Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

ARC 1- WHAT IT TAKES TO SURVIVE

Red. That was the first thing Subject Two had become aware of. A sickly pulsing red to match the foul energy that permeated his surroundings. He could not tell if the red was in his mind, or reality. Later, he decided it was both. He felt it pulling on him. Taking him away from the all-encompassing nothingness that had become his home. It wasn’t until a while later he became aware of the ground beneath him. Of the feeling of gravity pulling against his body. Of a cold draft against his bare skin despite the ambient warmth. He could feel these things. They were actual sensations, felt by a physical body. But he no longer had a physical body. Durin had long since taken that from him, leaving him to drift in some unknown space beyond the passage of time and comprehension of what remained of his consciousness. A dark and swirling limbo from which he could never escape. Or… evidently he could. 

Teal-blue eyes opened cautiously. More red surrounded him. It was indeed a sickly color, mixed with slight shades of purple. Like a festering wound. The source of it lay directly in front of him. A large glowing protrusion of pulsing energy that made him feel ill. It was surrounded by rock and rot. He knew at once what it was. A heart. Durin’s heart, to be precise. A corrupting presence exuded from it, affecting what little natural life had grown inside the cave that was once Durin’s chest cavity. Sinue and viscera caught in a suspended state of rot stretched across the cave walls and floor, like fleshy webs. Subject Two suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to get as far away from that place as possible. Turning away from the heart, he could see pale light coming from the outside of the cave. Snow encroached upon the entrance, but appeared to be kept at bay by the radiant heat from within. The flora that inhabited the space had been changed to an insidious shade of crimson, which spread out from the cave like pools of blood peeking out among the white snow. 

He hurried towards the cave’s mouth, crawling up the tall slope until he reached the top, and was met by the sight of Durin’s bones, his ribcage, arcing over a valley covered in ice and snow. The sky was shrouded in a thick blanket of grey clouds, from which snowflakes steadily drifted. It was a foreboding sight, one that made him shiver, but it was better than the evil presence from within the cave. He’d only managed a single step beyond the cover of the rocks before a bitterly cold wind bit into his bare flesh with icy teeth. The sudden feeling of it pulled the air from his lungs, and he recoiled. He had expected the air to be cold. There was snow outside, after all. But this was an entirely other kind of cold. One that would sap the life from him if he lingered there for long. Cursing to himself, he retreated back inside the cave. What sort of luck did he have, that he should return to the world of the living, only to remain trapped within the remains of the one who had devoured him, or else venture out and risk a second death. He did not wish to die again. Anything but that. The thought of returning to that dark lonely place filled him with something akin to panic. He forced his mind to calm itself. He shouldn’t feel such things. A perfect being wouldn’t allow itself to be tainted by such primal emotions. He was fine. The situation could be handled. He just needed to think things through. To evaluate his options. He could not remain there forever. Nor did he want to. 

~ ~ ~

Two weeks had passed since he had returned to the world. Two weeks having been spent trapped within the confines of his elder brother’s remains, the corruption seemingly soaking into his skin and making it crawl uncomfortably. He had made numerous attempts to leave, venturing out as far as he dared in search of anything that might be useful to him. A clump of iron ore that he transformed into a sword. Sticks he caused to grow into branches, and flint gathered to light them. His alchemy was not nearly to the level that his twin’s was. Their master had not bothered to teach him beyond the basics before deciding he wasn’t worthy of the effort. Unlike the other, he could not summon objects into being with strokes of the pencil. He needed materials to create something new, and in such a cold, desolate place, materials were hard to come by. 

He’d discovered that the red crystals that were scattered around the mountain could produce heat when shattered, however they did not retain their warmth for long, quickly leaving him to the mercy of the elements whenever he used them to explore outside the cave. Nonetheless, he would do whatever it took to escape his prison. Often he would return to the cave shaking with hypothermia, his skin burnt from the cold, frostbite settling into his feet despite the snow shoes he had crafted for them. His body may have been more tolerant of such conditions than a normal human, but it was still harmful to him. Hunger had started getting the best of him as well. Though he didn’t need much food to survive, two and a half weeks without any form of sustenance was becoming increasingly problematic, particularly given the amount of exertion it took to venture even a little ways outside.

He had attempted to remove some of the plants from within the cave and grow them outside the reaches of Durin’s corruptive effect, but they would still come out red and reeking with sickly energy. Starving as he may be, he refused to consume anything tainted by the dragon’s remains. He was beginning to feel desperation sinking in when fate finally decided to smile upon him. For the first time since his emergence, the ever-present clouds that shrouded the mountain had parted enough for sunlight to peer through. The wind too had died down considerably. He did not waste this blessed opportunity, gathering all the wood he had grown and setting out into the biting cold. The sun felt glorious against his skin, even if it was not enough to warm him. He had never been given the change to experience it in person. 

Using his meager supplies, Subject Two created small fires as he went, warming himself just enough to keep going further. Due to the steep cliffs that surrounded that area, he could only venture further down the valley. He hoped to the moon and stars he would find something edible. Or at the very least, something he could clothe himself with. As luck would have it, what he found was a stone able to kill both birds. A boar, snuffling along one side of the valley. Its flat snout wiggled as it grunted, sniffing the air. The wind was not on his side, placing him upwind of the animal. After only a few moments of having spotted it, the boar squealed angrily, charging him. Its tusks were sharp. His sword was moreso. Using its momentum to his advantage, he pulled his sword out just as the creature reached him, driving the weapon through its skull. It gave a final scream before collapsing lifelessly into the snow.

He retreated back to the cave with as much speed as he could muster, boar in tow. The trek back was far longer than it had been to get there, and by the time he had reached the safety of the cave, his whole body was shivering violently from cold and exhaustion. His prize was well worth the risk. Once he’d recovered enough from his extended expedition, he ventured to just outside the cave where he’d left the dead boar. He did not dare sully it with exposure to Durin’s heart. It would remain in the clean crisp air of the mountain, preserving it. He worked quickly to remove its pelt, and with it he used his alchemy to create basic clothes for himself. Immediately he felt a little warmer. A little less exposed. Then he cut off enough meat to stave his hunger, though not so much as to cause himself to retch it back up. 

He couldn’t bring himself to eat while in the cave. The way the sickness sunk into his stomach and made it churn was too much to keep anything down. Instead he squatted next to a small fire he made and tried to quickly eat his food before he froze. There wasn’t enough wood to maintain a fire capable of cooking the meat, so he was forced to eat it raw. It was… unpleasant, to say the least, but in his starved state it might as well have been made of gold. 

Upon eating as much as he would allow himself, he packed snow around the boar carcass and slunk back into his crimson prison. The day had left him utterly spent, but he felt a small glimmer of hope. Now that he had food and clothes, he might be able to explore a little further to gather more wood and other supplies. Once he did that, he could finally try exploring the mountain for a new place to take shelter. Anywhere that wasn’t saturated with Durin’s filth. It would take a great amount of time and effort, but he would be free soon enough. 

He just had to remain patient.

~ ~ ~

It wasn’t long before his supply of boar meat had run out. Not having discovered a better option of acquiring food thus far, he attempted to return to the place that he’d found the animal in. Upon arriving there, he noticed a strange formation of stone that he had overlooked before. There was something familiar about it, but he could not quite work out what it was. As he stepped back to look at it from a different angle, something clicked inside his brain, and his heart skipped as he recognized what it was. A colossal skull. A dragon’s skull. Those pointed rocks were Durin’s fangs, the holes in the stone being the place where his eyes and nostrils had been. It loomed above him, and he could not make himself look away. Unbidden he was flooded with the memory of those jaws closing around him. Of the audible snap he’d heard as teeth fit together like a puzzle, plunging him into darkness. The fetid scent of Durin’s breath, the heat that burned him as he was dragged down the other’s throat. The way he suffocated while screaming for his master to save him. To change her mind. 

The bones of the long-dead dragon seemed to stir, flesh and scales wrapping around them, reaching out for him. Fiery slitted eyes staring at him hungrily. 

'No. No!'

He stumbled backwards, his breath forming as a cloud in front of him as he rapidly gasped for air. Smoke. It was smoke curling from the dragon’s nostrils. He could see it. He felt dizzy. He wanted to run away, to flee, but his legs wouldn’t move.

“Master please! Please don’t !” He heard someone scream. Was that his voice? It sounded wrong, twisted with panic. He couldn’t breathe. He could barely see now, past the looming black scales that crowed around his vision. He curled himself into a ball, arms clutching at his head. He waited to be devoured, to feel his life snuffed out like a candle in the dark. But it never came. The only thing biting him was the cold, its needle-like teeth sinking into him as he lay helpless in the snow. Snow. That was right. He was on a mountain. The dragon was dead. He was alive. 

His breathing began to slow as his mind returned to the present. He was ashamed of himself. He should be better than to let himself be caught up in fear like that. It was these emotions that had made him a disappointment. A failed experiment. He would do better from then on. He would prove that he could be perfect too. Picking himself up from the frozen ground, he shivered as the adrenaline left his body. He couldn’t look at the skull any more. He needed to get away. Away from Durin’s fangs. Away from Durin’s heart.

