Chapter Text
Time.
It had never been on Kaeya’s side, passing through his fingers before he was able to latch on, before he could act.
Time had not been kind to his mother, who like so many of his people, succumbed to the Khaenri’ahn curse when he was young. It had not been kind to Crepus, who died long before Kaeya was ready to let him go and it had not been kind to his relationship with Diluc that had fallen apart all too quickly.
Nothing lasted in Kaeya’s life and he'd known this, since the day he was born, a haunting reminder that everything could be ripped out from under him at any moment.
And yet, when time finally came for Kaeya, he was caught off guard. He had been sure he had escaped from its cruel clutches, rid of the burden forced on him.
But it was a foolish way to think, and in his heart, he knew that all good things must come to an end.
He just hadn’t thought it would have been so soon.
“Kaeya.”
He doesn’t move. Maybe if he pretends to be asleep, he’ll be left alone. The desk is uncomfortable, but the wooden surface is cool, a relief in the otherwise warm room. His head is pounding, resisting against his skull, pressing into his eyes until they burn.
“Kaeya.” Louder, more insistent.
Archons above…
“What,” Kaeya mutters, eye still closed.
A sigh is his response, followed by a light touch on his shoulder. “You should head to bed, cutie. I can take it from here.”
Kaeya turns his head and squints up at Lisa. “I’m almost done with these last few reports. Just…give me a second.” He coughs and then musters up the energy to sit up. His chest aches.
“They can be done another time. It's late and you’re looking a bit peaky,” Lisa says with a frown.
Kaeya could say the same about the mage. They’ve all been working hard, too hard probably, but it can’t be helped. Mondstadt needs its Knights, and with the flu ravaging through their ranks, they’ve been stretched too thin.
He gathers up a stack of papers, clips them together and holds them out to his colleague.
“I’ll have the rest for you as soon as I can.”
Lisa sighs and takes them. “I don’t suppose I can convince you then?”
Kaeya smiles widely. It hurts his cheeks. “Nope.”
“Have you at least seen anyone at the church? Picked up some medicine?”
Kaeya raises his hand in a dismissive gesture. “I’m fine, really, there's no need to concern yourself. I’m in perfectly good health.” He swallows down a cough .
Lisa rolls her eyes, a small smile on her face, no doubt seeing through his obvious lie, but she doesn't press him further.
“Whatever you say, cutie. We can’t afford to have another knight down so don’t work too hard, okay? Or I’ll have Jean get involved.”
Kaeya raises his hand in a mock salute. “Aye-aye, captain.”
Lisa leaves, and as soon as the door closes, Kaeya slumps down in his seat, coughing pitifully. He downs the last bit of cold tea, cringing as it makes its way down his throat. He stares at the remaining stack of papers on the edge of his desk, half hoping he can burn holes into them.
But the papers remain, as whole and intact as when they were first placed on his desk that morning.
With a sigh, Kaeya pulls the first packet off the pile.
‘Hertha, 6th Company Captain.’
Kaeya skims through the pages. Most of the information is on nearby sightings of Abyssal creatures and Ruin Guards. A carefully drawn graph compares this month's incidents to previous encounters. There's a slight increase, especially of Abyssal creatures it seems. Its a bit concerning, but not entirely unusual. Still, Kaeya stores the information in the back of his mind for later.
‘Ruin Guard spotted near the east side of Star Fell Valley, reported by Captain Eula, 4th Company. Resolved by Spark Knight Klee and Noelle’.
Kaeya smiles and shakes his head. He can imagine how chaotic that trip must have been. He’ll have to ask Klee to tell him about it.
‘Abyssal Mages spotted near Springvale, reported by Outrider Amber. Resolved by Outrider Amber and Wolf Boy’. Kaeya squints at a small note on the side. ‘Edit: Razor’.
Most of the reports follow the same format, a sighting and the status of the monster, as well as who was rewarded with the bounty. Dates go back to the beginning of the month, all in order. Kaeya spots Aether's name on a few of the early ones, but later dates are all signed as being taken care of by adventurers or other members of the Ordo. Kaeya only has to double check that the information is accurate with the submitted sightings from the 4th Company, fill out any missing information, sign, and done.
And that only took him…
Kaeya looks up at the clock on the far wall. Nearly an hour.
Hertha’s reports are usually thorough; he doubts that the rest of the captains are as orderly with theirs. He looks back at the stack of papers.
