossing his arms, calming himself.
"You will be infiltrating a nearby abandoned lab that has been overrun by Abyss creatures. They took hold of something rather important: a Delusion that we'd rather not lose. The Jester wants you to retrieve it."
"A Delusion, huh?" Diluc replied, looking annoyed.
"Yes. Don't worry, something like this should be easy for you, judging by what we saw you do before."
"Well, that was just me taking out my anger on that annoying guy."
"Then I hope you can maintain that level of motivation in the future."
"Don't count on it," he said dryly.
"In any case, the location is in Liyue, near The Chasm. This will show you the way," she finished, handing him a small map.
"I see. So all I have to do is go in there and wreak havoc, then take the Delusion?"
"It'd be for the best if you didn't destroy too much. It is our lab, after all."
"This job sure comes with a lot of demands," Diluc sighed.
At that moment, it hit him: he had become much more laid-back around this frightening woman. Perhaps it was simply human nature, but his wariness of her had been dulled with time. He could have never talked to her like this otherwise.
"I'm sure you can handle it. Now I must be going. I'll confirm your success once you complete the mission. Please head over there as soon as possible."
With that, the strange woman began to float, and Diluc watched her soar away into the sky before he could lodge any other complaints.
"It just had to be at the end of a long day, didn't it?" he muttered, and headed back towards the mansion.
After scarfing down a quick meal, Diluc donned his battle gear and began making his way towards the location on the map. Normally, a trip to Liyue would be a whole-day affair at the least, but this one would afford no such luxury.
Across the plains he traveled, soon arriving at a side road that led up into the mountains. He took it, bypassing Liyue Harbor and all of its sights for something much more rural. The sun was starting to set as he hiked through Tianqiu Valley at a brisk pace.
Soon, he drew near to the location shown on the map. It was a stark, rocky cliff just north of Lingju Pass, near some old abandoned ruins.
The map shows some pipes that I can enter here. Ah, there they are.
Diluc found several brass pipes sticking out of the mountainside. Some had rusty metal grates over the end, but one was left open, beckoning him to head inside and see what lay beyond.
"I don't like this," he whispered to himself before ducking down inside the pipe entrance.
Inside, it was quiet. He took a step, and it echoed into the distance for several seconds, telling him that the inside of this place was probably extensive.
He put one foot in front of the other, and began heading into the darkness beyond. He pulled out a portable lantern once he was beyond the daylight zone, and aimed it into the pitch black ahead of him. Even then, he couldn't see an end to the pipe.
Thankful that it at least appeared to stay level, he continued on for several more minutes, until his ears heard another sound besides his stealthy footsteps.
Hissing? Steam? Hope it isn't coming through here.
He sped up his pace, and soon saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Upon arriving there, he discovered that the pipe led into a large room filled with countless other pipes, and something resembling a boiler.
Why is something like this inside the mountain? he couldn't help but wonder.
Checking for any signs of life inside, he dropped down onto the metal floor of the room. The sound of his boots rang out on the hard floor, but no one seemed to be around to hear. He checked the perimeter of the room, finding several other rooms beyond. But none of them had any monsters within.
Diluc's hair began to stand on end. The lack of enemies was disconcerting, and didn't line up with what he had been told to expect. That nagged at him as he continued on through the maze of rooms.
Soon, he reached a more lengthy room that led to a large door. That door had been left open, and beyond it was a vast expanse of nothingness extending as far as Diluc could see.
What the hell, this mountain is hollow? This looks like some sort of domain.
Gears spun away on the walls, and pipes ran everywhere, even out into the foggy cavern beyond. The size of the area was staggering.
Diluc quickly turned away from that scene, and headed back into the "lab".
After carefully exploring for over an hour, he began to get a grasp on the layout of this underground bunker. And soon, he discovered a much more active-looking part of the base. The floors were more clean here, and the area resembled a "lab" more so than before.
Bet that Delusion is somewhere nearby.
As Diluc mused to himself, he felt a strange feeling welling up in his chest: something like longing, but without any object for that desire.
To most, that feeling would be brushed off as meaningless, but not to him. He had felt it many times before, and knew very well what it meant.
"I'm close. But what is this feeling…?"
Diluc swallowed his apprehension and continued on, soon arriving at a door with thick windows on either side. The sensation tugging at his heart was at its strongest here. He reached for the door, and found that it opened without much effort. Pushing it aside, he entered the room beyond, only to spot something that sent his mind into a tailspin.
On a table in the middle of the room, amongst several other old relics, there was a box. A small, wooden box, with a fancy golden seal on the front.
"…Impossible…"
Diluc's vision became blurry, and his head was filled with countless memories that he had long fought to put to rest. That old box looked a bit worse for wear than when he had owned it, but there was no mistaking its identity.
With shaking hands, he picked it up and made the familiar sliding motion required to open it. From within, a small red gleam reflected the bright white lights above.
"Father's Evil Eye… but I know I broke it… How…?"
