Ch. 22 – Retribution
Reality twists and warps in a kaleidoscope of colors that makes Diluc feel like he's going to be sick. It lasts for a mere second, but it feels like an eternity before his surroundings finally stop. Soft forest floor gives way to rocks and dirt while a large pool of water is behind him. He fights a rapidly losing battle against his nausea and lets go of Dainsleif's hand to wrap his arms around his stomach with an uncomfortable groan.
He never wants to travel through a portal again.
Dainsleif isn't looking at him as he runs to the nearest bush to scan the area around them, on guard for any monsters or enemies that may be lurking about. He walks a few steps away from Diluc to stop at the edge of the small cliff they're near and peers down below, looking at the water. There's a small hilichurl camp next to the water but it seems abandoned… He frowns, silently thinking until the noise behind him begins to quiet down. When the boy's heaving finally stops, he says, "We do not have much time. We must hurry."
Diluc spits into the bush and turns away from the vile mess he made. He wants to ask him to give him a few minutes to recuperate, but he grits his teeth and turns around anyway and stops when he sees what's in front of him. A large open area sits below them, with a small river and yellowing grass everywhere. On the distant horizon, a large mountain on the right side causes his eyes to open wide. That's Dragonspine, but he's rarely seen this side of the mountain.
Now that he thinks about it, the jagged rocks jutting into the air look a lot like... Diluc gasps. "We're in Liyue?!" he exclaims loudly. He looks up at Dainsleif sharply. "That was so fast!"
He nods. "Yes and if I am not mistaken, we are near Mount Aocang." He looks down the hill and eyes the hilichurl camp.
Diluc follows his gaze. "That's a hilichurl camp."
"Indeed."
He walks forward and peers over the ledge. "But where are all the monsters?" He looks up at the man. "How do you even know Kaeya's here? He wasn't taken by hilichurls, was he? Father says they're too dangerous for us to be near, but I have a vision and I fought a mitachurl once. Are hilichurls part of the Abyss Order?"
Dainsleif doesn't answer and instead slides down the hill to get below safely with expertise.
Diluc tries not to let his annoyance show and grumbles under his breath. Would it kill him to answer his questions with more than one word or less before running off? He slowly and carefully slides down the hill after him, mumbling a small, "Ow," as a rock hits his finger. He lands at the bottom a little clumsily but he remains standing.
He watches Dainsleif kneel beside a large pot that hangs over an unlit fire. A troubled look comes to his face and he sticks a hand into the cold embers, taking a piece in his palm, and watches it fall apart in his gloved hand. Wherever the hilichurls went, they've been gone for a long time.
Diluc stands near him awkwardly, not knowing what to look for while he inspects the rest of the area. This hilichurl camp is tiny and the lack of monsters makes him nervous. Hilichurls don't just up and abandon perfectly good camps. He peers down into the full pot after Dainsleif walks away to a sealed barrel and frowns. He's witnessed the way hilichurls protect their food, so why would they just leave a fully cooked meal here? It's like they just made camp, went out for something, and never came back. It is possible they were attacked and taken care of by millileth or competent adventurers, but there aren't any signs of an attack anywhere near them.
He turns to Dainsleif as he forces open a barrel with ease. The fruits inside look old, and Diluc scrunches his nose when he sees mold growing on one of the sunsettias. "Gross," he mumbles. When the man walks over to an old crate nearby, he walks to his side and pokes his arm to get his attention. "Dainsleif."
Dainsleif looks at him and Diluc doesn't miss the slight annoyance that flashes in his eyes.
He wants to say that it's his fault for not telling him anything, but he holds his tongue. It wouldn't do well to annoy the only person who can get him home, so instead he asks, "What are you looking for? Can I help?"
He shakes his head. "I'm looking for Kaeya's trail," he answers. He turns slightly to look at the entire camp. "It's odd that it brought us here, yet I do not see any hint of the Abyss Order."
"How can you tell where Kaeya is? Whenever we play hide and seek, he's always super hard to find. He finds the weirdest places to hide."
"Let's just say he is a unique character."
"…I don't get it."
"Then do not worry about it."
Diluc scowls. "He's my brother, and I am worried about him." He walks beside the man as he starts to walk. "How do you know where he is? The Knights of Favonius are looking for him but you seem to know exactly where he is. How am I supposed to know that you're not just tricking me?"
"Then you would be stupid to have willingly come with me."
