The stories were true; all that follows the drake is death.

The beast lands on the ground hard enough to shake the trees and roars so loud it rattles his bones. Those that hadn't run away already fall left and right to its brutal attacks, and he can barely put up a fight before he, too, falls into the mud. Pain blossoms from his side from a nasty, bloody injury and he hugs it with his opposite hand, staring at the large monster that snarls at him with terror.

They can't beat it.

He failed. He's unable to protect his father and the others.

They're going to die.

He clutches his injured side tighter as dread fills him. He's the last line of defense until his brother arrives, but he doesn't think he will make it in time. There is no hope of defeating the violent beast without backup. His vision sits against his hip, useless against the monster that stalks toward him. He grits his teeth, trying to muster his courage and push past his pain. He has to keep fighting.

Someone steps in front of him, and he looks up to see his father standing in front of him. His eyes widen. "Father!" he cries. No, he has to go back inside the wagon! It's safer for him to be there! Then he notices the glove adorning his father's hand and the strange stone embedded into it. What is he wearing?

It starts to glow a reddish-purple as energy sprouts from it. His father raises his arm and chains appear from thin air behind him and shoot at the drake, wrapping it tightly to immobilize it. His arm shakes in effort when the drake fights back, but he doesn't relent and adds more and more until the monster is pinned and becomes unable to move.

As it struggles in its bonds, he winces in pain and pants.

He swallows and asks him, "That power… how?" Father doesn't have a vision, how is he doing this?

"…ya!"

There's a brief moment where the drake and his father stare silently at each other. Had he the energy, he would have stood to help Father, but he can barely manage to keep his head up. Then, something happens that makes the drake's slitted pupils turn into tiny toothpicks and it roars in fury.

The chains strain as it lunges forward and he is surprised when it breaks the chains binding it. Its jaws open wide; he can't move, frozen in fear—

"It's… dream!"

His eyes don't close, but he doesn't see Father jumping in the way until after the drake suddenly screeches in agony and something wet lands on his cheek. The drake turns, and it quickly escapes, although mortally wounded. He releases the breath he hadn't realized he was holding in and staggers to his feet. "You defeated it," he says in awe. "Now we—"

Father grunts and then collapses, his right arm missing from the elbow down.

Pain erupts from his own elbow and he looks down. His arm is gone, too. He blinks and looks up again. Instead of seeing his father, he sees the Abyss Herald right in front of him. Agony rips through him as it stabs its blade into his chest.

"Be grateful, Alberich, for death is merciful."

"Wake up."

-x-

Kaeya wakes up screaming.

Phantom pain courses through his arm and chest, and he gasps as pressure pushes against his shoulders. What's going on? He doesn't know who is with him, he has no idea why he's being pinned down. Is the herald the one above him? Panic overtakes him and he tries to throw it off of him. He won't let it kill him again, not if he can help it.

He thrashes against the firm hold, his breath coming in short puffs and his heart racing. A muddled voice tries to speak to him even as he pushes against the hold, but the herald is too strong for him. The edges of his vision begin to turn black—he feels like he can't breathe. Fight! He needs to fight back; he has to protect himself.

He raises his leg to kick it, and there's a pained curse when his foot connects to their side. That's odd. Monsters don't normally curse, much less speak in the common tongue. Its hold loosens but the grip doesn't relent. Why isn't it letting go? He tries to kick it again and misses when it smartly avoids the weak attack. He twists his entire body, desperately trying to make it let go. Get off!

"Kaeya, it's okay!" someone says. Their voice is gentle and not so loud they scare him more but not so softly that he can't hear them. "You're having a nightmare! You're okay, I promise."

Kaeya suddenly stops his thrashing. He knows that voice. He drags one terrified lilac eye to the dark figure above him. They aren't an enemy. They aren't a monster waiting to kill him again, or a monstrous drake toying with him. This isn't the herald. No, they are the farthest thing from that monster. They would rather fight it even if it kills them as long as it means he would be protected. "Father?" he stutters.

Crepus stills for a moment, surprised, and then he lets out a relieved breath. He removes his hands from his shoulders and replies, "Yes, it's me. It was just a nightmare. Breathe for me."

That's when he realizes he's starting to get light-headed. Oh. Breathing is a good idea. He gasps for air like he's been running a marathon and coughs. Why is it so hard to breathe? Kaeya sits up and puts a hand against his throbbing covered eye. Just… just a nightmare. That's all it was.

Kaeya sits up and wastes no time clinging to his adoptive father, clutching the back of his nightshirt as if his life depends on it. He takes a shuddering breath as Crepus hugs him back and rubs comforting circles against his back. "It's okay. You're all right," he hears him whisper.