He would do whatever was necessary.

Chapter Text

Several months had come and gone as Subject Two built a new life for himself. As he acquired more supplies necessary for his survival, he was finally able to expand his range of exploration.  The discovery of a hillichurl camp had proved invaluable to him, greatly increasing the range of materials he had to work with. Its occupants had been a challenge to defeat given his current assets, however in the end he emerged triumphant. He knew what the creatures once were, that his master had been largely responsible for what they had become, but he could not afford to show them mercy. They were changed beyond reason or recognition, and they had every intent to kill him from the moment he showed himself. 

Their camp served as a suitable temporary replacement to his previous abode. While it admittedly provided far less shelter than Durin’s cave, it was a worthwhile sacrifice to get away from the suffocating presence of the deceased dragon’s still-pulsing heart. He knew he couldn’t remain there for long though, and continued his search for a new place where he might reside in relative safety. It had taken another week of branching out his expeditions, but at last he’d come across a cave that burrowed deep into the mountainside. It was completely sheltered from the elements, and near the entrance there were numerous crates of various supplies that looked to have been abandoned long ago. Within these crates he found a generous supply of oil for lamps and torches, various food items preserved by the icy weather, exploration gear, and even medical supplies. It was as if it had been a gift left just for him.

Having acquired proper gear, he had become more free to explore without risk of death or injury. Among his discoveries was a small lake on the mountainside that was teeming with fish, from which he was able to provide a sustainable source of food for himself, as well as oil to keep his fires going once his current stores were exhausted. Scattered across other areas of the mountain he found the remains of ruin guards, the cores of which he could use as an energy source, and the mechanical parts of them could be converted into more useful machines. Expeditions into the mountain’s caves provided him with starsilver, which had a number of uses, one of which being the creation of a far better sword than his current one. 

As his horizons were slowly expanded, it occurred to him that he did not actually know where he was, aside from being on a mountain. Nor did he know how many years had passed since he was thrown away. He deduced he was likely on the mountain Vindagnyr, near Mondstadt, due to what he’d seen of the landscape. As for how long it had been, he was able to glean this from the ley lines with… relative accuracy. It would seem he had been trapped within the dragon’s belly for nearly four or five hundred years. The thought made him feel ill. 

It was during one of his expeditions further up the mountain that he finally came across signs of recent human activity. There had been an abundance of man-made structures and objects littered across the rocky slopes, but none of them were recent, nor were they in good shape. Namely, he had found numerous broken down horse-drawn carts and stone ruins. Why people would think to bring such things up a mountain such as this one was beyond his reasoning. It was a good thing humans were so resilient, he thought, given their propensity for making such undisputedly foolish decisions. Otherwise they likely would have driven themselves to extinction by then. 

What had taken his interest on that particular day however, was not an old relic of a bygone era, but rather a path lined with lit torches and what appeared to be some sort of mechanical warming devices. Cautiously he had followed this path, his senses sharpened for any potential humans that might discover him. As he followed the path, he found that it led to a long wooden bridge overlooking the valley carved out by Durin. Beyond that, illuminated by the late evening sun, was a land of hills and valleys that could just be made out past the mist that clung to Vindagnyr. He was certain that’s where he was now. The land ahead of him was Mondstadt, the nation of freedom. Land of the four winds. The view was breathtaking, and for a long moment he stood transfixed by it. He wondered what it would be like to walk freely down there, unhindered by the fear of discovery. It was a tantalizing idea, but no. It was best to stay on the mountain for the time being. 

Though it was growing late in the day, his curiosity for the path ahead of him proved too great to turn away just then. Surely such a well worn pathway had to lead to somewhere. As he soon discovered, it led to an open cave filled with tables and shelves of alchemical equipment, potions, papers, and apparatus. A laboratory set within the mountain, and right in the middle, back turned, was his twin brother. 

Subject Two recoiled, his heart racing. Of course Albedo was there. Fate had been too cruel to him to expect anything less, and if both of his brothers were on that mountain, surely their master could not be far. He wasted no time returning to his own cave, thoughts and fears swirling around his brain. If Rhinedottir was indeed on Vindagnyr, he could not afford to stay there. To be discovered by the citizens of Mondstadt would be a far better fate than if his master were to find him. He did not wish to uproot himself after finally having found a home if it could helped however. This was a delicate situation, and he needed to act with the utmost caution. After much deliberation with himself, he decided that the best course of action would be to survey his brother for a few days. Should he find any indication that his master was in the area, he would leave immediately. Elsewise, he would reevaluate and plan out his next actions in accordance to what he observed. 

The next several days were spent crouched behind a tall cluster of boulders near Albedo’s camp, watching the alchemist closely. Subject Two was glad he had recently created much warmer clothes for himself, so as to not freeze while running this little reconnaissance mission of his. With each passing day that he watched the other, he could feel anger and resentment building up inside of him, despite his best effects to stamp such emotions out. Albedo was surrounded by a veritable treasure trove of apparatus, able to work on whatever experiments he pleased. He was so engrossed with his work that not once did he seem to notice that he was being watched. On one of the days, he was visited by two of his colleagues, both of which treated him like any other human. On another day, a little girl arrived alongside a young man with blue hair and an eyepatch. The girl had hugged the other, calling him ‘big brother Albedo’. Subject Two felt his heart ache at that, but he ignored it. The blue-haired man seemed fond of his twin as well. Teasing him gently and smiling at him with stars in his eye. Albedo had smiled too. Subject Two watched when, under the guise of being a magic trick, his brother subtly used Khemia to create a songbird for the girl. Klee was her name. It had been a frivolous act for the other, hardly an effort at all, and yet he himself could not have accomplished such a thing. He’d tried that night, to make a little bird of his own. He failed to do so.

Why did his brother get to have everything, but not him? He wasn’t even given so much as a name. Though they had been created at the same time, he was the one their master had awakened first. Her test subject. She’d indulged him for a little while, but he could tell she did not like him. He had been excited when she woke his twin. He would finally have another person like him. But Albedo wasn’t like him. He was better . He was their master’s favorite. Her perfect experiment. She called them Subject One and Subject Two. He was called the second, even though it was the other who was the second to awaken. Not long after, their master had given his brother a name. Albedo. And still he was only known as Subject Two. He hadn’t earned a name, despite all his efforts to please her. To be just as perfect as his brother. But it was never enough. After a while she had grown tired of him. He had outlived his purpose, and so he was discarded. Just like Albedo had done to the little bird he’d created once Klee and the other man had left. 

What he would give to switch places. To be the one to gain their master’s approval. To be taught Khemia and supplied with a lab of his very own. To have people that loved him and called him ‘brother’. To not be alone in a barren cave with only enough supplies to survive, rather than to live. It hurt him inside, more than any physical wound could, and he hated it. He hated his perfect brother with his perfect life. So long as the other existed, he would have to remain a shadow in the world.

Then a thought struck him. An idea. What if he could switch places? What if he was Albedo. His brother would have assumed him dead, and no one else ought to know of his existence besides their master, who had yet to show so much as a trace of herself. If he were to remove his brother and take his place, no one would be the wiser. He could have everything he wanted. The idea took root in his mind and grew like a vine of thorns, entangling itself tightly within his thoughts. Yes. This could work. He would have to plan things carefully, there wouldn’t be room for mistakes. In the end though, if he succeeded, perhaps he could finally live.

~ ~ ~

Days soon turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Every moment of spare time that he had was spent in careful surveillance. He needed to know everything. Albedo’s mannerisms, his habits, what projects he was working on, how he went about working on them. He listened to every conversation the other had, memorizing every detail. There seemed to be a set list of people that frequently visited his camp. Albedo’s two assistant-students, Timeus and Sucrose, a golden-haired traveler named Aether, the little girl Klee, and most frequent of all, the blue-haired man, Kaeya. Subject Two had been tracking Albedo’s close colleagues on their own as well, in addition to their interactions with the alchemist. To do this, he had been forced to descend the mountain and follow them to the city, careful to stay just close enough to watch and listen without being seen. It was not an easy task, but he at least was able to temporarily change his physical appearance so that, should he be discovered, he would not be linked to his twin.

From there he learned that Albedo was the Chief Alchemist of the Knights of Favonius. Kaeya was also a knight, their Cavalry Captain. Being part of a group like that made his plan a lot more complicated. He would have to infiltrate them and learn what he could, so as to avoid slipping up later on. But before that, he had to be a convincing mimic of his brother. Thankfully, it would seem that Albedo was a recluse for the most part and not very talkative, which made the task at least a little bit easier as far as interactions went.

One of his biggest challenges perhaps would be fooling Sir Kaeya. The man had a keen eye and an excellent intuition. Subject Two had to be exceedingly careful when surveying the man, and often the other would still notice he was being watched, even if he didn’t know who or from where. Not only that, but he and Albedo were very close. Intimately so, one might say. Subject Two wasn’t confident that he would be able to fool the man, regardless of how well he emulated the other. If that was the case, then he would have to remove the Captain as well. That made two people now. Two people he would have to kill in order to be free. He had hoped that Albedo would be the only one, but by the looks of it, he would have no choice but to kill Kaeya as well. 

