Ch. 25 – Der Frühling

Kaeya feels lighter than he has in what feels like years. Invisible chains fall from his limbs, allowing him to move but when he opens his eyes, he squints from the sudden brightness and turns his head. A blurry green-clad figure stands close beside him and as his vision slowly begins to clear and adjusts to the light, he finds that he can't take his eyes off him. He's shared more than a few drinks with him. They shared stories at Angel's Share when he was an adult, back when he was blissfully ignorant of what he carried within him.

He knows him all too well, and his mysterious character has always piqued his interest. He sits up slowly, his sore muscles protesting with every movement. "…Venti?" he asks softly.

The bard smiles and his light laughter sounds like he's strumming the strings of his harp to a gentle and free tune he's likely heard before. Venti holds his hand out to help him stand and replies, "Long time no see, Kaeya."

He takes the offered hand and gets up to his feet, but he still feels confused. "We haven't met, right?"

He pouts. "Have you forgotten how many times we have shared a drink? I thought you would have remembered me since you said my name!"

Kaeya's mind whirls. Venti remembers him as well? This strange encounter confirms his suspicions that he is, in fact, not just any bard, but Barbatos himself, yet he can't for the life of him figure out how he remembers him. Is it because he is an archon? That can't be right; someone in the Fatui knows all about him. If it's Dottore, was he told about him by someone else or does he remember everything as well?

He swallows hard as he runs a hand underneath his right eye. His skin feels rough, almost as if someone had burned him and the soft flesh charred under its sheer power, yet it doesn't hurt. It feels as if it is in suspended animation; not gone, but frozen by something that wields greater power. He has a feeling that is Venti's doing.

The space around them is bright—no, the light is coming from behind Venti's back. It almost looks like a pair of wings and the stars above them are nearly drowned by the light that's coming from them. Kaeya can't decide if he is relieved or intimidated by being in the presence of an archon. "Where are we?" he asks.

"Well, I assume you're still in the domain unless Dainsleif has already taken you and Master Diluc out."

"So I'm dreaming?"

"Eh, not really."

Caution shoots through him. If this isn't a dream, then it's another hallucination or he's truly dead this time. "Then am I dead or is this another trick?"

Venti gives him a sad smile. "This is no trick, and you are not dead, Kaeya." He looks at something behind Kaeya. "I am here to be rid of that which plagues your mind."

He turns his head to see what it is he's looking at and his heart skips a beat when he sees a swirling mass of purple and black Abyssal energy sprouting from the ground. It looms over them, staining the ground and sky surrounding it a deep pitch-black, void of color and likely sound as well. The stars and the beautiful sky that resides with Venti are gone on the side of the space it has taken over.

The energy itself seems to be staring at them, although it doesn't have a face he can see. "It has been a long time, Barbatos," it says.

Kaeya immediately turns his eyes away and looks down at the glowing floor beneath his feet like an obedient servant. This… thing sounds exactly like the Sinner. His voice sounds like it is coming from all directions, piercing through his skull and going straight into his head. Is this place somewhere in his mind, then? It would make sense; Caribert had his own spot, it would be child's play for both Venti and the Sinner to create their own subspace inside him as well.

However, he can't tell if this is real or not just yet. It could be another grand illusion the Sinner is forcing him to experience. It would be wise to keep his eyes off of the Sinner and stay quiet, lest he is forced into another rabbit hole of confusing hallucinations.

Venti stares at the Sinner right back, ignorant of Kaeya's inner turmoil. "Yes, it has." He steps forward, keeping himself between Kaeya and the Sinner. This causes him to look up again and he takes in a sharp breath when he sees the look on the archon's face. Venti looks the most serious he has ever seen him and then, he realizes, he hasn't said a single rhyme this entire time. "Tell me, what is it you desire from one of my children? He is but a young boy, even if his memories are those of a bygone life."

The Sinner hums in amusement. "Your child? You claim to grant freedom to one of mine, but it is by the power which grants you your status that my children are cursed." The nonexistent eyes turn to Kaeya. "This little one and his family were freed by a creation of my own. I am simply reclaiming it. I would dare not let him come to harm."