Is it really okay? He doesn't feel all right, not with the pain in his eye. It's enough to force him to let go of Crepus and rub it with the back of his hand. The nightmare felt so real… even the pain in his arm and chest are still fading away and he makes a fist to make sure his arm really is still attached. Relief floods his mind and his body sags. He's alive. His arm is still here.

A nightmare.

None of that was real.

Crepus is alive and Diluc is safe. There is no wagon, no furious drake staring him down, and no herald inside the manor.

He stills and looks at Crepus as the man lets him go. He hit him, thinking he was a monster. Guilt eats at him. How could he ever believe Crepus is a monster? "I'm sorry I hit you," he apologizes quickly. "I… I thought you were…" He doesn't finish the sentence. Crepus wouldn't appreciate knowing he thought he had been a monster, as briefly as it was.

"It's all right," he tells him, so gently that it makes his guilt worse. He doesn't deserve his kindness. If he knew where Kaeya came from and what happened to him, he doubts he would be receiving the same treatment. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Kaeya instantly shakes his head. He doesn't want to think of the drake or the herald again. He doesn't want to remember how the two met the end of their lives.

Crepus looks at him with sympathy and glances out the window. "It's still very early. Would you like to try going back to sleep?"

He shakes his head again. He won't be able to go back to sleep, not after that.

Thankfully, he doesn't try to convince him to go back to bed. Instead, he says, "Then how about we make some hot chocolate to start our day, hm?"

He would rather have an entire bottle of the strongest spirits Dawn Winery has tucked away in the wine cellar and chug it all at once to forget the nightmare. "Okay…"

His head throbs as though he is hungover, and he glances out the window as the first light of the day begins to cut through the dark night sky. He winces and he rubs his covered eye again while ignoring Crepus' worried gaze.

It still hurts. The only time his eye ever hurts is when he hears that voice, or when they try to possess him. Did something else happen during the night? He nearly spirals again at the mere thought of being possessed without his knowledge. Gods, he hopes that doesn't happen. He doesn't want anything to happen to his little family, but with as many occurrences as he's had with the cursed eye, he knows it means something has happened. It's just… he can't remember anything of importance.

"Does your eye hurt, Kaeya?"

Crepus' voice brings him out of his troubled thoughts and he looks up. Oh… now he feels guilty again, now for ignoring him and allowing himself to fall into his own thoughts. "Yes, but I'll be all right," he admits.

He glances at the medical eyepatch he's wearing. "You were scratching at it in your sleep. Can I check to make sure you haven't injured it?"

He slaps a hand over the eyepatch with alarm. "No!" he snaps, too loud and too fast.

Crepus looks startled at the tone but he nods and replies calmly, "Okay." He gets up and helps him out of bed. "You know I'm here to help you, right?"

He averts his eye and stares down at the floor. He shouldn't have snapped at him like that. "Sorry." Gods, he's a mess. One little nightmare and he's snapping at his adoptive father for no reason.

"It's okay, no harm done. Now, go make sure your eye is all right and come downstairs, okay?"

He nods, still feeling guilty for snapping at him. He knows Crepus only wants to help him. "Sorry…" he repeats.

Crepus smiles, a gentle expression on his face as he answers, "There's no need to apologize. I'll see you downstairs." Then, he turns around and leaves his room, leaving the door open.

Kaeya steps out and immediately goes to the bathroom, closing the door quietly to not wake Diluc. He peels the eyepatch off and looks at his reflection.

There are small and thin red lines just under his golden eye where he tried to scratch. Had the eyepatch not been there, he knows he would have scratched himself bloody. Was Crepus holding him down so he didn't hurt himself more?

He sighs again. Now he feels even worse once he understands why Crepus had been holding his arms away from himself. Not only did he kick him and think he was a monster, he snapped at him. Crepus is a gentle and caring soul, he doesn't deserve to be yelled at by him. He was only trying to help.

He turns on the faucet and splashes water on his face. He'll apologize again when he gets downstairs. He lifts his eyes to the mirror again and stares at the reflections staring back at him. He isn't alone in the bathroom; when did Diluc get in? He didn't hear the door open.

Diluc is staring back at him, a tired and worried look in his eyes. When he sees both of Kaeya's eyes exposed, they grow wide with wonder.

Startled, Kaeya closes his normally covered eye and says sharply, "Diluc! Knock before you barge in!"

"Ah, sorry," he replies. He's still staring at the other eye, even though it's now closed. "Why do you wear an eyepatch? Your eye looks really cool!"

Kaeya hastily puts the eyepatch back on. "Because I can."