The thought did not settle well with him, but he shoved the growing knot of guilt down into the recesses of his mind. He would not allow his life to be stolen away on account of such human emotions a second time.

Chapter Text

The time had come for Subject Two to begin the second phase of his plan. The Cavalry Captain and some of his subordinates had been dispatched to deal with the rampant infestation of slimes that had been popping up near the Temple of The Four Winds. This, of course, was his own doing. All part of the scheme that was months in the making. He’d brewed an elemental concoction that attracted slimes in droves, and planted diffusion capsules of his own making in areas that were far enough away from any towns to be a direct threat, but close enough that the spike in the slime population would not go unnoticed. Captain Kaeya would have his hands full for the next few days, setting the stage for him to infiltrate Mondstadt and the Knights without the other’s interference. It would be the first test for impersonating the famous Chief Alchemist. If all went well for the next few days, he could move towards entering the third phase, the elimination of Albedo and Kaeya. 

“Good morning Sir Albedo. It’s a rare surprise seeing you down here. Is there anything I can get for you today? We currently have a ham crab and veggie bake on special if you’re interested.” Sara motioned to the sign in front of Good Hunter, advertising the dish.

“Hm. Yes, I think that would do nicely for today.” He handed over the appropriate amount of mora, which he’d stolen from some treasure hoarders who had made a camp just on the border of the mountain. Dragonspine, as it was called now. An appropriate name he supposed, though he preferred its original one.

“Thank you, and here is your food. Have a wonderful day.”

“And you as well.”

Subject Two took his meal and walked towards Albedo’s apartment. He would have preferred to eat outside, but his twin always took his food indoors to eat in solitude, so that was what he must do as well. Albedo’s apartment was sparsely furnished, and had few personal touches save for some alchemical equipment and a personal library in one of the rooms upstairs. It was as though it were the idea of a living space, without someone actually living in it. As such, the crude drawings that covered his cryo box stuck out like a sore thumb. He knew from his surveillance that they were drawn by Klee, and they mostly consisted of depictions of Albedo, Kaeya, and herself, as well as what he presumed were landscape drawings. The girl really did love her ‘big brother Albedo’, and ‘Mister Kaeya’. The thought sent a pang of guilt sinking into the pit of his stomach. He pushed the feeling away and turned his attention to his breakfast.

He wasn’t sure what to expect from the dish. The only food he’d had in the past few months was plain boar’s meat, fish, sunsettias, carrots, and radishes. It was not much of a variety, nor was it particularly flavorful. His meals while still under his master’s weren’t much better. She only cared that the food contained the nutrients needed to sustain one’s body, and did not take up much time to prepare. He’d never had crab, nor ham, but the smell of the bake was heavenly.

Upon taking a bite of it, he exhaled deeply. He had never known something could have that much flavor. It was rich and savory, with a mildly salty taste to it. He wondered what all had gone into it, and how one might replicate the dish. If he could eat something like that every day, he could die happy. No… not die. That was a poor train of thought. He did not wish to die again. Still, if he found he couldn’t avoid it, at least then he’d have enjoyed his life a little beforehand. Wishing to savor every last crumb of his food, he even licked the bowl afterwards. It was shameful behavior, and his master would have punished him severely for it, but he was all alone just then, and no one would know. 

After cleaning up after himself and ensuring everything in the apartment was exactly as he had found it, he headed back out again. His next stop would be the alchemy station in the town square. It was not as well equipped as Albedo’s lab in the mountain or office in the Favonius Headquarters, serving mostly as a place to work on small projects requested by the townsfolk. Usually Timaeus worked the station, but today it seemed that Sucrose was on duty. When she noticed him approaching, she smiled nervously and waved at him. “O-oh, hello Sir Albedo. I didn’t realize you would be here today. It wasn’t in my notes that you had planned to come down from Dragonspine.”

“I received a message from Acting Grandmaster Jean that Sir Kaeya and many of the Knights are away for the next few days, and was asked to watch Klee until they return.” He had known the Acting Grandmaster would send for his brother as soon as Kaeya was away. Those two were the only ones that Klee would consistently listen to, though Kaeya wasn’t exactly a great influence from what he’d seen. He simply made sure to create a distraction for the alchemist and intercept the messenger. “Do you know where Master Jean is as of now?”

“I…” Sucrose began to look flustered. Subject Two remembered noting that the girl was particularly shy around the Acting Grandmaster. “I think she’s at the Headquarters right now. I’m not sure though.”

“I see. Thank you.” 

So far so good. Neither Sara nor Sucrose had noticed the difference. Hopefully it would be the same story with the Knights. If not, his entire plan would be turned on its head. He did not let this affect his ruse however. He strolled past the front guards with the same relaxed but purposely walk that Albedo did, and no one batted an eye. A brief greeting from the guards as he passed them, and then he was safely inside the building. Almost immediately he was greeted by the librarian, Lisa. 

“Hey there, cutie. Haven't seen you down here in awhile. Jean is waiting for you in her office, by the way. It would seem our dear Klee has been a bit of a troublemaker in Sir Kaeya’s absence.”

“So I was informed.”

“I suppose I’d better not keep Jean waiting, but you really ought to visit more often. We have such intriguing conversations every time you do.”

“Mm. Perhaps, though I will make no promises.” He gave a nod to the librarian before heading towards Jean’s office. Knocking twice, he heard her voice inviting him inside. Stepping into the room, he noticed that Jean looked tired. She seemed to have a tendency to overwork herself. Her resolve in her duties were admirable, but he felt it would have negative effects on her health further down the line if she continued this behavior.

“Ah, Sir Albedo, thank you for coming so quickly. I’m afraid between the slime outbreak and some dealings with the Fatui residing here, I’ve been too busy to properly keep an eye on Klee. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to see you. I hope this doesn’t come as too great of an inconvenience for you."

“Of course not. I had a few experiments I was working on, but none of them are pressing. Where is Klee now?”

“In solitary confinement," Jean sighed. "Already she’s tried to sneak off to go blast fishing.”

“Ah. I’ll be sure to keep a close eye on her.”

Subject Two breathed a sigh of relief as he exited Jean’s office. Neither her nor Lisa had suspected anything. Things were turning out well so far. Klee would be one of the biggest tests for him however. Unlike the Knights, Klee frequently was around his twin for long periods of time, and would know him better than most. She was also an impressionable child though, and he hoped that even if she did notice a slight discrepancy in his behavior, he would be able to easily explain it away.

“Hehe! Big brother Albedo!” Klee ran to meet him, practically dancing with excitement, and he felt his heart ache. Aside from Durin before his corruption, no one had ever been happy to see him before. Not once. But this girl was looking up at him as though he was her whole world. This is what he had wanted. This was what he was fighting for. And yet… he couldn’t help but feel a thread of sorrow in it. It wasn’t really him that she was excited to see. She only thought it was. “Can we go to Starfell lake today? Pleeeease?”

“If you would like. Though fish blasting is still not allowed.”

The girl’s face fell a little. “I know. Master Jean got mad at me for fish blasting today. I had to spend all morning in solitary confinement.”

Subject Two marveled at how such a sweet innocent child could also be so destructive.

~ ~ ~

It truly was a beautiful day to spend at the lake. The sun shone warmly against his skin and glittered off the water’s surface. The wind was soft, gently brushing against him, much in contrast to the harsh gales of Dragonspine. It carried the scent of dandelions and sweetflowers with it, and rustled the leaves of the few trees that shaded the island. Though he’d been outside the mountain on many occasions by then, it was always with the purpose of furthering his plan, carefully tailing individuals of interest and focusing on not being seen in the process. He’d never actually given himself the chance to just… enjoy the scenery. They had taken a small boat out to the island in the center of the lake, then Subject Two set out a picnic for them, spreading a blanket in the grass and handing out some sandwiches he’d gotten from Good Hunter. Klee happily ate hers then went off to play, while he savored his own. After Klee had exhausted herself from running around the island, climbing the trees, and catching frogs, she settled down underneath one of the trees and began scribbling with some paper and crayons that she’d retrieved from her backpack. 

Subject Two had been working on a painting of his own. He knew it was what Albedo would be doing if he were there. Any time his brother wasn’t working on a project, he was at his easel or sketchbook, drawing away with pencil and paint. Subject Two didn’t share his brother’s love of art, but he had done his best to copy the other’s style. It was… not perfect, to say the least. He’d have to work on that. As evening came around, he dismissed his easel and canvas before striding over to where Klee was just finishing up a drawing. She looked up at him with a proud grin on her face, arms outstretched to show him the masterpiece she had created. 

“Look Albedo! I drew this for you. It’s you, and me, and Dodoco! We’re having a picnic together like today.”

“You made this… for me?” 

“Hehe, yep! Do you like it?”

