Episode 11: Breaking Point
The human psyche has many flaws, but perhaps the foremost is the tendency to try and escape reality. Whether it be sex, drinking, imagination, or something else, almost everyone has some method of coping. That coping can lead to a disconnect between reality and a person's ideal mental world, causing mental distress or worse.
Diluc was a man who had grown accustomed to the painful divide between his world and reality. In fact, he had probably struggled to accept such a beautiful reality after resetting the world. For him, it simply wasn't normal to have no injustice to fight against from the shadows. He belonged in the comforting darkness - a place where no one could see his own questionable morality.
Perhaps that fact was responsible for his current situation. For Diluc Ragnvindr had already accepted his unenviable position within the Harbingers, and was well on his way to becoming one of them, for better or worse.
Blinding white light shined through Diluc's closed eyelids, bringing an end to his fitful slumber. The dream he had been immersed in faded like fog burning away under the sun.
"Wha- where am I?" he grumbled, before regaining his faculties.
In a boring, typical Liyue home in the middle of the countryside, he and his new mission "partner" had spent the night. Unfortunately, despite Diluc's hopes to the contrary, that partner was still there today.
Diluc glared at the brown-haired man that had shared the room with him the night before. Neither had rested very well in the bare-bones cots that decorated the utilitarian room.
"Hey, Childe."
"Yeah?"
"This really the best they can do for us Harbingers?"
"I don't like how you're claiming that title so naturally, but eh… whatever. This is my safe house, so any complaints are aimed at me."
"It sucks ass," Diluc said plainly, stretching his painfully-sore limbs.
This was the place that Diluc had been dropped off the night before, after hastily collecting his gear from the mansion. Fortunately, a certain woman chauffeured him to both locations in a matter of seconds, saving him hours of traveling. Even so, he was sore and grumpy after sleeping on that shitty cot. This mission was already off to a terrible start.
"Enough complaining. We have to meet that merchant in two hours. Get ready, we're leaving in fifteen."
"Got it," Diluc replied, standing to his feet.
The redhead found the restroom, and washed his face, trying to pull himself together. His bed from the night before was uncomfortable, yes, but that wasn't the only reason for his lack of sleep.
All night long, he had been haunted by hideous, heart-rending dreams. He couldn't remember any of them now, and that increasingly-common trend was starting to get under his skin. Now that he was awake, something else was bothering him: the mental image of his brother and Jean, their faces bathed in disappointment as they watched him leave. And most troublesome of all: the question of what her face looked like when she learned of his abrupt departure.
Diluc shook his head, throwing droplets of water from his bangs.
"Get it together," he whispered to himself in the mirror before heading back outside.
The summer heat was already beginning to rear its head when Diluc met Childe outside the house. After a short briefing from that man, Diluc followed him down the dusty country path towards Liyue Harbor where they would meet today's client.
The mission was a simple one: escort a Snezhnayan "businessman" back to the border with Fontaine, where a group of Fatui agents would take up the rest of the journey back to their homeland. The path was a long and rocky one, but they anticipated finishing before sunset.
However, something was bothering Diluc, namely why some random businessman needed an escort from two of the Fatui Harbingers.
"He's pretty important. I think he was involved in some research that was… a little sketchy or something."
When Diluc asked about it, that was the blasé response Childe gave.
The two men continued on in relative silence, until they crossed the wooden bridge that led over to Chihu Rock. At that moment, an unexpected voice called out to them.
"Brother! There you are!"
A young boy with dusty brown hair ran up to the two of them. Diluc did a double-take when he saw him, instantly recognizing the kid.
Meanwhile, Childe looked annoyed.
"Teucer, what on earth are you doing here?"
"I got here last night! I went to the bank, but you weren't there, so I just stayed the night with them," Teucer grinned.
"I thought I told you to stop traveling alone like that."
"Sorry, I wanted to surprise you…" the kid trailed off, and looked down at his feet.
Childe grumbled under his breath, running a hand through his brown hair.
"Fine, fine. I'm surprised, alright. Now head over to the safe house, okay? I'll be back some time tonight or tomorrow. Some of my friends are there, they'll take care of you."
"Okay, big brother! See you later, then!"
Teucer waved as he ran across the wooden bridge, leaving an annoyed Childe and an incredulous Diluc.