He doesn't look satisfied with that answer. "Can you see out of it?"

"Yes, I can."

"Then why do you always—"

Kaeya sighs. He's too tired to deal with his questions. "Diluc, please, not right now."

Diluc looks at him up and down, finally realizing that he isn't feeling his best. The wonder and curiosity leave him and he quietly says, "I heard you screaming earlier. I couldn't get you to wake up so I got Father, but he told me to go back to my room. Are you okay?"

Shame consumes him. Now he's made two people he cares about upset with him, all because of a stupid nightmare. He nods. "Yes, I'm sorry, 'Luc. It was just a bad dream."

"Oh." They're quiet for a few seconds, standing there awkwardly in the restroom so early in the morning. Kaeya wonders if he's feeling better, especially since he woke him up in the middle of the night. He's about to ask if he's all right when Diluc says, "I have bad dreams sometimes, too."

Kaeya looks back up at him, slightly curious. "About what?"

He looks uncomfortable, but he answers him anyway. "I dreamt the other day that there was a really big monster that hurt Father and tried to take you away. I couldn't do anything to help you and Father. But I woke up and everything was all right." He frowns. "So, when the mage attacked you, I was really angry and scared. I won't let a dumb monster hurt you again."

His eye widens a little. He remembers how furious Diluc was when he killed the mage and the venom that had been in his voice. He's never seen a young Diluc that angry before. "It's okay now, we're both fine. See?"

"I know." They both look up as Crepus appears in the doorframe. "Hello, Father."

"Are you two all right?" he asks curiously. Now that there is a little light in the area, he can see the dark circles under Crepus' eyes and how his hair is still down and unbrushed. It's messy and all over the place like Diluc's hair, and he runs a hand through his curly hair once he glances at the mirror. "Diluc, would you like some hot chocolate too?"

Diluc's eyes light up. "Yes, please!" He doesn't waste any more time and darts out to go downstairs.

Crepus watches him go and then looks at Kaeya. "Are you feeling better now?"

"A little. I'm sorry for yelling at you," he says with a guilty frown.

He chuckles and shakes his head. "You don't have to keep apologizing; there's nothing to apologize for." He offers him his hand. "Come along, before Diluc wakes Adeline and Elzer."

Kaeya takes the offered hand and allows Crepus to lead him downstairs to join Diluc in the kitchen. It's quiet downstairs, not a soul other than the three of them up and moving around. Kaeya glances out of one of the windows to see how early it is. It's still dark out, but the first rays of light are starting to peek over the horizon and cut through the night sky. With winter just around the corner, it has to be close to five or six in the morning.

While Crepus works to get mugs and the drinks ready, Kaeya looks at Diluc when he sees how energetic he is. He must be feeling better if he's this active so early in the morning. "How are you feeling? You were pretty tired yesterday," he asks.

Diluc nods. "I was, but I'm fine now." He straightens with a smile. "I just need to learn how to use my vision better. Eventually, I'll be the best pyro allogene ever!"

"Well, you can learn how to use it after you've fully rested," Crepus tells him. He stirs three mugs of hot chocolate with a spoon, the metal clinking against the rim of the final mug once he's finished. "Here you go. Careful now, it's hot."

"I'm okay with the heat."

"You can still burn your tongue," Kaeya mutters with a tiny smile.

Diluc sends him a half-hearted glare, but it quickly disappears as he takes a sip of the warm drink. "Ah, that's good. Thank you, Father."

Crepus smiles as he takes his own mug in his hands and replies with a simple, "You're welcome."

The three of them quietly drink their hot chocolate in the dimly lit kitchen. Diluc finishes his drink first and decides to leave them alone to get a head start on his day. Crepus takes his empty mug to the sink and thanks Kaeya when he hands him his as well. "Do you feel any better now?" he asks.

Kaeya nods once. "Yes," he answers truthfully. It's not a lot, but it's enough to convince Crepus that he'll be fine.

His adoptive father nods as well and sets the mug into the sink. He hesitates before saying anything else and looks down at him. Kaeya can't tell what he's thinking, but there's a sense of protectiveness that makes him feel better. It makes him feel safe. "You know, you can call me whatever you like," Crepus tells him.

He feels his cheeks grow a little warm as he focuses on the fabric of his own shirt. "I'm not sure what you mean." He knows exactly what he's getting at. It was a moment of weakness, that's all it was.

He looks up as Crepus kneels down to his level. "I don't know if you remember or not, but you called me 'Father' when you woke up."