"I'm not stupid!" His hand itches to summon his claymore. He doesn't want to admit that he's right and that it was stupid of him to follow a stranger through a portal that took them to Liyue. Asking more questions before he decided to join him would have been a smart thing to do but it's too late now. "Tell me how you know where Kaeya is!"
He stops walking and looks at him with a frown. "There are things that are best left unsaid."
"But—"
"That being said, it is not my place to tell you the details."
"What details?"
Dainsleif looks a bit conflicted, but he turns away as he answers, "If he wishes, he can tell you himself after we rescue him."
He watches him continue and sighs as he slowly follows him. Grass crunches underneath his feet and he looks up at the clear sky. The stars are the same as they are back at home, but they're still so different. Whisps of clouds float in the sky and while it's a little chilly, it's much warmer than it is Mondstadt and for that, he's grateful. He would be miserable walking around with someone he hardly knows, looking for his missing brother, on top of being cold.
His thoughts drift to Kaeya. Is he cold? He doesn't like being cold, he's always bundled in no less than three thick blankets during the winter. Diluc wonders if he's hungry, if he's okay, and then he sighs to push through his worry. Father's going to be so angry in the morning when they see he isn't there. Hopefully he'll be happier when he gets back and sees both of them again.
He steps over a lizard and freezes when he hears a strange cry echoing through the air. He looks behind him and then up at the cliff, trying to find the source of the noise. It sounds like a bird but not any bird he's ever heard before. It's beautiful and when he hears it cry out again, he frowns. Is it crying? "What kind of bird is that?" he asks Dainsleif.
"Liyue is home to many different species," he replies. He stops walking and looks down at him. "Some of which are far older than you think."
Diluc stares at him for a few seconds and finally deadpans, "You don't know what kind of bird it is, do you?"
He turns his head away a little too fast. "Let's keep going."
He rolls his eyes but he follows him anyway. Their walk is quiet except for the small lizard that runs away from them to climb onto a large rock that lays on the shore. Diluc watches it scurry between a tiny crevice and he wonders how it could squeeze itself through. Liyue has a lot of lizards, he thinks before he runs right into Dainsleif's back.
He doesn't seem to care, or maybe he doesn't notice. It's not like Diluc can tell, the man is practically emotionless. He mumbles a quick apology anyway and looks around him to see why he stopped. Water separates them from the other side of the small beach, too deep for Diluc to walk through without swimming across. He looks up at him. "Are we going to cross?" he asks.
"Indeed." He steps in without hesitation. He pauses when the water is up to his knees and looks at him. "Do you know how to swim?"
It's not condescending, but Diluc huffs anyway. "Yes—I taught Kaeya how to swim, too," he replies proudly.
He nods and continues to wade through the water.
Diluc steps in confidently and when water gets into his shoes, he lets out a startled yelp. "It's cold!"
"You can stay there if you want." Dainsleif is already near the other side, arms raised above the surface to keep them dry. "It will be safer for you to wait out here anyway."
The water is to his chest but it's not so deep he can't touch the bottom. Diluc, on the other hand… The boy steps forward and tries to ignore the cold that pierces through his clothes. "I said I'm coming with you, that means you can't ditch me out here!"
He walks deeper into the water and when it reaches his chest, he jumps forward to swim across the rest of the way. He can't touch the bottom and the look on Dainsleif's face makes him glare at the blond. He looks awfully amused by the time Diluc is walking out of the water.
He knows he looks like a drowned cat, his clothes clinging to him and every step he makes squelching from water. "Stop laughing," he mumbles.
Dainsleif smirks. It's the most emotion he's seen on the man's face this whole time. "I am not laughing," he says and turns away to continue down the shore.
"Are too, just not out loud." Diluc uses his vision to begin to heat himself up, allowing steam to rise from his clothes as he follows. He sighs in relief, careful not to use too much of his vision so he doesn't get too tired to do anything. He would offer to help dry Dainsleif's clothes too, but he doesn't feel like it anymore. It's what he gets for laughing at his suffering.
They don't walk for much longer and stop before the shore turns around the cliff. Dainsleif is staring at the rocks, so Diluc takes the chance to sit down on a rock and pull his shoes off, wincing as water pours out of it. He takes his vision into his hand and uses it to dry them as fast as he can and looks up as he waits, watching Dainsleif.
His hand is tracing against the stone, pausing here and there but stays quiet. It looks like he's searching for something, like a secret key to a hidden room in a mansion. Diluc rolls his eyes as he returns to drying himself off. Once his shoes are dry, he pulls them back on and asks, "We won't have to go swimming again, will we?"
