Ch. 14 – The Vessel

Kaeya can't sleep.

He's spent at least three hours tossing and turning in bed and his mind refuses to slow down. The mage's words continuously run through his head back and forth, over and over and over again. It's repeated so many times in his mind, he can still hear it clearly say, "My prince."

Every time he closes his eyes, he can still see it bowing and feel its cold, tight grasp around his wrist. All he can see are those beady little eyes looking at him without hatred or anger or betrayal. It had died looking at him in acceptance even as it had pleaded for granting it whatever it wanted. He can still feel the heat from Diluc's vision as his brother finished it off. That alone brings a whole slew of memories he unwillingly begins to reminisce.

(The pounding, pouring rain hitting he and Diluc as they stand in the mud on opposite sides for the first time. Diluc's fury and betrayal directed at his former brother. Pyro made of rage and grief thrown at Kaeya, too fast for him to completely dodge—)

He pushes the memory out as quickly as he can and tries to focus on the more recent events. It's not hard to do and he rubs his wrist as he rolls onto his back. The mage is all he can think about. He's never seen a monster act like that toward any human, be it a hilichurl, mage, or lector.

He doesn't want to know what could have happened had Diluc not helped him. It was obvious the mage was trying to take him away, but where he has no idea nor does he want to find out. He has a feeling that won't be the last time he'll see monsters before he joins the knights.

He drops his arms and rolls onto his side once again to face the curtains, frustrated at his inability to fall asleep. All he wants to do is sleep his exhaustion away and hope no one wakes him up tomorrow morning. His eye drags to the curtain.

He wants to go outside and see if Dainsleif is lurking nearby, but what if there's a monster that he can't protect himself from? There can't possibly be monsters outside right now, can there? He can't rely on Diluc all the time, especially since he's suffering from elemental exhaustion.

Even if there aren't any monsters or any immediate danger, Dainsleif most likely is not there. Although he has questions that he hopes Dainsleif can answer, he has no idea how to contact the mysterious man. Does he even have any answers from their previous meeting yet? Would he even know what that mage meant by calling him 'My Prince?'

Kaeya wouldn't be surprised if he does—he seems to know a lot more about Kaeya than he lets on. That alone makes him nervous, as he doesn't know nearly as much as him about his own family. It's not like he was ever able to ask his birth father more details about their origins.

He stares up at the ceiling some more even though his body is begging for sleep. Should he see him again, Kaeya wouldn't be surprised if Dainsleif tries to kill him again. What if he already knows about the attack by the mage? That would help Kaeya immensely: it would show that he has no intentions of helping the Abyss Order at all. Hopefully that convinces Dainsleif not to try to kill him a second time.

The soft pattering of the rain hitting the roof catches his attention. It is the first of many rainstorms Mondstadt receives in autumn and somewhere deep inside of him, he's relieved not to hear any accompanying thunder or see a flash of light from behind the curtains. He tells himself he isn't scared of thunderstorms anymore, that it's a child's baseless fear that he has long since grown out of.

Technically speaking, he hasn't grown out of anything. In fact, ever since he woke up, he's barely grown whereas Diluc has gained at least an extra inch. He's bitter about it now, but once he turns fourteen, he will be relieved once he's the taller brother.

He focuses on the repetitive noises and closes his eyes with a deep sigh. He needs to stop thinking about royalty, the Abyss Order, and growth spurts and get to sleep. However, no matter how hard he tries, he can't help but keep thinking about the mage. What if another one comes? That mage told the hilichurls to kill Crepus and Diluc; whoever it was taking orders from clearly don't want either Ragnvindr alive.

He grips the blanket tighter. Will Diluc be safe going to and from his training? He doesn't think he should be traveling alone for a while, at least not until he's figured out what's going on and the Abyss Order problem is solved. He knows his brother can protect himself for the most part, but he's still young and can easily be overpowered by monsters if he's not careful. Had that mage been pyro, he doubts they would have escaped unharmed.

Exhaustion finally starts to roll in, and Kaeya lets his body unwind as he pulls the covers up over his shoulders. The day's events are finally catching up—no, the entire week. Running around with Diluc and the others has made him too tired to think straight. While Weinlesefest was fun and he got to spend time with Diluc, Thoma, and Jean all week, he's happy it's over.

