Author's note: All right, this story is going to be a lot more angsty (and a lot longer!) than I originally thought it would. Just a heads-up for future chapters. Enjoy!

Chapter Seven

Kaeya lunged forward, intending to leap over the cliff after his brother. But the Herald sidestepped, cutting him off from the edge. "Oh no you don't. With the failure of our experiment, we don't particularly want that infernal phoenix figuring out how to get back to normal. I suppose dropping him off a cliff is an efficient way to rid ourselves of his meddling." He chuckled slightly to himself.

Kaeya saw red.

His sword flew so fast it blurred, striking the Cryo monster five times in the span of a few seconds. The Herald roared, quickly raising his own dual blades to defend himself. But Kaeya was not the Cavalry Captain of Mondstadt for nothing, and his cold fury lent him strength. The Herald didn't stand a chance against the knight. With a grunt, the monster fell to one knee. He glanced up as Kaeya stepped closer, his sword at the ready, and a gasp escaped the Herald.

"Y-your eye! You're… you're one of us!"

For just an instant, Kaeya felt the inescapable bond between the former Khaenri'an citizen, and himself; the descendent of the regent who was supposed to lead his people. The Herald sensed the thread of hesitation and rasped, "You can't turn your back on your people. You owe us your allegiance. Only a traitor would leave us to suffer as we have." Kaeya winced at the accusation, hearing Diluc's wild fury so many years ago. Lifting his helmet a bit more, the Abyss Herald added, "You're a true son of Khaenri'ah, though, just like me. We could be brothers. You belong with your family."

"My… family." Kaeya said slowly. And then, in his mind's eye, he saw a tall man with a neatly trimmed red beard, his aristocratic face gentle as he mixed a birthday cake alongside a small, anxious boy with an eyepatch. He saw the enthusiasm of a younger redhead, eager to help his new brother find his footing in unfamiliar territory. He saw that same redhead's steady crimson gaze, now set in a young man's face. And he saw a reluctant smile tugging at the corners of the former knight's mouth as he invited his estranged adopted brother to join him on a vigilante mission.

Kaeya's fingers tightened around the slim hilt of his sword. "I only have one brother. And you just threw him off a cliff." His eye held pure ice as his gaze snapped back to the former Khaenri'an. "I will never be one of you." With a quick thrust, he dispatched the Abyss Herald. Whirling, he leapt from the edge of the cliff in a single smooth move, never looking back at the monster he'd just slain.

His glider snapped open as his gaze skimmed the ground beneath him frantically, searching for that telltale flash of crimson fur. But there was nothing. He swallowed hard, willing himself to stay strong.

Just then, he caught sight of a tent at the water's edge, not far from him. His eye narrowed, and he collapsed his glider, dropping smoothly into the trees. The Cavalry Captain landed in a roll, breaking his fall and jumping to his feet with his sword already drawn again.

oOo

Darkness was falling fast, but Kaeya moved through the woods with the fluidity born of long practice. Yet despite his natural skill, his body was tense with worry for his brother.

He caught up to his quarry within a few minutes, and dodged behind a tree before the four Fatui spotted him. He leaned back against the rough bark, stilling his breathing in order to hear better.

"…You're serious? That can't be right. Literally no one would even make up a story that impossible."

The Hydrogunner protested at the Electrohammer's disbelief. "I'm telling the truth! I was just standing there, talking to Pieter, and this cat fell into my arms! I have no idea where it came from, it just… arrived!"

"He's telling the truth, as strange as it is. I saw the whole thing," put in the Pyroslinger quietly. Kaeya assumed he was presumably Pieter. "He put it in a cage back at camp. Didn't have time to do anything else with it before patrol time rolled around again."

"Huh. Well, what are you going to do with it?"

"I'm taking it home to Sneznaya, of course! I've been wanting a pet for a while."

"Or you could just kill the thing before it eats all of our rations," put in the Geochanter coldly. Kaeya's heart stopped. "I'm not giving up meals to keep it alive once we hit the steppes. Might as well finish it off now, I say. I'll be more than happy to take care of it for you."

The Hydrogunner's response was lost in Kaeya's attack as the Cavalry Captain's self-control snapped. "You'll try," he spat, lunging into battle with a spray of Cryo ice.

He fought like a wild thing, his bladework taking on more of Diluc's reckless abandon than his own cooly calculated style. The thought of his brother in the hands of the Fatui… He couldn't pause to consider the risks of taking on four adversaries at once. He could only strike hard and hope he was faster than the surprised Snezhnayans.

"Watch out!" the Pyroslinger called.

"Who is this guy anyway?!" The Hydrogunner sounded utterly bewildered as he hefted his weapon. "What did we do to deserve this?!"

Kaeya's tactic (or lack thereof) worked brilliantly, right up until it failed him. He'd gone straight for the Geochanter who intended to kill his brother, and with the element of surprise, the Fatui didn't have a chance to deploy his shield before he collapsed to the dust in defeat. Kaeya's blade flashed to meet the Hydrogunner's watery spray before the Geochanter even hit the ground. His Cryo attack froze the Hydrogunner, giving him a chance to deal with the other two Fatui. He spun to the next enemy.

"Hey!"

"Get him!"

His whirling icicles cut through the Pyroslinger's shield, stunning him. Kaeya was two strikes short of delivering the final blow when the Hydrogunner recovered and hit him with another spray of Hydro. He coughed, but raised his sword to keep fighting.

He didn't manage to block the Electro Skirmisher's ominously flashing hammer before it crashed into his arm, triggering the Electro-charge that brought him to his knees. Pain flashed up his arm right on the heels of the electric surge. He struggled against the overwhelming sensation, but it was too much.

Kaeya's world went black.