Diluc considered the possibilities. Did someone repair it? Possible, since this was a Fatui base. Did the Reset change history in unintended ways somehow? Not likely, but concerning to think about. Soon, though, his contemplation was interrupted.
I'm sorry, Diluc. I'm afraid I wasn't completely honest with you.
Diluc whirled around in an instant, finding a magenta-haired, winged woman standing only a few feet behind him. He hadn't heard or sensed her approach at all.
"What is this about?" he queried, steadying his shaking hands.
In response, she covered her pale lips with one finger.
Don't speak. He may hear something he shouldn't.
He? Who's he? What are you up to, Damselette? Diluc replied in his mind, frowning at her.
This was a test, and you've passed. Your reward is that item you're holding right now. Take it and use it as you will.
Diluc almost dropped the box, looking at it with a complex blend of feelings inside him.
I can't take this. Why did you lead me here? Did you know all along?
I only know bits and pieces of your story, Diluc Ragnvindr. But I'm well aware that you can put this Delusion to use… perhaps better than anyone else can.
Diluc's face was drawn tight as he gazed at the woman. He felt his own heart starting to be swayed by her words in a way that couldn't be explained. It was dangerously subtle and seductive. He shook that feeling off, and whispered aloud:
"Why are you helping me?"
I'm helping myself. You're just reaping one benefit from this. I have my own reasons for being here, reasons that I cannot explain to you, Damselette continued on, refusing to speak aloud.
To emphasize her words, she placed her cold, small hands over his as he held that odious box.
"So you're using me, huh…" Diluc muttered.
This is how the Harbingers work. It would do you well to learn that quickly. Now leave, before he discovers you here.
Diluc still didn't know who "he" was, but Damselette's plea made him realize the seriousness of the situation. He quickly closed the box, slipping it inside his coat. Then, he rushed out the door, returning down the hallway he had come down earlier.
I'll be in contact.
Her last "words" echoing in his mind, he deftly wound through the maze, heading for the pipe room that he had entered through.
Once he was gone, Damselette sighed, now alone in the room.
I hope that doesn't come back to bite us. But still… so this was why you delayed the mission, Doctor… she thought to herself, frowning.
Before she could leave the room, footsteps resounded on the hallway floor outside, and a deep voice called out.
"So it was you, Columbina. I would ask what you're up to, but I'd be wasting my words."
"I'm glad you understand the situation so well, Doctor."
"Au contraire, I will never understand what is going on in that mind of yours. What are you doing here? Taking something that isn't yours?"
"Perhaps. I've found myself in need of a certain something from your collection."
Il Dottore sighed, shaking his head.
"Do what you want. Nothing in here is of much value to anyone. However, I must ask that you not set foot in the other area of this lab. That would be something I simply could not forgive."
"Oh don't you worry, I would never do that. I was just leaving, in fact."
"Good, begone. You're bothering my creations."
Damselette laughed cutely, then turned to leave the room, before Dottore's cold voice interrupted her escape.
"Strange, I have the distinct feeling that someone else was just here too."
"Must be your imagination," she replied cooly, closing the door behind her.
"Damselette, you aren't as sneaky as you think," he whispered to himself, eying the empty place on the table where the Delusion once was.
"I don't know what you intend to do by letting that man into our ranks, but I will find out. I swear it."
Once Diluc made it outside, it was already several hours after sunset. He made haste, and didn't stop running until he was far away from that unpleasant place. Once he started his descent down the path leading to the plains of Liyue, he finally allowed himself to slow down and catch his breath.
So Il Dottore was there, huh? Just what in the hell is going on with these Harbingers?
Diluc had stuck around long enough to see the face of the man that Damselette had warned him about, and it had left him even more confused and perturbed. Why did she send him to attack another Harbinger's lab and steal something from it? Much less The Doctor, someone that Diluc was very familiar with already? Everything she had told him about that lab ended up being a lie.
His concerns were only natural. Someone like him could never hope to understand the delicately-balanced inner workings of the Harbingers. Half ally, half enemy, each member served their own interests above all else, and weren't afraid to openly show it. Only a love of their homeland loosely tied them together, and even that was in question for quite a few of them, including their very leader himself. Diluc had just gotten a taste of that reality first-hand.
Long ago, Diluc had had a run-in with another version of that Doctor, so his cruelty was already known to the redhead. Just what he was doing in a place like this, though… Diluc could only guess.
He paused, looking down at the box that he had unconsciously taken out of his jacket somewhere along the way. Without a doubt, this was his father's Delusion. The very same one that had cost Crepus his life; the same one that Diluc had used to murder countless Fatui during his hate-fueled travels across Teyvat. And also, the same one that he had destroyed and sent back to Dottore years ago.
"Why did she know about this? Who is she?" he whispered.
But this time, no voice in his head answered his question.
Despite her otherworldly beauty and outward kindness and helpfulness to him, his feelings for Damselette had taken an abrupt turn that night. Right then, he was experiencing something he hadn't truly felt in years:
A deep, lingering terror of the unknown.
Ending Theme: satella feat. Sennzai - Reincarnation
Next:
Episode 9: Inception