The sound of the rain eventually lulls his mind and his body begins to fully relax itself. It would be best to sleep. He can worry about everything in the morning when he is more alert and well-rested.

A distorted laugh makes him immediately become alert again. It sounds just like the mage—but that's impossible, that mage is dead. There can't be a different one in the manor, can there? Monsters can't have sneaked inside his bedroom to attack him in his sleep in the few seconds since he'd closed his eyes.

But when he opens his eyes, he doesn't see the familiar bedroom. Instead, dark clouds loom overhead, large trees appear on either side of him and there's a cliff. He's seen this place before in his dreams, hasn't he? It's strangely familiar… His eyes land on the hilichurl that's facing away from him. It's the same one as before. Does this mean he's dreaming again?

He rubs his head. How come he hasn't remembered this dream before? Had he forgotten about it last time he dreamt of this place? He slowly sits up. There is no mage or any other monster other than the hilichurl. He doesn't know where the laugh came from; maybe he is so tired he heard it in his head.

He's positive this is a dream, but he can't place why it feels extremely vivid. He can feel the humidity hanging in the air and the grass tickling his feet as he stands. Birds different than the ones in Mondstadt sing in the trees and he turns around when he hears footsteps running up from behind him. He stares at the odd pair that come to a stop right behind him, but their eyes aren't on him. Instead, they're looking at the hilichurl.

One of them, the man, is clearly Khaenri'ahn. His star-filled gaze is locked onto the hilichurl with a desperate look on his face. Kaeya doesn't know who he is, but he can take an educated guess as to who the young lady is beside him. This has to be Aether's missing sibling; she looks nearly identical to him with the same golden eyes and hair.

He turns around to face them and an easy smile finds its way onto his face. "You must be the missing sister," he states. He doesn't get an answer. "You look just like him. I must say, you've made him worry—huh?"

He stops talking when he sees the man's mouth open and move. He is clearly speaking and judging by her reactions, Aether's sister can hear him.

Kaeya frowns. Why can't he hear him? He can hear everything else in the area. He waves a hand in front of their faces. Can they even see him?

He reaches out for the man, but as soon as his hand is about to touch his robe, his surroundings twist and take him away from the cliff. He holds back a startled noise and pulls his hand back quickly. As soon as he does, the ground beneath him changes from soft grass to hard rock.

He nearly loses his balance from the sudden change but he remains upright and looks around. There are fallen pieces of debris on the ground, and a corridor leads somewhere from the room he's in. A glance at the wall and the markings on it tells him all that he needs to know. He is in a domain. He has no way of knowing which one he is in, but when he turns around, he freezes. This is… certainly something he's never seen before.

The room isn't terribly large, but the low hum of power comes from a dim purple orb that is being held by a chained statue. Spikes made of stone point directly at it, almost as if it's threatening it like it can move around on its own. There are several of these same statues scattered throughout Mondstadt. It's a Statue of the Seven… Barbatos, to be exact. Why is it upside down?

Kaeya draws his eyes lower. In front of it is a man, forever frozen in a prostrating position in front of the statue. He doesn't need to think about why he isn't moving. He knows a dead body when he sees one.

The orb statue is holding is the thing that disturbs him more. It likely had something to do with the man's death. What caused this man to perish in front of it? Kaeya can't see any wounds on the body. Had he been ill and just decided to die here, or had he touched the orb? The power emanating from it looks exactly like the power that had come out of that hilichurl in his other dream.

He stares at the statue a little longer. What kind of dream is this? He's never dreamt something like this before.

"You are seeing events that have come to pass."

He's proud he doesn't flinch when he hears the voice this time. It doesn't mean he's not nervous or startled upon hearing them. He knows that if he looks around, he won't see a body where the voice comes from, so he just kneels next to the dead man to see if he's holding anything. "What events?" he asks.

The voice doesn't reply.

Kaeya bristles with irritation and stands back up. This voice tried to possess him, he deserves some answers. If they're the one showing him this, why are they? What's the point? "Who are you?"

This time, they reply, "I am nothing but a 'Sinner.'"

"A sinner?"

There's a brief pause and his mind feels heavy with the feeling of teleportation again. "I will show you."