It takes all of Kaeya's willpower not to shrink away from the soul-piercing gaze. He feels like a mouse backed into a corner, and a hunter's gaze is locked onto him, rendering him unable to flee or fight back. "You stole my memories, you had me killed," he says as confidently as he can, but even to his ears, his voice sounds tiny and frightened. "I died again and again and again. That is harming me."

"I would not let you stay there for an eternity to suffer—"

"'What joy I promised shall become your never-ending suffering,'" he interrupts. His hands turn into fists as his fear slowly turns into anger. "'You will lose yourself fully and completely.' Those were your exact words. 'Never-ending' sounds a lot like eternity to me. You made me relive so many deaths." He could still feel it—everything that had been done to him. He still believes that if he turns around, the herald would be there to kill him once more. He lets out a short, humorless laugh. "If it wasn't for Caribert, I would have lost my mind and my memories. I can't even tell if this is real or not."

Venti listens silently, unmoving.

Kaeya isn't looking at him. His eyes are locked onto the swirling mass that is the Sinner. "I would just be a little puppet you could control without any repercussions." He shakes his head. "We all know that freedom isn't what you truly want. It's a bold-faced lie. You could control anybody in all of Teyvat and be free, but you have gone through so much trouble just to get me. Caribert sacrificed himself for me—all because I'm the only one who can use the Loom of Fate."

The Sinner also remains quiet, and like Venti, he doesn't move from his spot.

"It's got me wondering what you're really after. Why do you need the Loom of Fate so badly? What are you going to use it for?"

The energy swirls again. "Tell me, little one. What do you intend to use it for?"

His mind comes up blank. He doesn't know. What would he use the Loom of Fate for? Would he just let it sit inside of him, unused until the day he died? He could use it in case of emergency—reverse the fates of his loved ones again. But if he used it too much, would he end up like Caribert and exhaust himself to the point of death? He looks down again, all his anger evaporating. "I… I don't know," he admits quietly.

"There are things out there far greater than you can imagine. I would save this world and all of my children from the fates forced upon us all." He turns to face Venti. "Even you, Barbatos. Should the Loom of Fate be once again entrusted to me, I could bring him back."

Venti's eyes go a fraction wider before he smiles. "You would render this world asunder, and destroy its people in all the seven nations. 'Tis a false promise of which you speak."

"It is you and your people that have irrecoverably changed this world. What the archons have done is unforgivable. You have done far worse than I have ever dreamed of. Isn't that right, little one?"

Kaeya raises his eyes to the Sinner but doesn't say anything. Something feels like it is beginning to tug at his mind, almost like a loose string being jostled. He already knows that it is the Sinner's doing.

"Khaenri'ah was a beacon of humankind. A shining star that led the world until it was so violently destroyed by the archons you worship. Had you been born before the cataclysm, you would understand my children's hatred for these so-called gods." The energy begins to move. "That is the least of what they have done, little one." The Sinner's energy slowly swirls, uncaring that Venti sidesteps to keep the path toward Kaeya blocked. A dark tendril stretches out from the void toward him, almost like a hand is being offered for him to take. "The archons care not for you nor your people. It will only be a matter of time before they turn against you, especially with the power you wield. Come to me; we can return this world to the way it was, long before the archons ever arrived. Your people, my children—you will finally be free."

The tugging feeling grows stronger. He wants to walk toward the Sinner and take the hand, but he remains rooted to his spot behind Venti. He resists the urge to grab the tendril.

"Come to me," he hears the Sinner's voice say. Venti doesn't react to those words—he can't hear the command.

Kaeya winces and starts to feel his muscles tense, fighting against himself. He needs to go to him—no!

He bites the inside of his cheek to keep himself distracted and ignore the feeling. He can't go to him, he's spent who knows how long trapped in his own body, experiencing death repeatedly.

Falling.

He watched the herald kill his brother. Even though Diluc is alive, the empty look in his eyes have ingrained themselves into his mind with a bit of blood leaking from the corner of his lips and nose. It will forever haunt him, and he won't be surprised to get nightmares because of it.