Is he angry he called him that? Kaeya looks away. He should have known better. Although he's thought of the man as his father in this life and the last one, he can't help the guilt that's eating at him. He wants to tell him of his origins so badly, but he's still terrified of his reaction. Would he react like Diluc had that fateful night? Would he take away the Ragnvindr name and cast him out a second time? He never told Crepus anything in his past life. He lived and died in blissful ignorance.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes for what feels like the hundredth time this morning. "It won't happen again, Crepus."

He shakes his head. "No, you have the wrong idea. I was surprised to hear you call me that, yes, but it is not unwelcome. Had the situation been a bit different, I probably would have cried out of joy."

He looks up at him, not knowing why he is surprised. He started calling the man 'Father' earlier than this in his other life. Crepus accepted it just as fast then, too. What is Kaeya so nervous about? "I can't imagine seeing you cry about anything." That much is true; he's never before seen the man cry.

He chuckles. "I don't cry very much, true, but I still do from time to time." His face softens and he pats his head. "I would not mind if you called me 'Father' as well, Kaeya. If that is too formal for you, then 'Dad' or whatever else you want to call me is fine, too."

He shakes his head and then steps forward to hug him. He buries his face into his shirt, feeling even safer when Crepus hugs him back. "I think I prefer 'Father,'" he admits, his voice muffled. It feels foreign to call him anything other than that.

Crepus smiles again, much brighter than all the other times this morning. "If that's what you want." He pats his back a final time before he lets go and stands back up. "Adeline will be up soon, and I'll be leaving for the city and taking Diluc with me. You're welcome to come along, but you'll be stuck at the tavern for a few hours while I get some business taken care of."

"I'll come along," he immediately replies. He doesn't know if he's up to leaving for the day, but he also doesn't want to be left alone at the manor. Elzer won't let him out of his sight for more than a few minutes at most. At least if he goes to town with the two older Ragnvindrs, maybe he can gather some more information. He wants to gain more intel about the Fatui and more importantly, see if he can gather more evidence against Eroch.

"It's okay if you don't feel up to it. Night terrors are no joke, Kaeya."

He knows this. He shakes his head anyway. He needs something to get his mind off of the nightmare, and what better way than to put himself to work?

He watches Crepus go back upstairs to get ready for the day with a yawn, and then he glances out the window one more time. The sun is starting to peek over the tree line, illuminating the morning dew that clings to the vines.

He has a feeling it's going to be a very long day.

-x-

Their first stop in the city is the Knights of Favonius headquarters. Dressed in his official knight's attire, Diluc barely spares Kaeya and Crepus a glance before he runs off towards the stairs in the back of the hall, where Kaeya assumes his morning classes are held. He stays close to their father's side, especially as they walk past the inspector's dark office.

They stop in front of Master Varka's office. Crepus raises his arm and raps his knuckles against the hard wood twice. Kaeya looks up at him curiously. Why are they visiting the grand master so early in the morning? "Enter," comes Master Varka's voice from the other side.

Crepus opens the door and as soon as they both step inside, he closes the door behind them. "Good morning, Master Varka," he greets.

Master Varka smiles. "Good morning, Master Ragnvindr and young Kaeya! How are we this fine morning?"

"Could be better." He reaches for the inside pocket of the jacket he's wearing and pulls out a sealed envelope. "This is for you. Please go over it at your earliest convenience."

"Of course. Is that all? No time to spare for an old friend?"

Crepus shakes his head. "I'm pretty busy this morning. Maybe after I'll stop by to talk some more."

"Very well, then."

He then turns his eyes to Kaeya. "Let's head over to the tavern now. I better not see Charles letting you do his job again."

Kaeya can't help the tiny laugh that escapes him. "It's not his fault, Father," he replies.

"Mhm." He looks back at Master Varka. "May Barbatos guide you, Varka. Come, Kaeya."

As they leave the office, Kaeya notices that Master Varka's smile drops just before the door closes and looks at the letter on the desk with concern. Just what is in that letter? Then he glances up at Crepus as the door shuts and they walk out of the headquarters. He rarely ever bids someone farewell like that. He can count the number of times he's ever wished someone to gain Barbatos' blessing on one hand.

He also knows that if he asks what is in the letter, he won't get an answer. Gods, sometimes being a kid again just outright sucks. If he was an adult, they would probably tell him. Unfortunately, fate decided to pull a cruel prank on him. He'll figure out what is in that letter someday.

He blinks a few times when he feels something wet land on his nose. What little sun had started to shine in the sky is being hidden by clouds. Crepus also looks up at the sky. "It's going to rain again, huh? Well, thankfully we brought the wagon this time, huh?" he says to Kaeya as they hurry to reach the tavern.

As much as Kaeya finds the rain a little annoying, there is a reason why everything in Mondstadt stays green. It doesn't happen without a rainy season.