He took the paper into his hands, holding it reverently, as though it had been made of gold and blessed by the stars themselves. It was the first gift he had ever received. She had made it just for him. He could feel that tears were threatening to well in his eyes, but he forced them back. Albedo would never cry. A perfect being would never cry. “Yes, Klee. I love it very much. It’s beautiful. Your best work yet.”

Klee giggled and hugged his leg. His heart felt warm.

~ ~ ~

“Here are some samples our Knights collected of the slimes infesting the temple. We’ll need them processed as quickly as possible to figure out why they have suddenly grown so large and strong in numbers.”

“I will get on it right away.” He took the vials of slime residue that Jean was holding and carried them to Albedo’s office. His office, soon. Naturally he already knew the reason for the slimes’ abnormal size and number, but that didn’t stop him from doing the work anyways. The room held an assortment of materials and apparatus. It was nearly as well stocked as Albedo’s lab up in Dragonspine. Firing up the equipment, he set to work, taking the slime concentrate and subjecting samples of it to a multitude of tests, writing down the data and forming speculations from what he gathered to use towards further testing. It was a similar process to what he had done to make the elemental enhancing formula, except this time he was working in an actual laboratory with real apparatus and supplies, rather than the equipment he’d made out of whatever materials he could scrounge up or steal. By the end of the day, he had arrived back at Jean’s office with several papers filled with his notes and diagrams. 

“After running some tests on the samples I was provided, I believe the cause for the increase in the slime population, as well as their increased size, is due to an anomaly in the elemental energy of that area. One that is not only attracting slimes from the surrounding area, but also causing new slimes to form.”

The Acting Grandmaster's brows pinched in concern. “I see. That is a problem indeed. What do you propose we do to solve the issue?”

“I am unsure. I will require numerous samples of the surrounding area, things like tree branches, soil, stones, fruits, any standing water that might be in the area, and other such things. I’ll need multiple of each sample, gathered from different locations within the affected area, so as to ascertain where the anomaly is stemming from.”

“Of course. I’ll have someone get on that right away. Thank you for your assistance, both with this and with watching Klee yesterday.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s my job after all.”

That evening he stopped by Good Hunter again and ordered another ham crab and veggie bake, along with some fisherman’s toast. Upon reaching the apartment, he ate his toast while trying to assess how the bake was made, in the hopes of recreating it himself.

~ ~ ~

“Good morning Sir Albedo. Your timing is impeccable. The samples you requested were just brought in a few minutes ago. I had the men place them in your office.”

“Excellent, thank you.”

Another day as Albedo, another day of working in that beautiful lab stuffed with some of the best equipment mora could buy. Klee must have given Jean the slip because around noon she’d snuck into his office to peek at what he was working on. He explained some of the processes he was using, but as expected she understood almost none of it. A few minutes later one of the Knights arrived at the door to escort Klee back to her ‘solitary confinement’, while apologizing profusely for the interruption of his work.

“It’s alright," he assured her. "I needed the break anyway.”

It was fascinating to see how his diffusers had affected the surrounding environment. He had not been able to test them on a large scale beforehand, so he was genuinely interested in the result. He’d gotten so caught up in his work that he hadn’t even noticed how fast the day had slipped away from him. By the time he finally left the lab, the sun was already setting. 

“Hey cutie. Found anything yet?” Lisa was leaning against a wall nearby, a tray of food in hand.

“I believe so, though I’ll need more time before I have any conclusive results.”

“That’s good then. I’m sure Captain Kaeya will be appreciative of your efforts. I hear he’s up to his neck in slimes. Who would have thought so many of them could gather all at once. At this rate they’ll be more of a problem than even the hillichurl camps that keep popping up. I don’t suppose you know of a solution to them too?”

“I’m afraid not, though perhaps I could look into it when I have the time.”

“That’s a good lad. In the meantime, Jean noticed you were stuck in the lab all day, and thought you’d appreciate some dinner being brought to you so you don’t forget.”

“How thoughtful of her.” Graciously he took the food, it was some sort of stew with fresh bread and butter, and returned to his work. The Knights would be working hard to keep the slimes in check, so he needed to find the solution to neutralizing the high levels of elemental energy. He ended up continuing his experiments until the morning, having finally created something to counteract his earlier formula until it ran out.

~ ~ ~

“Don’t tell me you were working on this all night?”

Judging by Jean's tone, the woman seemed to be rather displeased with him as he handed over his report that morning. Subject Two had expected her to praise him, but it would appear her worry for his health was greater than the relief of having found a solution to the situation so quickly. “I was. I’m used to staying up for long periods of time, so it’s nothing to worry about.”

The Acting Grandmaster sighed, putting her hand to her hand. “Even so, I wish you would take better care of yourself. I don’t suppose you’ve eaten anything besides what Jean brought to you?”

He paused, and his silence was all the answer Jean needed. “My men can take it from here. The only assignment you should be working on now is getting some rest.”

'A bit hypocritical', he thought. “I appreciate your concern, but I assure you I am fine. If it makes you feel any better though, I will rest a bit at my apartment before returning to Dragonspine." He was about to turn and leave, but stopped to add, "I might offer that you take your own advice. You’ve been working yourself too hard.”

Jean sighed again, though this time she sounded less exasperated. “I suppose you are right. Thank you again for your assistance the last few days.”

“As I said before, don’t mention it.”

~ ~ ~

Subject Two was loath to leave his new life in return for the cold, barren cave and poorly made apparatus, but he knew he couldn’t stay. Captain Kaeya would return soon now that the slimes would be back under control, and eventually the real Albedo would realize someone was acting in his stead. The past few days had been all the proof he needed however. He had successfully assimilated the position of his brother. All that was left was to begin the preparations for the final stage of his plan, the permanent removal of the only two people who would know the truth…

...and then that life would be his for good.

Chapter Text

Albedo’s camp was silent, save for the gentle bubbling of the apparatus, and the moaning of the wind outside. Subject Two stepped inside, taking in the warmth of the cave. The Chief Alchemist had left for the city that afternoon, and wouldn’t be back for a couple days at least, leaving his camp unattended and ripe for the picking from his scientific notes. Subject Two pulled out any papers he could find that were written in Kheanri’ahn cyphers, knowing that those would be the ones containing information regarding Khemia. Some of the notes dated far back, the pages having yellowed and become brittle. Some looked to be brand new, as if they were written that day. He skimmed through all of them without rest, committing what he read to memory, and writing down the information he needed to go forward with his plan.

~ ~ ~

“Well hello again, cutie. When I said I’d love for you to visit more often, I didn’t think you’d take it to heart. I don’t suppose you’re here just for the pleasure of my company?” The lantern hanging from the point of Lisa’s hat swayed a little as the Head Librarian leaned her head to the side to look at him. 

“I’m afraid not. I came here looking for a book on elemental life forms. Slimes, whopperflowers, etcetera. Would you happen to have any such volumes here?”

Lisa looked intrigued, putting a couple fingers to her cheek. “I do believe I have a couple books on the topic. Might I ask why the sudden interest in them? I thought bio-alchemy was more of Sucrose’s area of study.”

“It is, hence the reason I need to touch up on my knowledge of the subject. It is for a personal experiment of mine.”

The librarian seemed quite interested to hear more about this experiment of his, but he knew he could not divulge the details without arousing suspicion. Instead, he brought up the topic of how Durin’s remains might be affecting the nature in Dragonspine. This discussion went on for some, until their conversation drifted to other topics of interest, his books having long been set on the librarian’s desk as they lost track of the time. Lisa was a knowledgeable individual, yet still open to new ideas. Their exchange went on long enough that Lisa had brewed a pot of tea for them, served alongside sweet triangular biscuits. Subject Two savored the treat as he listened to the librarian speak of the things she’d learned in the Akademiya, adding in his own thoughts and ideas. He’d become so engrossed in the conversation that he nearly forgot to keep his demeanor in check. He berated himself for it. He could not let his excitement show, or else the other would grow suspicious of him. 

When he left that evening, Lisa saw him to the door, waving her farewells to him and inviting him to come back soon.

~ ~ ~

Subject Two flipped through the pages of the third book Lisa had picked out for him, jotting down notes onto a piece of paper. The information collected within the bindings of leather were fascinating. He began to understand Suscrose’s fascination with bio-alchemy. The elemental life forms of Teyvat were not only diverse in shape and intelligence, but also the manner in which they manifested their respective elements. He would be certain to delve deeper in the potential scientific applications of these beings with Sucrose once his plan was complete. Her expertise would have been useful to him with his current project as well, but he could not risk her becoming aware of what he planned to do. For now, he would just have to stick with his own knowledge, Albedo’s notes, and whatever he could glean from the books he had borrowed. Or at least until he had to return them, so as not to risk the librarian’s wrath. She seemed to be such a kind woman, but from what he’d heard of her in regard to late returns, he did not doubt that she would hunt him down all the way to Dragonspine and drag him by the ear until each of her books was back in its place.

~ ~ ~

“Oh! Hey there Albedo! I heard from Sara you were in town today? Are you up to anything?”