He’s going to need a coffee.
The sun is just beginning to peek over the horizon by the time Kaeya enters Lisa’s office. She’s asleep on the couch, her hat over her face and a book still loosely clutched in hand. Quietly, Kaeya places the reports on her desk and closes the curtains to block the rising sun.
“You go get some sleep now, cutie.” Lisa's voice nearly makes him jump. The mage peeks out from under her hat with tired eyes.
“I will,” Kaeya promises.
Lisa stares at him like she doesn’t believe a word he’s saying. “I better not see you again until you’ve slept at least eight hours.”
Kaeya doesn't like it (there's still too much to do), but he doesn’t have the energy to protest. He agrees reluctantly and leaves, footsteps heavy.
The wave of energy he was riding is starting to slow, inching ever closer to crashing. Coffee can only hold him over for so long. Kaeya waves goodbye to the guards outside of the Ordo and heads home.
Home is a small house tucked near one of the far city walls. Grand Master Varka gave it to Kaeya as a gift for his promotion to Calvary Captain, his first real home since Diluc had all but kicked him out so many years ago. Kaeya will forever be grateful for the Grand Master’s generosity, but right now, he can’t help but curse at the fact that the house is so far from the Ordo.
The walk there passes by in a blur, and before he knows it, he’s taking off his boots and collapsing on his bed. He hadn’t bothered to take off his belt or Vision, and both dig uncomfortably into his skin, but it isn’t long before Kaeya is no longer aware of either of them, nor the aching of his head or the burn in his throat, as his senses fade, exhaustion pulling his consciousness into a dreamless sleep.
Kaeya doesn’t sleep for eight hours like he was told. At most, he sleeps for three, maybe four, but it's not entirely his fault. He wakes with a tightness in his chest and spends the better part of five minutes trying to prevent his traitorous lungs from expelling themselves from his body. He succeeds, but the fit has left him wide awake.
With a sigh, Kaeya resigns himself to getting ready for the day. He showers, dresses, and makes himself a hot tea. He should eat, but even just the drink causes him some discomfort. His body shakes with minute chills and his muscles ache. He does however feels more energized, ready to tackle another few hours of work.
Except, he doubts he can sneak his way back into the Ordo, especially now that Lisa has set her sights on him. He could just stay at home and rest. It's probably the healthiest thing for him to do at the moment. And he tries to do just that; lounging on the couch, dozing, reading a book, coughing until he’s sure he’ll puke-
A knock at the door interrupts the misery he’s in.
“Captain Kaeya? Are you home?”
With a groan, Kaeya stands, his head pounding once he’s on his feet. The dizziness has passed by the time Kaeya opens the door to see Aether and Paimon on his porch.
“Traveler!” He smiles warmly, aware that he probably looks a bit more disheveled than usual and tries to add an air of casualness to his words. “What are you two up to this fine morning?”
“We were running around all of Mondstadt looking for you! You weren't at the Ordo,” Paimon says, arms crossed.
“Ah, it seems that Lisa has banned me from setting foot inside the Ordo until further notice.” At Aether’s surprised expression, he quickly adds, “It's nothing really, she was quite stubborn about me getting sufficient rest is all.”
“Don't tell us you got sick too?” Paimon ducks behind Aether’s shoulder.
“It's nothing I can't handle, hardly a serious matter,” Kaeya says smoothly. He can see the gears turning in Aether’s mind. The boy really is quite bright, and stubborn as well, so before he can be bombarded with more questions, Kaeya quickly changes the subject.
“Well, now that you’ve found me, is there anything I can do for you?”
The Traveler and Paimon share a puzzled look and with a shrug from Paimon, Aether speaks up. “Well, we were wondering if you would accompany us for a commission. There's a Hillichurl camp out near Dragonspine, but I’m not too familiar with the area. If you’re busy-”
“I’m not,” Kaeya interrupts, but not unkindly. Despite how many times he’s expressed to Aether that if he was ever in need of anything to simply ask and Kaeya would help him however he could, the teen always seems hesitant to ask for help. There's a hint of relief on his face as Kaeya says, “Give me a few minutes.”
He slips on his shoes, cape, sheaths his sword and takes a painkiller for good measure before heading out the door.
The walk is peaceful for the most part. They only run into a few stray Hillichurls along the way but with the both of them, they are quickly taken care of. Aether and Paimon fill the silence with tales of their most recent adventures and the things they’ve seen. Kaeya is more than happy to listen and ask questions.