They arrive at Angel's Share in record time before the rain starts to pour. It's well before opening, and Kaeya looks around the empty tavern. A strong sense of nostalgia fills him; he hasn't seen the tavern this empty in a long time. He was usually gone when Diluc told him to leave or when he got the information he wanted from a night's meeting with new friends (they were normally his targets for the night, who was he kidding).

He follows Crepus to the office and watches him reach into a shelf near the ceiling. "The tavern doesn't open for a couple of hours, so I thought this would be a good time to start teaching you a few things, Kaeya," he says and pulls out a thick and worn book. "Someday, this tavern will be yours, so I want you to start learning how to run it."

He remembers a similar conversation happening, years and years ago at around the same age, maybe a little older. Back when childhood innocence and he was both excited and nervous at the news. But now, he just nods in acceptance. Maybe he'll actually get to run the tavern in this lifetime. "I already know how to mix some drinks. Charles has been teaching me," he tells him.

"That is good, but running a tavern isn't just about mixing drinks. You'll need to learn the business side of things, which means you will need to start learning about all of what's inside of here and more." He walks out of the office and sets the book onto one of the tables. "I will be busy all morning and there isn't much you can help with, so get to reading."

Kaeya looks at the book with disdain. He's pretty sure there's over three hundred pages in this book. Maybe there's a lot of pictures that take up space. "All of it?" he asks. "Are you sure I can't just help you with whatever needs to be done around here?"

Crepus chuckles. "Read as much as you can today." He looks at the front door when there's a hard knock against the wooden frame. "We're closed, come back later!" he shouts. Then he returns his attention to Kaeya. "I don't expect you to read it all today."

Kaeya glances at the door when the knocking persists.

His eyebrow twitches. "Honestly, some people," he mutters.

He watches him go to the door and then looks at the book. Its old, worn cover is cracked near the bottom corner and there's a stain in the middle of it, likely an old wine spill. He opens it enough to see a large block of words and dreadfully opens it more to peek inside. "'A Guide to Owning and Managing a Tavern?'" he mutters out loud. Seriously? Crepus wants him to read a guidebook?

The front door opens and he looks back to see Crepus' annoyed look drop immediately when he sees who's on the other side. He blinks curiously as Crepus turns his head to him. "Go upstairs, Kaeya," he says urgently.

He hesitates but he nods and obeys momentarily, taking the book with him.

"Oh? Are you busy, perchance?" a voice asks.

The grating, grinding tone makes him almost trip up the winding stairs and he shoots Crepus a worried look as the door opens wider to let them in. "I am teaching my youngest a few things about the tavern, but I can spare a few minutes," he answers.

Kaeya peeks through the wooden barrier that lines the second floor to see who is downstairs. The door closes and as soon as the outside light fades away and Crepus locks the door, his breath hitches.

Although he isn't wearing the black and white mask he is used to seeing, Kaeya can recognize the light blue hair, the voice, and the feral grin that dons the visitor's face. A different mask than what he's used to seeing adorns his face, covering his eyes with a large beak but fails to hide his nose or mouth.

Kaeya didn't expect to see Il Dottore walk into Angel's Share so casually, similar to how Pantalone strolled inside all those months ago. He looks around the tavern, but unlike Pantalone, he is alone and doesn't bother to hide the slightly disgusted frown on his face. Maybe a popular tavern just isn't the place for him. Kaeya doesn't care. He wants him gone.

"I was told the meeting wouldn't happen until later," Crepus says as he walks to the bar. "And not at my tavern."

"I wanted to see the sights. It's not often I get a chance to explore Mondstadt's finest sights." Dottore clasps his hands behind his back as he looks around, and then he turns his head upward. "Is that your son? Kaeya, if I'm not mistaken?"

Kaeya internally winces. He honestly thought he couldn't have seen him both through the mask and upstairs where he's hidden in the shadows of the staircase. He should have known he could see perfectly fine behind that mask.

Chills run down Kaeya's spine when he realizes that it's the third time someone knows his name without him saying a word. Granted, the first time could be ruled out since maybe in this life, he told Eroch or someone his last name and that got his full name written down in that book. But two different harbingers knowing who he is at with a single glance? That makes him nervous.

Crepus looks up as well, but his tone is full of concern when he tells him, "Kaeya, go into the room. I'll come get you when I'm done."

This time, Kaeya doesn't hesitate and darts into the room, closing the door behind him. He doesn't intend to keep himself from listening. He can hear them begin to speak to each other and he cracks the door open to begin listening to their conversation.

The first question he hears from Dottore makes him freeze again.

"What do you know about delusions, Master Ragnvindr?"