"I've always suspected this, but you really do become a different person around him, huh?" Diluc prodded as the two men resumed their march.
"Your commentary isn't necessary."
"So he's your weakness. Good to know."
"Oi," Childe angrily glared at Diluc.
"Well, not like I didn't know that before. I still remember how you let me kick your ass when he was around," Diluc smirked combatively.
"Enough. Look, there's our guy," Childe smoothly avoided the subject, pointing ahead.
A rather homely looking man stood with a pack on his back near the base of the central stairway of Liyue Harbor. He wore glasses, and had rather unkempt dark hair and a scruffy beard. Overall, he gave more of a "scientist" impression than that of a "businessman".
"Nikolai, we're here," Childe called out to the man, who turned towards them.
"T-Tartaglia? I didn't expect a Harbinger to escort me. And who's this man?"
"Sorry to disappoint ya. And this guy is our newest member, I'm ashamed to say."
"Hmm? Seems like things are complicated as always with you lot. Ah, I mean no disrespect."
"Don't worry about it. You ready to make tracks?"
The man nodded, gripping his pack. With no further ado, the three men set out across the entrance bridge, leaving Liyue Harbor behind and climbing the steep, rocky hill outside of the city.
"So you are our newest Harbinger? I must admit, I'm surprised to learn that someone took Rosalyne's position. We still greatly miss her back in the homeland."
"Ah, yeah. I don't mean to take anyone's place, though. I'm here for my own reasons, too," Diluc replied to the man called Nikolai in a low voice.
"That really something you should be saying now?" Childe interrupted.
Diluc glared back at his mission partner.
"No point in lying. I was forced to join, but I intend to keep my word as long as the others keep theirs. That's just how it is."
"I see… Fascinating," Nikolai said, stroking his chin hair. "So what is your title, young man?"
"Di- no, Gianduja."
"A pleasure to meet you, Gianduja. I hope you will at least try to get along with the others, or you might find yourself in a rather unfortunate situation," the man gave a small smile, his eyes gleaming.
"So I've been told," Diluc replied calmly, not missing the man's implicit threat.
"Tartaglia, has he been informed about our little "project"?"
"Not that I know of."
"Hm. Well, I'm sure he will find out eventually."
Diluc walked on in silence as the two Snezhnayan men prattled on. However, his ears perked up when Nikolai brought up a certain word.
"We still haven't unlocked that Delusion. It seems that something is preventing us from using it, almost as if it is rejecting us of its own will. The scientists here were of no help, either."
"Huh, that thing just keeps getting more mysterious," Childe replied flippantly.
"Indeed. It was strange enough when we discovered that it had such an absurd level of power, but it also seems to contain some sort of soul of its own. Perhaps our knowledge of Delusions is still too small."
"Well, I wouldn't know anything about that," the brown-haired man said dismissively.
"Still, it is rare that an object has the qualities of a Delusion before we work our "magic" on it," Nikolai prattled on.
Childe nodded but didn't reply, and silence fell over the group. They continued on down the dusty path, heading towards the mountains that marked the border of Liyue and Fontaine.
After traveling almost as far north as Wangshu Inn, the three took a path that led along the banks of the river. This rather neglected path would eventually wrap around to the north of Mt. Aozang, but not before taking them through a maze of rocky canyons.
They made good time, and soon spotted the large tree perched upon a rock that marked their path ahead. The sun was still fairly high, but already had an orange hue to it.
As they stepped into the maze-like canyon, the shadows of the late afternoon surrounded them. It was much darker inside than out.
"You know the way through this place?" Diluc spoke up.
"Yeah. We come through here all the time," Childe explained.
The brown haired man took the first right, and deftly began leading them through the maze. The sound of crickets chirping surrounded them. Here and there, tiny dripping sounds came from moss-covered springs that seeped out of the rocky walls. Vines hung down from above, giving the place the air of an ancient, forgotten world.
After several turns, they entered an exceptionally-narrow passage that took a sharp left turn ahead. It was then that it happened.
Diluc noticed it first. The sound of insects had gone silent. In fact, the whole world seemed to be holding its breath as the three men proceeded tentatively through the canyon. Diluc was immediately on high alert.
Childe quickly followed Diluc's lead, and put himself in front of Nikolai, sandwiching the man between the two of them.
As he did, the sound of fabric flapping in the wind alerted them to someone's approach. Not just one, but many.