"I don't remember going swimming," Dainsleif answers, still distracted by the rocks.
He glares up at him and crosses his arms across his chest. "That's just because you're a giant! You could've been nice and carried me so Iwouldn't get wet."
"You would have objected so I didn't bother to ask."
True, but he won't admit it. "What are you even looking for? It's just a bunch of rocks."
"I am looking for the entrance."
Diluc lets his arms fall back to his sides. "Entrance to what?"
Dainsleif puts his palm above a crack in the stone. "A domain." He presses his hand against it. The crack glows briefly and Diluc stares with wonder as the rock seems to fade away into thin air and give way to a tiny opening that leads into a dark tunnel. Dainsleif glances at Diluc and starts to speak, "This is your final chance—"
Diluc immediately shakes his head. "I'm going," he interrupts.
He nods and walks in, squeezing himself through the narrow entrance.
Diluc takes one last look out at the water and takes a deep breath before he follows him. It's not as tough for him to crawl through and once he's on the other side, he shivers. It's much colder here than outside—maybe he should offer to at least warm Dainsleif. The man doesn't care and starts to walk, looking around with caution. Diluc follows him closely, nervously eyeing everything around them.
He's only ever been to one domain, and this domain looks similar to it. Even though the two domains are in two different nations, the strange symbols that are etched into the wall and the run-down state of things are the same. "You think Kaeya's in here?" he asks Dainsleif quietly, not wanting to alert anyone or anything nearby.
"I can sense his presence here stronger than anywhere else so far," he replies. He starts walking, his footsteps silent as a mouse. "Stay close to me and be quiet. Do not get separated."
He nods and because of how serious he sounds, he decides it's best to listen to him. They pass a few other empty rooms and he pauses to look inside one of them. There's a few hilichurls lying on the floor, still and Diluc can see they aren't breathing. Dainsleif keeps walking, ignoring the room altogether.
Diluc gulps quietly. Whatever killed those hilichurls means nothing good is inside of this place. They pass by another room and this one catches Dainsleif's attention. Diluc peers inside as he steps in and sees a makeshift bed shoved in the corner with a thin, dirty blanket thrown over the side. Dainsleif kneels beside the blanket, and Diluc enters with caution, afraid that a monster would jump out from around the corner and ambush them. "He was here," the blond says softly.
"Who was here? Kaeya?" Diluc asks and rushes to his side. He looks down at the blanket and stone bed, frowning. If they made his brother sleep here, he doubts he slept well. "Can you tell if he's still here?"
He drops the blanket. "We need to hurry."
A chuckle comes from the door and they both spin around. A hydro mage floats there and raises its staff. A shield forms around it, and Diluc jumps away from a bubble that rises from the floor. He summons his claymore and slices through it with ease. "Where's Kaeya?!" he snaps at the mage.
"Don't bother asking it anything," Dainsleif replies. "It won't know." He raises his arm, the same one he'd summoned the portal with. Energy fires from it and easily pierces the mage's shield, startling both the monster and Diluc with how fast the shield falls. The energy circles around its neck and Dainsleif moves his arm aside to send the mage flying into the wall head first.
The mage collapses immediately. Diluc stares at the unconscious, possibly dead monster and turns his head up at Dainsleif with a new sense of respect. "You're so strong," he says.
Dainsleif grunts and lowers his arm. "Let's go. We don't have much time."
Diluc runs after him. "Why don't we have much time?" he asks as they run. "You keep saying that!"
"Let's just say that if we don't hurry, we can lose your brother forever."
His eyes go wide as fear shoots through him. "Kaeya's going to die?!"
"Worse."
"What's worse than my brother dying?!"
He frowns, a disturbed look in his eyes. "I will explain after we rescue him."
He doesn't like the sound of that. He follows him, watching with wonder as the man easily defeats hilichurls that rush at them from in front of them. He's making this look easy, like he isn't even trying. Diluc turns around when a hilichurl loudly lunges at him. "Ya!" it shouts.
Finally, he can show Dainsleif that he's not helpless! He blocks the club with his claymore and as soon as it's covered with pyro, he swings it over his head and sends it crashing into the monster toward the ground. The hilichurl lets out a dying cry as he pulls it away and turns around to see Dainsleif watching. Huh, maybe these hilichurls are just weak and that's why Dainsleif looks like he's not even trying.