Subject Two looked up to see the outrider Amber, who was coming up to meet him as he was leaving the Favonius Headquarters. The red bandana in her hair bobbed as she bounded up the stairs in a lively manner, reminding him of the rabbits he sometimes found near the base of Dragonspine. “Greetings. I was merely working on an assignment that Master Jean gave to me.”

“Ah. I suppose you’re pretty busy right now then.”

He was indeed, having used his trip into the city to return the Lisa’s looks as a means of gathering some necessary supplies for his own experiment. He had also fulfilled his assignment from the Acting Grandmaster of course. Seeing as he would be taking on Albedo’s job, he didn’t wish to let Jean down. Despite this, he found himself saying, “Not particularly. I’ve already finished my assignment, and didn’t have any other plans set for the day. Was there something you needed?”

Amber swayed bashfully. “Well, tomorrow is the Knight’s appreciation day, and I was wondering if you wanted to come?”

He told himself he would say no. He couldn’t afford to spend more time in the city than he had to, at least until Albedo and Kaeya were out of the picture. “Hm. I suppose I might be able to stop by. Will Captain Kaeya be there as well?”

Amber bit her lip, eyes flicking to the sky as she thought. “No… I don’t believe so. I think he said he was going to be away tomorrow.

With Albedo, no doubt. “A shame that our Cavalry Captain will not be around for the celebration.”

“Right?!” Amber folded her arms indignantly. “He’s always disappearing when he’s not on the job these days. I hear he’s not even been visiting the tavern as often.”

'Because Albedo has been getting on his case about it', Dorian thought to himself. He'd witnessed the alchemist confronting Kaeya about it on more than one occasion. Amber didn't need to know that however. “I see. Perhaps he’s hiding something.”

“You think so? I guess he can be trouble sometimes, but I doubt he’d be up to anything too bad. I would hope not anyway.”

“I suppose we shall have to see. I’ll keep an eye out for him.”

~ ~ ~

Subject Two placed his stolen supplies along the wall of the cave, his Khemia-made apparatus whirring and bubbling as raw materials were converted into more useful composites. He looked over his notes, detailed diagrams adorning the ones at the top of the stack. Yes, these would work nicely. Of all the potential candidates for his experiment, whopperflowers proved to be the best choice. He would need a specimen to test on. Perhaps several. Keeping them contained would be difficult unless he were to kill them though. He would need something to sedate them with. That would require another trip to Albedo’s lab in the city. He hummed to himself, Amber’s invitation fresh on his mind. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to stop by the celebration on the way. Just for a little while…

~ ~ ~

There were more people than he had expected at the celebration. They were all crowded in the plaza, members of the Knights intermingled with grateful citizens. The Angel’s Share tavern offered free drinks for the Knights that day, attracting a large gathering of boisterous shouts and laughter. Many of the shops lining the town square also supplied the Knights with food and services. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Numerous times Subject Two felt one of the other Knights clap him on the back or bring him in for a side hug. It seemed that most of them were pleasantly surprised at his attendance. 

“Would you like anything to eat Sir Albedo?” He had somehow made his way to Good Hunter, Sara leaning forward on the counter while looking happy but frazzled. She was probably worn out from serving so many Knights at once. 

“I—” There was too much noise and bodies surrounding him. He couldn’t read all of them. Couldn’t tell how exactly he ought to act in this situation. He had never seen Albedo in a crowd before. Perhaps it was a mistake coming here.

“Two steak and mushroom kabobs please, and some grilled fish for this one,” Amber said, appearing next to him with a grin. “A bit overwhelming huh? Not to worry, Outrider Amber is here to help! Come on, let’s go somewhere quieter.”

Subject Two grabbed his grilled fish kabob from Sara and followed Amber as she led him outside of the gate to the city. The two guards that normally stood watch had briefly left their post to join in the revelry. Amber strolled along the wall a short ways before sitting unceremoniously on the grass next to a couple of dandelion puffs. Subject Two remained standing, knowing Albedo would never do something so unrefined as to sit in the grass, even if it did look warm and soft.

“Phew, it’s quite the party in there. You probably got swept into the middle of it huh? Sorry about that. I know you’re not a fan of crowds. I’m glad you came though!”

He remained silent. As far as he knew, Albedo and Amber were not particularly close, and yet the girl had thought of his wants and interests, ordering food for him that she knew he enjoyed, and taking him outside the city to eat their food together without him being uncomfortable with the crowds, even if she enjoyed the camaraderie of the people herself. He ate his kabob daintily as Amber chatted happily to him in between bites of her food. He held back a smile, not wanting to show his emotions, though his heart felt warm with the girl’s company. Her liveliness was refreshing after so long of isolation in the mountain, like a ray of sunlight in the darkness. He felt a strange desire to protect that light. To not let anyone snuff it out. To keep her smiling like that, undaunted by the hardships of the world. 

~ ~ ~

After some trial and error, Subject Two had created the perfect sedative to be used against the whopperflowers. Once exposed to it, he could immobilize the plants at will using two other compounds that reacted with the lab-created toxin. One compound would induce full paralysis in the whopperflowers, the other would counteract it and allow movement again. Additionally, he added in a geo-based component into the first sedative, which would render the plants unable to use their elemental attacks, so as to avoid any undue destruction of his person or workplace. Now all he needed was to obtain the specimens. The cryo variety of whopperflowers would be the most ideal, he’d decided. They were less likely to cause an explosive reaction, and would be able to weather the cold of the mountain. The trick would be getting the base sedative into their system without them burrowing underground where he could not follow. Whopperflowers were notoriously tricky in this way, and he did not wish to waste his limited supply of the sedatives. If he ran out, he would have to retrieve more ingredients from the lab in the Favonius Headquarters and start all over again.

~ ~ ~

Subject Two watched as Amber glided down from a nearby cliff, weaving expertly through the trees before landing next to him. Following closely behind her was a woman with light blue hair and a feathered brooch upon which a cryo Vision was inlaid. The woman landed with a poise that reminded him a little of the way Albedo fought. Refined and precise, every movement made with graceful purpose.

“Good morning Sir Albedo. Sorry to keep you waiting. I thought I’d recruit a friend to help us catch those whopperflowers. You’ve met Eula before, right?”

He recognized the name. This must be Eula Lawrence, the Spindrift Knight and Captain of the Reconnaissance Company. He had known of her, but had never actually seen her until that moment. He had no idea if Albedo had met her in the past. What was he supposed to say? The wrong choice could be a dead giveaway that he was not who he seemed to be. He would have to make a guess, and judging by the way the other was looking him over, he would venture the answer was no. He hoped that was the case.

“I don’t believe I have. Not in any formal manner at least. I am Albedo, Chief Alchemist and Captain of the Investigation Team.”

Eula folded her arms, wearing an almost judgemental expression on her face. “Yes, I’m aware of who you are. I’m surprised you’ve decided to actually make an appearance outside of mandatory Captains’ meetings for once. I’ll have you know that I have been coerced into helping you on my day off, and for that I will have my revenge.”

Subject Two frowned slightly, unsure of how to respond to that. Thankfully Amber cut in, grinning sheepishly at him. “Oh, don’t mind her. She’s always like this, but don’t worry. She’s a great person I assure you.”

“I see.” He kept his voice even, despite his apprehension. “Shall we get to work then? I’ve located a couple of whopperflowers just over this way, but have kept my distance so as not to disturb them ahead of time.”

“Great! Let’s go get 'em then!”

Subject Two quickly put a hand up to stop the outrider from darting off. “Just a moment. You’ll need these.” He took a handful of modified arrows he had created and handed them to her. “These arrows contain a strong sedative. While Eula and myself are distracting the flowers, you will need to hit them near their bulb, or their head as most people call it. The sedative takes about a minute or so to come into full effect, so you’ll want to wait until we are close enough to grab the flowers to keep them from burrowing during that time. Do you have any questions?”

“Nope! Time to catch us some whoppers!”

Subject Two had initially been concerned about the prospect of facing two whopperflowers with no Vision to protect him, however with Eula’s aid, he managed to keep himself from obtaining any major injuries during the process. Mostly. He’d managed to get himself cut on one the flower’s sharp leaves, which likely would have bled considerably if not for the fact that it had been inflicted with cryo immediately afterwards. Once the whopperflowers were fully sedated and injected with the paralytic toxin, he stood back a bit to catch his breath. Eula must have noticed his cut, because she walked over and grabbed his arm firmly, turning it over to get a better view. 

“That was careless of you to attack it like that without using your Vision. You’re lucky you weren’t hurt any worse than this. If you do that again, I will make sure you pay.”

'Is she worried for me?' The look on her face and the hidden tone in her voice suggested as much. It was a nice feeling, that someone would be concerned for his safety, even if they had an odd way of showing it. “Thank you both. These will be greatly beneficial to my research. I will likely need a couple more at least, if you would be so kind as to aid me again in the near future?”

For some reason Eula seemed surprised by this, as if she wasn’t used to being asked to help. Or perhaps it was that she was not often thanked for her help. He wasn’t sure. Whatever it was though, she did not appear to be deterred by his offer. “I suppose I would be amiable to that. Though if I have to work on another day off, I’ll be getting my revenge for that too.”