The area shifts again. Kaeya is starting to get dizzy from how much the dream is changing—well, he sincerely hopes this is still a dream. It's starting to feel too real for it not to be a simple dream. Is this a lucid dream, then? Or is it something else?

The walls fall around him and turn into a large open room with thick pillars on both sides of the large room. If he looks over the side of the bridge they're on, he can't see the bottom of it. A thick fog shrouds the bottom and in the center of the room, a gigantic purple crystal is held up by chains sprouting from the pillars and the ceiling that he can't see.

On another bridge nearby, there's a small group of hilichurls bowing to the crystal. His eyes are drawn back to the crystal. He is admittedly in awe of not only it's size, but also the power he can sense pouring from it. "What is this place?" he asks nervously. He shouldn't be here. This place isn't meant for someone like him.

"Almost five hundred years ago, the Alberich clan accepted a power they coveted," the Sinner's voice answers. It almost sounds like it's coming from the crystal, but also in his head simultaneously. "This is where the Order was formed, and it is with you my vessel shall be complete. You are almost ready."

He keeps staring at the crystal but the wonder he felt before has all but vanished. Instead, dread is starting to fill him. "Your… vessel?"

There's a soft chuckle. "There is no need to fear, little one. No harm shall come to you."

"I've already had harm come to me."

"You need not worry about the mages. They obey the one most loyal to me."

He shakes his head. "It hasn't been just the mage and the hilichurls. I was greeted by a nasty concussion when I woke up. That wasn't fun, I'll have you know." He looks up at the crystal again. If this Sinner person knows about the mage, then perhaps they are responsible for his death. He takes a deep breath before he asks, "Assuming you sent that mage, did you also send the herald?"

The Sinner doesn't say anything for the longest time.

Kaeya, on the other hand, is growing tired of this dream. He wants to wake up, but he has no idea how to go about it. He looks down at his arm. If he pinches himself hard enough, would he wake up? Fat load of good that did when he initially woke up after dying. He's still stuck here in the past as a child.

"You remember?"

Kaeya looks at the crystal again. The Sinner sounds curious, if not a little surprised. "Depending on what you mean, I remember quite a lot."

The sound of a portal opening behind him alerts him and he quickly looks behind him to see what it is that has appeared. Heavy footsteps accompany the sound of metal clinking and the air around him drops several degrees. Kaeya's heart also drops and he scrambles back as far as he can get. Fear pumps his heart as the herald stalks towards him, and his eyes are locked onto the blades attached to its arms.

Arms. Just like him. He's positive this herald is here to finish the job—but now he has nothing to defend himself. There are no swords, crossbows, or rocks he can pick up to fight back. He's defenseless and he doubts he can simply run away from it.

Nothing about this feels like a dream. At the same time, it doesn't feel real. It's a precarious balance that doesn't tip in either direction, making Kaeya feel confused and question what is happening to him.

He backs up until his back hits the stone wall. The herald stops just in front of him, its large figure far more imposing than he remembers. Just like the mage from before, it doesn't move to attack him. Instead, it places a hand against its chest and bows.

He doesn't know what to think. He's too startled and frightened to think clearly and figure out what is happening. "What is going on?" he tries to ask, but he's interrupted by the Sinner.

Their voice rings in Kaeya's mind as they ask, "How much do you remember, little one?" They sound calm, and for some reason, it also calms his fear—only a little bit.

He doesn't really like being cornered by the powerful monster in front of him. He can't tear his eyes off the herald. His breath comes in short puffs. Is it here to kill him again? Although, it's bowing right in front of him and he's dreaming (he thinks, he really hopes he is only dreaming). He takes a few breaths to try to calm down a little more. It's not attacking him and remains in a bowed position. His eyes widen again. The herald… the mage… Realization finally clicks in his mind and he whispers, "You sent it to kill me. You're the one who did this."

The voice hums. "How curious."

Pain sprouts from his eye and Kaeya's hand flies up to cover it with an agonized hiss. It spreads far more rapidly than it has before, crawling its way from the eye up toward his hairline. Something is wrong—

"Fear not what I have to offer. I only wish for our freedom. For now, it is best if you rest, little one."

He winces again and looks up at the crystal. The edges of his vision are getting fuzzy and the world is tilting in different directions. He's starting to get dizzy…

"Sleep."

He obeys.