Kaeya was gripping the silver frame of his vision hard enough to leave grooves in the palm of his hand. He was cold from the rain, but not wet. No, not even the storm could reach him within this shield. Through the soft, blue-hued barrier surrounding him, Kaeya caught a glimpse of Diluc's face, twisted with rage and betrayal.
He wished he could say that he didn't deserve such an expression being turned on him. But...Kayea supposed this was his punishment for a life full of lies. His...brother raised his claymore once again, lighting it ablaze. The pyro energy caused steam to rise from his weapon as the rain was boiled upon contact. Kaeya dug one heel into the mud before turning and breaking off into a sprint.
The sound of Kaeya's blood pounding in his ears drowned out the sounds of Diluc's shouts behind him, calling his name. Kaeya didn't turn back. Eventually, the cryo shield around him vanished, and Kaeya's hair quickly became soaked through. At least it disguised the tears streaming down his cheeks.
It took a long time for Kaeya to listen to the burning of his legs and lungs, too scared of what stopping would mean for him. He doubted Diluc was chasing him, but—well, where was Kaeya even supposed to go? Even if Diluc hadn't just made it very clear that he wasn't welcome, Kaeya didn't exactly deserve to stay at the Dawn Winery.
After finding out that his father (did he have any right to call Crepus that?) was gone, Kaeya had, sickeningly, felt relief. All he could remember thinking was—oh, now I don't have to see his disappointment when I tell him the truth.
And Crepus had gotten to die under the impression that both his sons were good, loyal people, and not disgusting spies who planned to turn on the nation that had given them a home. No, Kaeya had realized with the tiniest smile on his face, he would never be forced to betray him. Crepus would never have to know, and Kaeya could make a decision on his own terms, without the guilt of letting down the man who'd raised him.
As smooth a talker as Kaeya normally was, he hadn't quite been able to explain his situation to Diluc before...well, there was a reason he was running, wasn't there?
Eventually, Kaeya gave in to the exauhstion and came upon a massive tree that shielded the ground below from the rain. He stared up into the branches, realizing only now that it was Vanessa's Tree at Windrise, named after the great Lionfang Knight who'd fought for Mondstadt's freedom. He felt sick to his stomach. Imagine what she'd say if she knew that someone like him had been allowed to serve in her Knights of Favonius. A pure-blooded Khaenri'ahn sinner masquerading as an honorable knight. It was laughable, really.
As if Barbatos wanted him anywhere near the Overworld, much less protecting his nation. The Archon had a hand in destroying Kaeya's homeland, after all. As far as Kaeya was concerned, it may as well be Barbatos' fault he'd been abandoned by his birth father in a storm like this one all those years ago. A nation whose people weren't cursed to suffer for eternity hardly needed a "last hope," did they?
"I bet you find this real funny, Barbatos," Kaeya spat the words as he stared up at the Statue of the Seven. It had been delicately carved, with the Archon's wings curled inwards protectively. "Is that why Celestia granted me a vision? To mock me?"
Unsurprisingly, Barbatos' statue did not answer. The gods' gaze never to fell to Khaenri'ah, nor were their ears were open to its people.
On their journey from the gates of Khaenri'ah to the Overworld, Kaeya's birth father had always hated having to pass by the Statues of the Seven, wrinkling his nose at them and keeping a wide birth as they traveled around it. Kaeya had never understood the need to avoid a stone carving, but it made sense now. The sight of the Statue made Kaeya's skin crawl, as if maggots had wormed their way into his body without realizing he was still alive to feel it.
"My mission is to bring Mondstadt to ruin, to make your people suffer like Khaenri'ah did," Kaeya told the Statue. "I don't have to worry about Crepus anymore, and I've lost my brother. I don't have any ties to this nation."
Barbatos' expression remained fixed straight ahead, looking beyond Kaeya as if he didn't matter in the slightest. He didn't, not to an archon.
"I'll summon Abyss monsters to devour Mondstadt's people, and make the land as desolate as the wasteland you left Khaenri'ah. The Overworld's air will taste like the same ash and sulfur as my home." Kayea ranted, remembering the stories his birth father had told him of the cruelties their people had suffered during the Cataclysm. Nobody was spared. Any unlucky survivor was cursed by Celestia to become horrifically disfigured monsters, too ashamed of what they'd become to look at their own faces. The even unluckier ones couldn't even die if they tried, immortality leaving them helpless as their loved ones were turned into beasts.
Kaeya's parents had spelled it out rather clearly to him whenever he'd asked why they couldn't visit the surface—the stars only shown for those blessed by the gods.
He stared down at the vision in his hands. Was he one of them now?
"Are you in Celestia trying to win me over?" Kaeya spoke to the Statue again. The moonlight glinted off of Barbatos' hood, daring him to wish for a life not lived in the shadow of his mission. Kaeya slumped down, leaning against the Statue as he curled beneath it. The cold, slick stone wasn't of much comfort, but Kaeya couldn't bring himself to care. He was so tired...too afraid to stop and greive for the loss of his father and the severing of his ties to his brother.
Not long after, a warm glow washed over Kaeya. In a short moment, the exauhstion, the pain, the cuts, the bruises, the burns littering his body seemed to melt away into nothingness. Kaeya turned his eye towards the Statue of the Seven, towards Barbatos, standing above him.
"You...healed me? Why..?" The words came out weak and hoarse, but Kaeya was sure that, if the Wind Archon were listening, his voice would be carried on the breeze until he could be heard. Barbatos surely knew that he was thankful, yet apprehensive. Closing his eye, Kaeya listened to the rustling of the grass. Thinking back on that moment, Kaeya could swear that the delicate calla lilies on the nearby bank were whispering to him.
"It's alright," the flowers seemed to assure him. "No matter your origins, Mondstadt welcomes you with open arms."
He...mumbled apologies to the Statue, muttering until the rising sun chased away the storm and lulled him into a comfortable sleep at the foot of the Statue of the Seven. Although he had lived there for many years prior, it was on that day when Mondstadt welcomed Kaeya home.