"I will protect you."

He shakes his head to drown out the voice. He knows the freedom the Sinner promises is a lie, he knows that the need to go to his side is not his own. "Stop it," he says under his breath. A familiar weight hangs at his hip. He reaches down and pulls his vision up to stare at it. The four-winged is shining the brightest it ever has before, likely because of this realm they're in. He clutches it tighter so much so the vision's casing could easily cut into his fingers. "Mondstadt is my home. I'll be damned before I let you destroy it."

The tendril remains stretched out. "Come here, little one," the Sinner commands out loud.

"Come."

The voice is the only thing he can hear. He finds it easier to fight the control, yet Kaeya still takes a step forward unwillingly. He must obey.

"We will accomplish many great things, little one."

He has to go to the Sinner.

"Our fate has only just begun."

He raises his arm to take the offered tendril. He cannot disobey—

Venti puts a hand against Kaeya's chest to keep him away from the mass of Abyssal energy, his fingers mere millimeters away from it. "Kaeya is not yours to command," he says to the Sinner as Kaeya weakly tries to push his hand off and tries to push past him. "He may be from Khaenri'ah, but he is under my protection and guidance."

The light flares and Kaeya nearly collapses the moment the strings are cut. His arm drops down and he staggers in place, grateful that Venti keeps him upright. A headache begins to form but he doesn't care. As long as he has control of his own body, he'll take any headache. He looks up at him gratefully. "Thank you," he mutters.

He smiles at him and it disappears the moment he looks back up to face the Abyssal energy before them. "Leave."

The Sinner chuckles. "This little one is my vessel. I cannot leave." The tendril is lifted higher and motions toward Kaeya's eye. "The moment you leave, Barbatos, I will take over again. That corruption, as you call it, is something even you cannot be rid of. I am a part of him."

"No, but just like Caribert, I can help him be rid of you, albeit temporarily, until either one day he learns how to do it himself or he grows old and dies a natural death you shall have no part of." He grins. "Either way, you will never be able to control him so easily again. The Loom of Fate is forever out of your grasp."

To be rid of him sounds like a far-off dream to Kaeya. Seeing the Sinner in front of them, even as a manifestation of Abyssal energy, makes him believe it would take more than just rubbing the corrupted eye with a thumb and a few nice words.

The energy shudders as if it is frustrated and the tendril disappears, but the Sinner's voice sounds calm as he says, "Very well. I am patient. Until the time comes again, do take care of this little one, Barbatos. He is special." The eyes land on Kaeya again. "Take care not to overuse your newfound power. We can't have you disappearing on us like Caribert, now can we?"

Kaeya glares at it. "No thanks to you," he answers.

The Sinner chuckles and Kaeya can hear that smile he's likely wearing. The sound sends chills down his spine. "We will speak again, little one."

The light behind Venti flares so bright that Kaeya raises his arm to protect his eyes and when he lowers it, the dark void is gone, and the Abyssal energy has disappeared as well. It can't be that easy. He looks up at Venti. "Where did he go?"

Venti is quiet for a few more moments before he sighs in relief. "He is gone for the time being. He will not bother you for a long time." He looks down at him. "Are you all right?"

He nods. "Yes, thank you." It feels like a huge weight has been lifted from his shoulders, and he swallows down a sudden rush of emotions that rises in his throat. He clenches his hands to stop himself from shaking.

Venti smiles at him. "Rest easy, Kaeya. For now, it is over. Your body and mind are yours."

He takes a deep, shuddering breath. For now. He knew it was too good to be true. The Sinner will just come back. Again. And again. And again. "How long will he be gone?"

He hums in contemplation. "I'm not entirely sure, but I do know that it will be a long time before you need to start worrying about him." He puts his hands on his shoulders, causing Kaeya to look up at him. "You will be asleep for a while after this. This ordeal has taken a toll on your mind and your body."

"I'm fine." He's so tired. He wants to curl up in bed and sleep for a few years or maybe not wake up at all. The only thing waiting for him when he wakes up is pain, especially in his eye and face.