“Naturally.”

~ ~ ~

As Subject Two began the process of the experiment, his visits to the city had come to a halt. He’d collected five whopperflowers in total with the help of Eula and Amber, and now came the tricky part. He needed to take the whopperflower and mutate it to copy people, or himself specifically, rather than other plants. He also would need to alter its natural behavior to suit his purposes. A trained hound, honed to attack the target of his choosing. One that would obey him without question. The first flower had been a resounding failure. Though he had been training himself in the Art of Khemia from what he’d learned in Albedo’s notes, he was still too inexperienced to properly use the art to such a degree. Or at least not in his first attempt. The resulting creation had died almost instantaneously. The second flower was better, but as it attempted to take his shape, it became too unstable, and he was forced to put it out of its misery.

Not wishing to waste his remaining specimens, he revisited his notes, compiling all the relevant information and rewriting some of the formulas he’d designed. His next creation was much closer to the result he desired. It was capable of taking on a human shape, but lacked the ability to understand orders, and thus attempted to mindlessly kill him, switching in and out of its humanoid disguise. He quickly dispatched and discarded the failed specimen. It took some more adjustments, but by the time he’d reached the last flower, he finally had achieved the perfect weapon for his plan. His creation, the fellflower as he decided to call it, stood silently in front of him, its eyes mirroring his own, but with a much colder look to them. It was an almost predatory look. The fellflower was far more intelligent than the plant it originated from. It knew its purpose. It hungered for its prey, the Knight for whom it was disguised. 

“You are to kill Kaeya Alberich, and only Keaya, then return to this cave and await my arrival. Under no circumstance will you target or reveal yourself to anyone aside from Kaeya. Do you understand?”

“Yes, master. I will not fail.”

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Phase three was a disaster from nearly the moment it started, though he wouldn't know it at first. Subject Two had sent the fellflower out to wait in ambush for Kaeya at the ruins of Entombed City Outskirts, while he descended the mountain. He could feel his heart racing as he entered the city. This was what he had been working towards for so many months. All he had to do was kill was Kaeya Alberich to where his creation lie in wait, leaving him open to attack his twin. His two targets slain at once, so that one would not have a chance to seek revenge for the other. It was better this way. The Cavalry Captain was in a meeting with Master Jean when he arrived at the Headquarters, as was the plan. Giving one of the other Knights a letter to pass on for him, he slipped back outside. The letter had been carefully crafted to fit his twin’s own writing, both in the lettering and choice of words.

Kaeya, 

I have sighted unusual Abyss activity near the ancient ruins of Dragonspine located along the entombed city. They appear to have activated a previously dormant mechanism from within the ruins. It is of Khaenri’ahn origin. I could not afford to linger at the Headquarters while waiting for you, due to the urgent nature of the matter. I trust you will receive this as soon as you have finished meeting with the Acting Grandmaster, and I urge you to hurry here. I do not know what plans the Abyss has with the mechanism, but I would like to retrieve it in-tact if possible. 

~Kreideprinz

The bait set, Subject Two made his way back towards the city gate. He was just passing through the main square when a familiar voice called out his name.

“Mister Albedo,” Sucrose called out in a shy manner, waving at him to get his attention. Though she seemed to be far more comfortable around Albedo than she was with other people, she still retained her demure attitude. “If you have a minute, Timaeus was hoping for your assistance.”

The other young alchemist rubbed the back of his head, looking slightly embarrassed. “I’ve started on a new project, but I was hoping to get your opinion on a few things.”

Subject Two knew he couldn’t afford to dally there. He needed to return to the mountain before Kaeya received his letter. Taking a glance back at the Favonius building, he sighed. Albedo was rarely in a rush, and even more rarely passed on an opportunity to instruct his apprentices. If Subject Two were to refuse them, it would seem off.

“If it won’t take long, I’m all ears.”

The other alchemist’s face lit up at the opportunity to share his work, quickly divulging his theories and findings of his new experiment. Subject Two only half listened as the man began talking about his study of the ways certain crystals absorb elemental energy, and how they could be used to reduce the pooling of elemental energy in certain areas. Normally Subject Two would have given the man his full attention, but his nerves were getting to him, causing him to grow restless. He stayed just long enough to give his thoughts on the matter, then bid the others goodbye, walking purposefully away towards the city gates.

It was not until he reached the base of the mountain that he discovered the first setback to his perfect plan. A large grouping of people were gathered at the base camp that sat near the main entrance to the mountain. There was always a collection of adventurers and archeologists present at the camp, but that day there were far more than normal. Among them, he saw Amber and Eula, as well as a few other knights, and several individuals that Subject Two knew to be lead adventurers for the guild. It only took a few minutes of listening in from a distance to learn what was going on. The guild was training new adventurers with the help of more experienced ones, and for Archons knew what reason, they’d decided that Dragonspine was the best place to do so. 

He cursed, slipping away to cross the frozen river that separated the mountain from the rest of Mondstadt. He needed to kill off Albedo before any adventurers might make their way up to his camp, or else have to wait until they left the mountain, by which time it might be too late. Kaeya would be dealt with regardless. He’d already delivered the letter and sent the fellflower on its course, so there was no stalling that part of the attack. Thankfully their meeting place would be in a secluded area of the mountain, so it was highly unlikely for anyone to find them there. 

The wind tugged at his cloak with unseen fingers as he hurried towards Albedo’s camp, and the clouds were especially thick, darkening the mountainside. It was as though Dragonspine knew of his intentions, and was warning him to turn away. He would not be deterred. 

Subject Two had not gone far when he discovered a set of footprints in the snow. They were human prints, nearly identical to his own. They had not been made by him however. They could not have been the fellflower’s either, as its target was on the complete opposite side of the mountain. Which meant they must have been left by Albedo. His brow furrowed. He had not expected for Albedo to venture so far down the mountain that day. Much less to do so far from the beaten path. If this was the way Albedo had gone however, then this was the way he also would go. After so many months of hunting his own food and spying on the people of Mondstadt, Subject Two had become adept at stalking his prey unnoticed. He followed the tracks carefully, almost soundlessly through the snow. The further he went however, the more doubt became seeded in his mind, along with the feeling that something was very wrong. The tracks were growing too close to the base camp for his comfort, but more unsettling was the manner in which they were made. It was the same as the ones he was making. The tracks of a person who was hunting something. Albedo might have been good at sneaking up on wildlife in order to draw them, but he was no hunter. The fellflower on the other hand was designed for that very purpose. A pit formed in the bottom of Subject Two’s stomach. 

~ ~ ~

The shrill scream of a child echoed off the mountain cliffs and was snatched away by the wind, but not before it had reached Subject Two’s ears and sent a shiver down his spine. It came from the direction the tracks were leading to. He had continued following them, now with much greater speed and less care of being noticed. There was little doubt left in his mind that he was stalking the fellflower and not Albedo. He wasn’t sure how or why his creation had deviated so strongly from its intended mission. It had been made to follow his orders without question. So why wasn’t it doing so now? Another set of tracks joined the first. Smaller ones, belonging to a child. The two intersected with great disruption to the snow, indicating they must have struggled, before the larger began to drag the smaller away. 

They led him to the edge of Wyrmrest, where he could see the mimic ahead, dragging a small child further into the wasteland. Before he could stop it however, Eula suddenly appeared from the side, calling out to it sharply. Subject Two ducked behind a rocky outcrop to avoid being seen. He then watched as the fellflower discarded the boy into the snow before promptly attacking the Spindrift Knight in a fierce exchange of its sword against hers. The sound of metal against metal rang across the valley, mingling with the moaning of the gales around them. Snow was kicked up in piles as the two fought, and he could see cryo energy building up along the mimic’s hands. Unsure of what else he could do to help without exposing himself, Subject Two pressed his palms to the snow-laden ground and sent a pulse of Khemia towards the rogue experiment in an attempt to draw its attention away from Eula. The fellflower’s eyes flashed, and it looked around with a sharp expression, locking onto his location before swiftly fleeing. Subject Two didn’t stick around long enough to see if Eula and the child were alright, instead chasing after the it. He managed to catch up with it, pulling out his sword should it decide to attack.

“Stop.” The command was firm, unwavering. The mimic turned to look at him with an icy expression. “Your objective was to wait for Kaeya at the ruins and kill him. I forbade you from attacking anyone aside from him. Explain your behavior.”

The fellflower did not respond, only standing motionless, its eyes never leaving his. 

“Answer me.”

This time it did, though not in the way that Subject Two hoped. Ice shot out from the mimic’s hands, forming a spiked wall between them. He dove to the side to avoid being caught in it, and by the time he got up again, the fellflower was gone. He cursed again, anger and frustration building up inside him before he squashed it down. He needed to find a way to regain control of the experiment, or else be forced to destroy it before it killed someone. If that happened, he would be left with no option but to attack Kaeya on his own, and he did not like his chances of winning against the Captain in that situation. Killing Albedo would be difficult enough, as he possessed a Vision whereas Subject Two did not. Kaeya, though, not only had a Vision but was also quite skilled in combat. He was also far less easily distracted than the Chief Alchemist. Deciding the best course of action would be to kill his brother and then search through his notes for how to control the fellflower, Subject two directed his course further up the mountain. 