It has been a while since they’ve had a chance to thoroughly catch up, with Aether gone on his trip to Liyue up until recently and Kaeya swamped with Ordo work. Though a faint ache lingers and coughs force their way out of his chest from time to time, Kaeya finds the trip to be far more relaxing than staying at home all day.
The monster camp they come across is sizable. Kaeya spots a few hutches and towers, Hillichurls armed with bows and patrolling the grounds. The sounds of heavy footfalls fill the air and then Kaeya spots a Mitachurl, a hefty ax in hand. Normally, camps would never be allowed to grow this big, but since the Knights have all been more or less incapacitated and hardly anyone patrols Dragonspine, the monsters have remained unchecked. Kaeya is sure that Aether would have been fine on his own, but he still feels a strange sense of relief that he’s here now as backup.
“Whenever you’re ready, boss,” Kaeya says to Aether, a mock salute accompanying his teasing smile.
Aether grins back at him. “I'll take the left and you take the right?”
Kaeya nods, and he and the Traveler unsheath their swords at the same time, sharp ringing filling the air.
“Sounds like a plan.”
They leap into action, two blurs of movement dashing forwards as startled cries of alarm sound from the monsters, and then the chaos begins.
Kaeya skids, sidesteps, and parries around the monsters, years of practice drawing out and forming deadly strikes. He wastes no motions, each one precise and controlled, infused with Cryo energy that seeps from his hands into the metal of his blade as it cuts down each monster that reaches for him.
Kaeya can hear Aether on the other side of the camp and not a moment later, feels a rumble in the earth. Gold colored stones erupt from the ground, sending shockwaves and throwing monsters backwards with its force.
Kaeya’s eye widens.
Didn’t Aether wield Anemo before? And now suddenly he is able to use Geo? Could it be a Delusion, or perhaps a Vision? But no, Aether didn’t have one to begin with. That could only mean that somehow, Aether has the ability to simultaneously use two elemental powers, maybe more, without a Vision. It's…fascinating.
Kaeya grins. “Guess I shouldn’t hold back either.” He spins and faces the Mitachurl approaching behind him as it raises its ax high in the air.
Kaeya wills his sword away, and it disappears in sparks of gold. His Vision pulses brightly at his side as he raises his hands, pulling at the Cryo energy and condensing it within his palms until his skin begins to sting from the cold, until the pressure increases, unstable and violent.
In one smooth motion, he lets go, and the Cryo energy bursts forth, freezing the moisture in the air and crystalizing into four sharp icicles that encircle him in a lazy dance.
A cough bubbles up in his chest, but Kaeya chokes it down and summons his sword again, sending a wide ray of Cryo towards the Mitachurl. It freezes mid swing, enough for Kaeya to move out of the way and circle behind the monster.
Not a moment later, the ax imbeds itself into the ground where he was previously standing. The icicles explode in a burst of ice each time they hit, and the creature begins to wane, sluggishly raising its ax again and turning to face Kaeya.
“Not a chance.” He swings up, down, slashing with increasing speed.
The creature freezes again, just for a moment, but Kaeya takes it. He aims a hit at the center of the Mitachurl’s white mask. It cracks, and the fractures curl around the creature until, with a final groan, the monster falls apart in chunks of shimmering ice, landing in a broken pile at Kaeya’s feet and then disintegrating into black flames.
The camp is silent.
Kaeya doubles over with coughs that leave him lightheaded as they rip out of his throat. His hands are stinging, and when he turns his palms up, he sees that the skin on his fingers is bitterly red. Patches of frost cling to them but it melts so quickly, Kaeya isn't sure if it was there at all.
“Sir Kaeya!” Paimon calls. Kaeya manages to catch his breath in time to see Aether running towards him, Paimon floating at his shoulder.
“Are you okay?” Aether asks with wide eyes.
“I’m peachy,” Kaeya says, clearing his throat.
“Are you sure?” Aether frowns at him, stepping closer into Kaeya’s space. “You…look kinda pale.”
“Oh, you really are sick, aren’t you?” The fairy says, sympathy written all over her small face.
Though it feels like a monumental effort to smile, Kaeya manages to brush their concerns aside with a small laugh. “Look at you two, worrying over nothing. I’m perfectly fine, promise.”