Venti's face softens as if he could hear his inner thoughts. "Let me take you home."

"Home…" He looks away and slowly nods. "I want to go home." A wave of exhaustion tugs at him, and he is suddenly glad that the bard picks him up with ease and sets him onto his back. He subconsciously holds onto him, and when Venti starts to laugh, he glances at him curiously. "What's so funny?" he asks.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you like this, Captain," he replies as he starts to walk. "Our last meeting ended with you saying you owed me a drink. I haven't forgotten about that."

"I did," he replies honestly.

"I suppose we can rectify that, can't we?"

Kaeya's lips twinge upward and he feels his head beginning to dip forward. "You'll probably need to take that up with Father."

He whines quietly and adjusts the grip he has on his legs. "Master Crepus sort of scares me, if I'm being completely honest. In any case, I've missed seeing you and Master Diluc as children. It's so strange to see you so young again."

"You get used to it." His eyes start to close themselves as fatigue starts to close in on him. His head feels like it's being weighed down by a lead-filled weight. "Soon I'll be taller than 'Luc again."

"You always were a small child." He laughs again as he grumbles softly in objection. Then he sighs wistfully, "Ah, you're going to be too big to carry very soon. You'll be way too tall in a few short years. This might be my last and only time ever carrying you anywhere like this!"

Kaeya hums in tired amusement. "You jealous?"

He snorts. "No, not at all, my dear captain!"

His eyes have already closed and his cheek is resting against the archon's shoulder. He's finally going home? He lets himself relax. He can trust Venti. If he says the Sinner won't bother him for a long time, then he believes him, as hard as it is. His voice is quiet when he whispers, "Thank you, Venti…"

A few seconds pass in silence. Venti begins to hum a soft tune, walking as carefully as he can to not jostle him too much. His gentle song flows through him, easing his anxiously racing mind until finally sleep claims him.

He's asleep when Venti smiles and they disappear from the strange realm. "Sleep well, Kaeya. May the thousand winds bless your dreams—you will not need to fear this night."

-x-

It's uncomfortably warm. The sensation is achingly familiar and Kaeya slowly starts to wake up even though exhaustion is pulling at every muscle in his body.

The sheets and blankets tucked securely around him cause him to be warmer than he would prefer. When he opens his eyes, everything is blurry. Right off the bat, he can tell he isn't in the domain. The cold gray, cracking walls are instead a solid wooden ceiling with intricate designs he can't decipher but he knows are there and brighter walls.

He takes a deep breath, comforted by the fact that it isn't the moldy, stale air of the domain. The curtains are partially closed to block sunlight from blinding him but open just enough to allow a gentle breeze of fresh air into the room.

He blearily moves his eyes to examine the room he is in and his gaze lands on the figure sitting in a chair beside his bed. His red hair and clothes are disheveled, it looks like he hasn't properly slept in days, and dark bags hang under his eyes, but all Kaeya can feel is overwhelming relief.

His heart clenches painfully. How worried was Crepus this whole time? It looks like he could use more sleep than him. He tries to move and licks his dry lips to croak out a quiet, "Father…?"

Crepus lifts his head sharply. He shoots up to his feet and takes his hand. "Kaeya! Oh, thank Barbatos!" He wastes no time enveloping him in a tight hug. It makes it hard to breathe, and if he tightened his arms a bit more his back could probably break, but Kaeya returns the desperate hug with one of his own.

His hands grip the back of his shirt with as tight of a grip as he can manage, feeling his strength rapidly depleting with just this little movement. He pants from the effort. "I got a vision," he says softly. His eyes are beginning to close themselves again and he feels his grip slacken.

His adoptive father lets out a short, wet laugh. "Yes, you did," he replies softly.

"Where's… where's 'Luc? Is he okay?"

"He is resting, just like you should be." He pulls away and helps him lay back down. Kaeya's vision is getting dark already as exhaustion starts to claim him again. He leans down and gently presses his lips against his forehead. "Go back to sleep, starlight. I'll be here when you wake up."

For the first time in a long time, Kaeya willingly obeys and falls asleep to the sound of a harp being played with the wind.