~ ~ ~

Albedo’s camp was unoccupied when Subject Two reached it. This put a hitch in his plan to kill the other right away, but it at least would give him the opportunity to look through the notes. In the past he had carefully read through his twin’s notes before putting them back exactly as he had found them, leaving no trace of his presence there. This time he could not afford to be so meticulous. He tore through pages of ciphered script, searching for anything that would help him. That was until he heard voices coming up the mountain. Albedo was returning, but he was not alone by the sound of it. He would have to postpone his attack. Heart racing, he snatched up the whole pile of notes and hid them away on his person. In an attempt to cover up the theft, Subject Two began to break and knock over much of the cave’s contents until it looked as though it had been ransacked. It was not a great solution, but it would hopefully buy him a little extra time as he ran out into the cold. He knew of a hidden cavern not far from there. One that had an entrance at each end along with several tunnels through which he could escape should Albedo follow him there. The cavern was nestled at the bottom of a steep cliff, and normally he would have to follow a long winding path down the slope to reach it. At that moment though, every second counted if he were to salvage the situation. If his plan failed, he wasn’t likely to get another chance. Throwing caution to wind, he leapt down the cliff, sliding along the steep rock to slow his fall. Pain shot through his legs from the impact as he reached the ground below, forcing him to bite back a cry. Given the height of the cliff, he was lucky not to have broken either of them. 

Limping to the cavern he pulled out the notes, which had become crumpled from being stuffed unceremoniously into his cloak, and scanned through them. Surely there was a way for him to reset the flower’s programming so as to return it to its correct course of action. He just needed to find the information. Unfortunately his brother had other plans.

Padded footsteps could be heard down the cavern. Subject Two got to his feet. He knew it was likely for Albedo to follow him, but the other had arrived far more quickly than he had anticipated. Had Albedo jumped down the ledge as well? No, he must have used one of those accursed wind gliders. He’d attempted to use one of his own making in the past, but it nearly ended in him crashing into the mountainside. He’d never seen his brother use one before, but it was the only logical way he could think of as to how the other had reached him so swiftly. 

Scooping up the notes again, he darted into a rocky covert along one of the smaller tunnels. A couple minutes later he heard someone run past through one of the cavern’s shortcuts. Subject Two hated how once again their roles had been reversed. He ought to be the one hunting Albedo, not the other way around. This was not the place to do so however. Not while someone was with him. Once the sound of the other had retreated far enough away, he slipped back into the main cavern, retreating the way he had come. He made sure to peek outside cautiously in case someone was guarding that end. Sure enough, Aether of all people was there, along with his floating companion. Subject Two cursed his luck. He had no choice but to leave through that way. As he stepped out, Paimon noticed him almost right away. “Finally, you’re back.”

“Yes.” He responded flatly. He would need to be careful here. The Traveler was one of the individuals who seemed to have an especially keen sense of intuition.

“Then why is the thief not with you?” 

“Sorry, I was unable to catch him. He was faster than I had imagined.” 'And cleverer as well,' Subject Two thought ruefully.

Paimon looked disappointed by the news, a hand to her face as she shook her head. “O-oh… So after all that, we still don’t know who the thief was… Ugh, what a waste.” Suddenly the little fairy’s face lit up slightly, as if she’d just remembered something. “Still, we won’t be going back completely empty-handed. We did some mining!”

Subject Two frowned, crossing his arms. “Mining?” What did that have to do with anything? Should he have known the context for this?

“Yeah, for starsilver. We got quite a lot! It’s just like you said, some are really bright and shiny, and others just look like regular lumps of rock with a little shiny bit here or there.”

“...Starsilver…” Ah yes, because starsilver with its many uses helped to narrow down the subject at all. Very helpful. Realizing his confusion would be a dead giveaway, he looked back up at the other two, giving a slight chuckle as if embarrassed. “Haha, I was merely saying what was on the front of my mind. I hadn’t thought you would genuinely go and gather some.”

“Well, you said they could be turned into paint, so we got pretty curious!” Ah, so it was paint they were going to use it for. That was good to know. “Also, if it weren’t for that thief, we’d be making paint by now anyway, right? Or even painting by this point. Anyway, it’s all the thief’s fault for wasting our time.” She stomped the air, not unlike an angry toddler about to throw a tantrum.

“...Yes, it’s all the thief’s fault.” He feigned a sigh. “The notes mean a lot to me. I’m not quite ready to give up the search yet. Let’s keep an eye out for clues as we go.” Subject Two was certain that Albedo would be of the same mind. He was likely worried considerably about them having been stolen. 

“Oh, just one thing - do you want us to bring all this ore back? Or do you wanna sort through and get rid of the useless bits first? There’s no point in bringing the bad ones back if it’ll ruin the quality of the paint. Some of them do look pretty dull to Paimon, so it doesn’t seem like those’ll be of any use at all.”

“...” The fairy’s words were innocuous, and yet they made his insides prickle with resentment. “Indeed. The sorting process is necessary. Humans are such practical creatures. They only want those things that are good. Once they have learned to distinguish good and bad, they will never stop comparing things in their minds.” The words of his master’s lessons rung in his mind. Did she know she was describing herself as well? That she compared him and his brother? That she determined that Albedo was the good, and he was the bad. That she only wanted Albedo, and thus threw him away as if he was nothing more than tarnished starsilver… “Useless things should be disposed of at the outset.”

“Right, it saves a lot of time that way. Efficiency first! So let’s start by—” Paimon’s sentence was cut off by the sound of someone calling out for help. Her and Aether shared a look of concern. “Wait, did you guys hear that? Was that… a cry for help?”

He stopped himself from rolling his eyes. The fairy-creature often stated the obvious according to his observations. Of course someone shouting ‘help me’ was crying for help. Luckily for him, the other two quickly ran off to said person’s aid, not bothering to notice as he slipped away instead of following them. He breathed a sigh of relief after retreating a safe distance away. Neither Aether nor Paimon seemed to have noticed anything off about him. That was good. Very good.

~ ~ ~

Subject Two crouched down at his usual hiding place overlooking Albedo’s camp. He’d watched from a distance when the real Albedo returned from the cave and was confronted by Eula. He had grown rather fond of her, so to see in arms against Albedo, the person whom she thought was him, made his stomach twist. For a moment he forgot that he in fact was the imposter, rather than Albedo, and grew angry that Albedo might give her a bad impression of him after all his work of gaining her trust. Perhaps even the beginnings of a friendship. But the realization hit him that it was not Albedo who had fractured that trust. It was his own creation, and Albedo was merely taking the fall for it. 

To his relief, Eula gave Albedo, and by extension himself, the benefit of the doubt. Not long after, Amber had shown up as well, and the group of them began their descent from the mountain. Evidently the other adventurers had already finished with their training that day. With them out of the way, it gave him a little more leeway for killing off Albedo and Kaeya. Or perhaps just Albedo at that point. To his great dismay, he knew that by that time the Captain would likely have already arrived at the ruins to find neither Albedo nor activity of the Abyss present. Beyond that, Subject Two wasn’t sure what Kaeya would do. As such, he needed to get rid of Albedo before Kaeya had a chance to speak with him. He’d hoped the Traveler and their companion would also leave, allowing him to be alone with his twin, but instead Albedo had brought them back to his camp.

So there he was, belly down in the snow, listening carefully to what his brother had to say. Considering that Albedo had pulled them aside to talk in private, he didn’t expect it to be good. For him, anyway. It would turn out he was right.

His fool of a brother admitted to being a homunculus, and told them of their master— their ‘mother’, and the fact that they were from Khaenri’ah. This went directly against what their master had wanted. They were meant to pass as normal human beings. For their true nature to remain hidden. Yet Albedo shared this information to the Traveler without reservation. His brother then went to describe how their master raised him. How she had taught him everything. How he was just like her. True alchemists. Subject Two clenched the snow in his fists, painfully reminded of everything he had been robbed of, because Albedo was better than him. The other wasn’t done talking.

“Rhinedottir created two miraculous beings. One is me, and the other is the venomous dragon, Durin, who died here.”

A stab went through his heart as sharp as if a stake had pierced it. Two miraculous beings. Not three. Two. Albedo and Durin. His blood felt hot in his cheeks. Was he so great a failure that he was not even worth mentioning? That he may as well have not even existed?

“Durin?! So that makes you guys… brothers?”

“As sons of Rhinedottir, Durin and I are indeed inexplicably linked to one another. The phenomenon of our creation defies definition within the scope of a typical worldview, but if we may tentatively call it ‘birth’... then yes— we, by extension, are family.”