The man gives him a nod and Diluc smiles at him proudly, happy he finally got his approval—or at least what he thinks is his approval. Maybe now he'll be more accepting of his aid. He dismisses his claymore to continue running after him down the long hall. They turn a corner and at the end of the hall, an open door shows off a dim purple light coming through it.
Dainsleif stops running and looks down at Diluc, giving him a few seconds to catch his breath. "Be careful from here. If I tell you to run, you turn around, leave me, and run. Am I clear?"
Diluc hesitates and nods. "Crystal," he mutters. He remembers Master Varka telling him the same thing on his first patrol. Hopefully, nothing bad will happen if he listens to him; Dainsleif clearly knows what he's doing.
Dainsleif nods and runs down the last part of the hall. Diluc follows him, sliding to a stop beside him once they step into the room. He doesn't know what he expected to see when they stepped inside, but it certainly wasn't this.
His eyes go wide as they land on the back wall but it's not because of the chained statue nor the monster that stands near it. He's staring at a small, hunched-over figure that's kneeling on the floor right in front of the statue at the top of the stairs, quiet and still.
Relief floods him. He can recognize that blue head of hair anywhere. "Kaeya!" he shouts.
His brother doesn't respond or make any kind of sound or movement to let him know he's heard him.
Diluc shouts for him again, not caring that the monster turns around the instant it hears him nor the way Dainsleif is moving into a fighting stance. Why isn't Kaeya moving? Did that monster hurt him? He glares at the monster as it turns glowing eyes at them and steps forward, blocking their path to Kaeya. He recognizes it immediately as the one that had attacked them months ago. Had it been targeting Kaeya this whole time?
"Dainsleif," the monster hisses. The cryo on its arm sharpens and the air around them grows colder. Mist falls from the blade, no doubt too cold for either of them to touch with bare hands. "Fate has not granted you the right to enter here."
"Stay back, Diluc," Dainsleif warns softly and steps in front of him.
"I have a vision," he retorts. "I can fight!"
He doesn't budge and goes so far as to yank him back when he tries to stand right beside him. "This herald is no match for you."
The herald tilts its head. "Leave this place."
"No!" Diluc snaps at it. "Let Kaeya go!"
The temperature suddenly dips even more. The herald suddenly dashes toward them in a flash of cryo, too fast for Diluc to react to. He can only watch as it sticks its blade out to him, ready to deal a fatal strike in a single blow.
Dainsleif is faster. In a flash of his own power, he intercepts it with energy exploding from his strangely dark arm. Diluc still doesn't know if he's using a vision, he can't see one anywhere on him, but he's clearly an expert at using whatever power it is. He stumbles backward, startled by the sheer gap in power. Dainsleif is right; he is no match for the monster.
Although he feels like he should jump in and help Dainsleif, his eyes drift toward Kaeya. He hasn't moved at all, not from the rush of cold air the monster used nor flinches at any of the loud crashing as Dainsleif and the herald block and parry their attacks.
His body moves on its own to rush to his side. He jumps up the stairs and slides to a stop beside him, only to take in a sharp breath. Kaeya's eyes are barely open and glazed over, but he's staring at the black veins that are across the right side of his face. His other eye is uncovered and instead of that beautiful gold he saw before, it's the same burning violet as the orb that's in front of them.
"Kaeya?" he asks. He drops to his knees in front of him and shakes him by the shoulders, trying to rouse him up from whatever stupor he's in. Kaeya's body feels stiff and when he doesn't get any kind of reaction, he shakes him harder. "Kaeya, wake up!"
Kaeya doesn't move. It's like he can't see, hear, or feel him even though he's sitting right in front of him.
Diluc gulps. He can see his brother breathing, but he isn't responding to anything. He grits his teeth angrily. How dare this monster do this to him. If he wasn't so inexperienced, he would be at Dainsleif's side and beating the monster with him. He grabs Kaeya's arm, ready to pull him up and take him out of this domain. "Don't worry, Kae, I'll get you out of here."
He feels it before he hears Dainsleif shout for him to move.
A large hand grabs him by the neck and yanks him away from his brother so fast that Dainsleif's warning is useless. Diluc chokes as the herald lifts him up into the air so that he can meet its eyes. It cuts his airway off, and his heart thrums in his ears as he claws at the hand choking him, wincing at the biting cold that's piercing his fingers and neck.
He can't breathe.
The monster suddenly moves him harshly through the air and stops when he's between Dainsleif and the herald. He's ashamed to know that it's using him as a shield. "One more move, and the boy dies," it snaps at Dainsleif.