In front of them, three figures dropped to the ground from above. They were armed with swords, and the one farther in the back had some sort of ranged weapon.
A gun?! Diluc noticed, and instantly raised his guard even higher.
He whirled around to seek an escape, but found another group of figures behind him.
"Shit! Childe, what do we do?!"
"Nothing yet," Childe hissed in reply, readying his stance.
"So it is him. Good," one of the figures spoke out. "You there, stand back. We only want that scientist. Hand him over and this ends."
"Unfortunately, I can't do that," Childe replied flippantly.
Diluc looked on in consternation as the brown-haired man began addressing the attackers lazily.
"Why do you want him, anyway? He's just some researcher from our homeland. Surely this is all a mistake."
"It is no mistake. That man is responsible for untold suffering. He's a murderer, kidnapper, and prominent Delusion researcher."
Nikolai looked afraid as Childe clicked his tongue.
"Seems like you did your research. But this still isn't gonna go your way," he growled, preparing to attack.
Just then, a shot rang out amongst the rocky canyon walls, echoing loudly in Diluc's ears.
"What…?" Nikolai moaned, reaching for his shoulder.
His hand came back bloody, and he fell to his knees in pain.
"Fuck. Diluc, let's go!" Childe hissed.
Without another word, the two men split, rushing towards their assailants.
Diluc took the ones behind them head on. The three men blocking their way raised their weapons, which consisted of swords and one polearm. Diluc quickly assessed the situation, and made his opening move. In an instant, chains shot out of the earth, wrapping around the legs and torsos of the three men.
They cursed in anger as they tried to escape, but Diluc was already upon them. With a mighty swing, he decapitated the closest one. The other two screamed as fresh blood stained the dirt in front of them.
They too would suffer similar fates, in due time. Diluc's sword knew no mercy, and his powerful swing shredded through their weak flesh, leaving only broken, incomplete parts of human bodies behind.
Diluc whirled around, preparing to help Childe, when he saw an unexpected sight. That brown-haired man was held at gunpoint by what seemed to be the leader of the group. That person stood over their fallen comrade, and pointed their gun directly at Childe's face.
"Don't move. You may be strong, but a bullet can still kill any man."
"Where'd you guys get a gun, anyway?" Childe asked lightheartedly.
"You should know that very well, Harbinger."
Childe still held his hands up sheepishly as Diluc came closer.
"You. Stay back. Don't come closer until we're done here," the man barked.
Not willing to test an angry armed man, Diluc stopped in his tracks. He had no clue why these men were attacking, but they clearly had a strong motive; it seemed the three of them had stepped into a hornet's nest.
As he took a few steps backward from the angry attacker, Diluc's ears picked up on more footsteps behind him. His head on a swivel, he spotted the source, which sent an almost-physical shock through him.
"No, stop!" Diluc hissed, but that person didn't listen to him.
With quick strides, the figure single-mindedly rushed towards Childe.
"Don't hurt my big brother!"
As soon as he heard that voice, Childe's eyes flew wide, and his pale face showed utter shock. Despite the gun in his face, he whirled around towards the source of it immediately.
"Teucer?! Shit, no!"
Panicking, Childe couldn't say any more. He took a step towards his little brother, which angered the gunman even more.
"The hell is this? I thought I told you not to MOVE?!"
Suddenly, there was another bright flash of light and a loud crack that shook the canyon walls. After that came the sound of a body hitting the ground. Then shortly following that came a horrific, insane scream.
"No, no, NOOO! FUCK!"
Childe cursed and yelled, completely ignoring the gunman behind him. He fell to the ground beside the crumpled, limp body. It wasn't moving.
"No, Teucer… HEY, TEUCER! Say something!"
But that young boy couldn't say a word. A pool of blood was already beginning to form beneath him as his life source poured out of a sizable hole in his chest. His body shivered in the last moments of life, as his muscles fired off on their own. His soul was almost certainly headed for the great beyond at that very moment.
"Damn it," Diluc cursed as he watched the wretched scene.
Nikolai was now lying on his side, holding his shoulder tightly to prevent bleeding out. Teucer was crumpled in a heap, surrounded by blood, and Childe was on his knees next to him. Their mission had reached a critical point; Diluc knew he had to do something.