Aether and Paimon fix him with a deadpan stare, clearly not buying a word of what he’s said.
“Let's head back,” Kaeya says quickly, brushing at his shoulders. “It's nearly noon and I’m starving. How about I treat you to some sticky honey roast…?”
Kaeya’s voice trails off, confusion bleeding into his expression as both the Traveler and Paimon share a silent look between them. There's a hesitance to them, a nervousness that Kaeya hasn’t seen from either of them in a long time.
“What is it?” He keeps his voice calm, unaccusing.
Paimon fidgets with her sleeve, casting a glance at Aether.
“Well…”
“We’re going back to Liyue,” Aether says.
Kaeya blinks in surprise. “Right now?” So soon?
It seems as though only yesterday that the Traveler had returned after a long journey to Liyue and now he was setting out again to look for his sister. Kaeya understands. Even though their relationship is strained at the best of times, if it was Diluc that had gone missing, Kaeya would have scoured the world for him. Still, he feels a twinge of sadness seeing the Traveler go.
Aether nods. “We wanted to do one last outing with you before we left. There’s some things I need to take care of. I don’t know how long it will take, or when I’ll be back.” Aether meets Kaeya’s eye.
He looks scared, worried, like he’s weighed down by a burden he shouldn’t have to carry, especially not so young. For a brief moment, it's like Kaeya is looking into a mirror.
It's the way that he says it, his voice soft and hesitant, that instantly puts Kaeya on alert, the hairs on the back of his neck rising and his stomach twisting in worry.
“Aether, are you in some kind of trouble?” Kaeya asks carefully, studying Aether intently.
The Traveler shakes his head, then frowns. “No, I don't-I’m not sure. I don't think so.”
The answer doesn't settle the warning in Kaeya’s mind, that something is brewing just beyond the horizon that he can't yet see, and Aether is somehow caught up in it.
“If I need help-” Aether starts again after a few moments of silence.
“I'll be there,” Kaeya interrupts, leaving no room for argument. “If there's anything the Knights of Favonius can do, if there's anything I can do, don’t hesitate to ask.”
Aether's eyes are glassy and his face so visibly full of relief that it makes Kaeya’s heart ache.
“Thank you, really,” Aether says.
Kaeya sighs, brushing aside his worry, at least for now, as he ruffles Aether’s hair, feeling a bit awkward with the genuineness sent his way.
“No need to thank me, little sprout.”
Instantly the mood lightens as Aether laughs, playfully batting his hand away. “If anyone is little, it's Paimon.”
“Hey!” The fairy shouts in protest. “Paimon is still growing!”
“Alright, alright,” Kaeya says fondly, holding up his hands to signal calm. “The both of you had better get going then, it's a long way to Liyue and you don’t want to be out after dark.”
Aether nods. “Thanks again, for helping.”
“Anytime,” Kaeya says with a smile.
Aether hesitates for a moment, and then without warning, he surges forward, wrapping Kaeya in a fierce hug.
Kaeya stumbles back a step with the force of it, but he doesn't hesitate to return the gesture, his arms winding around Aether’s shoulders. The hug is firm and final in a way that makes Kaeya feel as though the fear he has been holding back will choke him.
“Be careful,” he says quietly in Aether’s hair, tightening his grip.
“I will,” Aether responds, his voice muffled.
It's a few moments before they let go, and by then Aether’s eyes are unnaturally bright.
“I'll see you two around, okay? Write me a letter when you get the chance.” Kaeya squeezes Aether’s shoulder.
“We’ll be sure to bring lots of treasure when we return,” Paimon says as she hovers closer to the Traveler.
Kaeya exhales sharply from his nose, a grin on his face. “Sounds good to me.”
He watches them go, until they disappear over a mountain ridge and out of sight.
Kaeya stands a few moments after, amidst the ruins of the monsters’ camp. Cracked white masks stare back up at him alongside shattered horns and bows. It's eerily silent, save for the faint whisper of wind as it glides across the freshly fallen snow.
His mind is whirling as he tries to make sense of the Traveler’s sudden departure, of the fear that had been tucked away in Aether’s expression, and of the sense of dread he feels in his gut.
There is no doubt that there is something brewing behind the scenes, and that somehow, the Abyss is involved.
Kaeya sighs, and with a heavy heart and weary bones, he turns back towards Mondstadt, shattering the remains of monsters under his feet as he goes.