He lets out a noise as he desperately tries to gasp for air. Die? He's going to die? He doesn't want to die. He still has so many things to do—and that includes saving Kaeya. This monster is doing something to his brother. He still needs to save him. They need to go home together.
Darkness begins to peek its head into the corners of his vision. He's rapidly growing weaker. If he doesn't do something, he knows he will die. He has to do something. He lets go of the arm and with all the willpower he can gather, he summons his claymore and allows pyro to cover it.
Like hell he'll let this monster kill him.
Heat rises and his vision flares to life. With all his strength, he swings the blade at the herald's arm. The grip loosens immediately and he's dropped before it can make contact. He lands on his back hard, eliciting a cough as he greedily and desperately gasps for air.
Startled, the herald glares at him and snaps, "I will not fall for that same trick."
The sudden rush of oxygen makes Diluc dizzy, but the herald is already moving again, its blade pointed straight at his head. He quickly shoves himself away just in time, rolling across the ground and hears the clang of hard cryo striking the stone a millisecond later.
He stops rolling to stare at the tiny hole it made in the hard stone with wide eyes. That could have been his head. He's never been more thankful for his quick reflexes. Before the herald can turn and attack him again, Dainsleif rushes forward and lands a kick against its chest, sending it staggering away from both of them.
The herald is growing more frustrated by the second, and cold starts to build around its arm. "Feel no more!" it shouts. Dark cryo builds around the blade and a second later, a lance of ice shoots at Dainsleif.
Dainsleif dodges the attack, allowing it to shatter against the wall and Diluc covers his head to protect himself from the shards that fall. He looks up at the wall as he stands up and stares at something small floating just above where the lance had struck. It's a cryo vision, encased in a cage of dark energy of some kind.
It's missing a pair of wings, sure, and he knows it's a Mondstadt vision, but who…? He quickly looks at Kaeya, who hasn't stirred once during this entire fight, and then back to the vision. That has to be Kaeya's—he got a vision? If this were a different situation, he would be overjoyed and celebrate with him but right now, all he can feel is worry. Is the vision being locked up causing him to be so cathartic? Master Varka has warned him about being separated from his vision for too long.
He can't understand why the vision is like this. If the herald just wanted to keep it away from Kaeya to render it useless, then it could have just tossed it out like trash on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. Is the Abyss Order experimenting on it? A screech of pain makes him spin on his heels and raise his claymore defensively, but it's unneeded.
Dainsleif is ruthlessly tearing something dark out of the monster's stomach, and Diluc gulps when he recognizes that it's that strange arm of his. It's flaring with energy, not dissimilar to the energy around the cryo blade the herald has, and his arm is covered in the monster's blood. Dainsleif takes a step back as it falls to a knee, holding its stomach with one of its arms. "What is this place?" he asks the monster.
The herald doesn't answer, heaving as it gasps in pain.
Dainsleif grunts and demands louder, "What are you planning? What does the boy have to do with it?"
It glares up at him and the air in the room rapidly drops. "Icy dominion!" it shouts. Despite being so gravely injured, it leaps into the air and just as quickly as it had jumped, it lands on the ground. Dainsleif spins around to grab Diluc and shields him from the explosion that follows it. Cryo explodes around them from the impact, covering the wall behind it with frost.
Ice sticks to the ground around them as well and Diluc hears Dainsleif grunt as he's hit by something. "Dain!" he cries when he sees him wince in pain.
"I'm all right," he tells him and lets him go. Diluc looks to see blood falling from his leg. Whatever struck him isn't there anymore, and he gulps as he nods. It doesn't look like he's all right…
Diluc stands up and turns to face the herald as it laughs. Even though there is a light blue sheen surrounding it, it is still injured. "Our prince needs no more interruption," it says to them. "The Abyss shall rise again."
"It pains me to say it, but I will need your help," Dainsleif says to Diluc. He limps as he gets back up to his feet as well, clearly avoiding putting weight on his leg.
Diluc nods and raises his claymore in front of them. "Will you be okay?" he asks again.
"It's superficial, I will be fine."
He nods and as if he isn't hurt, Dainslief moves to attack and Diluc immediately follows. As Diluc's blade crashes against the herald's arm and Dainsleif attacks its other side, the orb the statue is holding pulses.
They're too distracted to see Kaeya's hands twitch or hear him quietly beg, "No… more…"
Then he goes quiet and still again, falling into an unknown void once more.