He subtly moved his hands, aiming them at the gunman's arms. Suddenly, chains shot out, wrapping around the gun and yanking it free from the man's grasp. The attacker yelled in anger, but more chains stopped him in his tracks. They took his arms and legs, spreading them wildly and chaining him down to the walls of the canyon on either side.
With rage in his eyes, Diluc approached the man, passing by the fallen form of Teucer on the way.
"Who the hell are you, and why did you do this?" Diluc growled, resting his sword's tip against the man's neck.
"Why? Because that man killed my daughter, and squeezed her essence into one of his damned Delusions!" the attacker spewed, unhinged.
"What?" Diluc muttered.
"You heard me! And he's done that to countless others, too! Him and that fuckin' Doctor!"
Diluc felt a burning feeling in his chest. Guilt mixed with unpleasant memories of the past, and the uncanny sensation of the Delusion on his right hand. This was the weight of a Delusion; it was the weight of a living soul.
Before Diluc could regain his senses, he felt a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back roughly.
"Enough talk. I'll handle this from now on," Childe proclaimed darkly.
Diluc couldn't say anything. He just stepped aside as Childe took his place before the strung-up man.
"Your daughter, huh? Who gives a fuck. People die all the time, dipshit. That's just how this world works."
"Fuck you!" the attacker yelled.
"No, fuck you. You killed my little brother, so you're no better than us now. Know what that means?" Childe asked with an unhinged smile, his face only an inch away from the other man's.
The man didn't respond.
"It means you get to suffer the same fate as sinners like us."
While he had been talking, Childe had pulled out a small dagger. He licked the side of the blade, then traced it over the man's arm, drawing blood.
"S-Stop it, you maniac! I didn't want to kill him! You forced my hand!"
But Tartaglia had no breaks left with which to stop.
He poked the tip of the knife into the man's flesh just below the elbow, and dragged a line straight over to his wrist. The man grimaced in pain as Childe made two more cuts on either side, painting an "I" shape in blood. The man couldn't resist or move an inch due to the chains holding him down.
Once Childe was done with his cuts, he forced his fingernails under the skin of the man's forearm, and yanked.
"AAAHHHHH?!"
Like a skinned fruit, the man's skin peeled back, revealing muscle and bone as blood began to ooze out.
"Hmmm. That wasn't enough. No, not nearly enough," Childe muttered with empty eyes.
As Diluc watched on with some degree of disgust, Childe proceeded to slice and skin the man alive, until he resembled an animal hanging in a slaughterhouse more than a human being. His screams echoed on and on through the empty canyon, but no one came to help him. Soon, the man couldn't even form words anymore. Like a dying animal, he squealed and groaned miserably.
"Eh, fuck this. I'm bored now," Childe finally remarked, covered in the man's blood.
He rared back, and sliced the man's head clean off in a motion so fast that Diluc had to strain his eyes to see it in the dimming twilight.
Tossing the dagger over his shoulder, Childe stumbled back towards Diluc, Nikolai, and Teucer.
"Teucer… why were you here…?" he mumbled, only half sane.
"He must have followed us," Diluc muttered solemnly in return.
"Why didn't you just go back like I told you to?!" Childe yelled, slamming his fists into the pool of blood surrounding his little brother.
Diluc couldn't help but notice the tears streaming down the brown-haired man's face. All of a sudden, he felt a pang of guilt for making light of Childe's "weakness" earlier that day.
Of course, no matter how many questions Childe asked, Teucer couldn't answer. He would never be allowed to speak another word again. He was gone.
Both men struggled to find words. What could even be said? The shock of the moment was still only beginning to sink in. After several minutes of sickening silence, Childe broke it with a wavering voice.
"We're going back to Liyue Harbor. I'll carry… Teucer. You help Nikolai."
No matter how he felt about this man, Diluc knew this wasn't the time to argue.
"Right."
Childe stooped to pick up his little brother's unmoving body, and Nikolai leaned on Diluc's shoulder as the two men stood. Slowly, shakily, the group began to limp back towards Liyue Harbor. Every step they took was agonizing, and that horrible cloud of death hung over them until they dragged themselves up the stairs of Northland Bank, like injured wolves returning to their den.
Their mission had ended in utter failure.
Ending Theme: Unlucky Morpheus - 夢幻
Next:
Episode 12: Fiat Justitia, Ruat Caelum