Subject Two could no longer stamp down the hurt and anger that swelled inside him. Durin was his brother too, long before Albedo had even been awakened. It was he that knew Durin before their master… their mother- had corrupted his mind and filled him with poison. Did Albedo even know Durin used to be a kind and curious soul? That he would wistfully talk about his wish to befriend the wind-dragon of Mondstadt, Dvalin. How he would listen intently as Subject Two described what he'd learned about the outside world. That Durin longed for the freedom to fly, but was never given the chance? No. Albedo only knew of the Durin that had been tainted, the kindness all but rotted away from him. And still his twin considered Durin family, but not him. 

Feeling sick with hatred, he pounded the snow with his fist before slipping away. He could not listen to the other speak any more. Not with the imperfect emotions swirling around him, reminding him of why he was a failure, and filling him with the desire to kill his brother then and there. Something warm ran down his cheek. He brushed it away with his thumb, leaving a wet stain on his glove. Tears… he was crying. No. This wasn’t right. He shouldn’t cry. A perfect being did not cry. It did not feel suffocated by such primal stains as emotions that escaped their confinement. He shoved them back down, locking them away as they strained against his chest and lungs. He breathed slowly, until the numbness returned. Until his face dropped back to the neutral, clean slate it ought to be. This was better. This was how he should be. He would be perfect, just like their master wanted.

It was fine.

It was better this way, that his brother should never speak of him. Never acknowledge his existence.

This way, it would be all the easier to replace him...

Chapter Text

“There you are.” The fellflower jumped at the sound of Subject Two’s voice behind it. Before it had a chance to escape or attack, he aimed a small knife dipped in the sedative he had made towards the mimic’s chest. It staggered back slightly, cryo forming at its fingertips, but it did not attack its maker, instead allowing itself to fall. So it retained at least some of its programming then after all. He applied the paralytic formula to it for extra caution before dragging the unconscious fellflower back up the mountain towards his cave. It was a laborious process, but it had to be done. 

The whole of that night was spent reading through Albedo’s notes in the hopes of finding a way to regain control of his experiment. While there was nothing written about it specifically, he was able to piece together information from various sections of the notes to come up with a solution for himself. Or at least he hoped it would be a solution. Otherwise he would have no choice but to terminate the fellflower.

He’d gone out to check on the adventurers the next morning. To his dismay, it would seem that their training would span several days. What he did not see were Eula and Amber. Or that strange boy they had left with, Bennet. Thinking that perhaps they had stepped away or were still in one of the tents, he waited from his hiding place to watch for them. After an hour or so, he knew they must not be at the camp any more. Had they gotten lost on the mountain? He didn’t like that idea. Dragonspine was too unwelcoming of a place to go wandering off without knowing precisely where one was. He wished he would go to look for them, but fixing the fellflower took priority, even if it gave him an uncomfortable feeling in his gut.

~ ~ ~

The fellflower stared coldly at him, no longer unconscious but still rendered immobile by the toxins injected into it. It would be several hours before the elemental suppressants wore off, so he did not have to worry about an attack from his creation just yet. 

“You went directly against my orders, then fled when I confronted you.” His voice was even, but the words had a sharpness to them. “Why?”

“I wanted to.” There was no sign of remorse in its expression. If anything, it seemed bored. 

“Your wants should have no effect on your actions. You are to obey my instructions and nothing else. You were created with one purpose in mind, which you failed utterly in doing, and have thus threatened to irrevocably destroy months of preparation. I had not wanted to alter you any further, but a broken tool can only be fixed or discarded. Understand that it is your own actions that have brought this upon you.”

“Yes, Master.”

Subject Two felt uneasy about the way the mimic was looking at him. Its shape and purpose may be changed, but it retained its crafty, predatory nature. His latest alterations to it ought to rein in such natures until the appropriate time for it to use them. Sending his experiment back into unconsciousness, he drew upon the power of Khemia…

~ ~ ~

The following day had come and still the two Knights along with their unlucky companion had yet to return to the base camp. Even the head of the Adventurer’s Guild, Cyrus, seemed to be growing anxious. With the fellflower’s alterations complete, Subject Two decided to search for his friends, seeing as how the Guild was evidently incapable of locating its own members or those volunteering to help. Shameful. He only hoped that the three of them were weathering the cold alright. 

~ ~ ~

“You are to seek out Eula Lawrence, Amber, and Bennet. Upon locating them, you are to report back to me. Under no circumstance are you to reveal yourself to them, or anyone else besides myself. If you cannot locate them by nightfall, you are to return here and await further instruction. This is your last chance. If you disregard your instructions again, your life will be terminated. Is this understood?”

The fellflower looked to the ground, contrite. “It is. I won’t disappoint you again, Master.”

“Good, now go. I wish to find them quickly.” He watched as the fellflower quickly exited the cave. His adjustments to the mimic’s nature should have eliminated the issue of its disobedience, but that did not stop him from feeling a hint of trepidation. He could have left the flower and searched for the missing Knights by himself, but given the innate danger of Dragonspine, he would rather take the risk for the sake of finding them faster.

In the end it was he who finally located the group. It had bothered him how a well-trained Outrider and the Reconnaissance Captain could so easily become lost when they had been following a well-worn trail last he saw them. Surely the trek back to the base camp should have been easy for them. After about a half hour of watching them however, he realized the reason for their current predicament. By some law unknown to even the heights of Celestia, the boy, Bennett, somehow attracted misfortune to a frightening degree. 

He could think of no logical explanation for it within the realm of science, and yet from even the short amount of time he had witnessed them, it was an irrefutable fact that the boy was a magnet for poor luck. It was such a fascinating breach in the natural world that for a time, Subject Two entirely forgot his purpose for being there, having become too engrossed in studying this strange phenomenon and writing down his findings in a notebook. He might have continued in this way for a while longer, but his study was interrupted when Albedo and the Traveler arrived at the scene, undoubtedly having been attracted by the rockslide that occurred only a few minutes prior. 

From there his plans were spoiled once again. He’d hoped that after having spent the last few days searching for him in vain, the Traveler would give up and leave the mountain. Alas, his luck was nearly as bad as Bennett’s. Not only was Aether going to be staying at Albedo’s camp for even longer, but now the rest of them would be joining as well. Frustration built up in him. The clock was ticking. It was only a matter of time until Kaeya showed up and Albedo would tell him the whole story, which would make killing either of them tremendously more difficult. Not to mention that the true Albedo would have no knowledge of his time spent with Amber and Eula those past several weeks. If he or the other two said the wrong thing, it would bring even more suspicion down on him than there always was. 

The plan should have been simple. No one else was supposed to get involved. But now Eula, Albedo, Paimon, Aether, and possibly Amber as well were aware that someone was impersonating Albedo, which would make any future inconsistencies with those individuals far more suspicious. Not to mention that the Traveler was now aware of their origin. The otherworldly man and their companion would likely have to be dealt with alongside Albedo and Kaeya. Strategically, he knew it would be best to get rid of the whole group. It would be easy, too. All it would take would be a well-placed avalanche while they were all huddled together, and if that didn’t kill them, his fellflower certainly would. He needed only to give the word. Regardless of the group’s fighting prowess, even combined, his little experiment would win. He’d created a safeguard in it, should Kaeya have managed to overcome it. Unless it were stabbed in the exact location of its core, which would require an exceedingly precise action, ‘killing’ it would only result in it reverting to its true form, which was equally deadly, and even more difficult to dispatch. 

He crouched in the snow, fingers buried in his hair. He could do it. Given the nature of Dragonspine, their deaths would go without suspicion. He should do it. The others would be a risk to him if left alive. The thought of them dying by his own hands however… it filled him with a sick churning feeling, like eating rotting fruit. He shook his head. This was exactly why their master had cast him away. Because his emotions, his attachments , would get in the way of their mission. He would be at risk of sabotaging what she hoped to achieve. It was the same reason she had corrupted their brother. Her plans had no room for impure things like compassion or empathy. If he truly wanted to replace Albedo, to be the perfect being their master wanted, he could not allow a few extra deaths to keep him from achieving his goal. 

He was above humans. He was better than them. A human’s lifespan was a mere fraction of his own. In the grand scheme of the world, they would mean nothing. Their deaths were inevitable, he was merely deciding the time and place. If anything, he was sparing them from the cruelty of aging. Of dying slowly, filled with regrets. Yes, he was doing them a favor. He was doing the right thing. It was what his master would have wanted.

‘But is it what you want?’ He grimaced at the small voice that pestered his thoughts. Many times it would plant seeds of doubt in his mind, seeds that he could not allow to grow. He grasped the voice and pressed deep into the recesses of his brain, locking it away with the emotions he should not feel. 

This was what he wanted. He wanted the perfect life Albedo led. He craved it more than anything, and if this was the way to get it, so be it.

~ ~ ~

The fellflower was waiting for him when he returned that night. Good. It had followed his instructions this time.

“I have new orders for you.” The fellflower looked at him in silence, but it was clear to him that its attention was undivided. “Tomorrow morning you are to hunt down Eula, Amber, Bennet, Aether, Paimon, and Albedo. Should Kaeya enter Dragonspine, you are to kill him as well. He and Albedo are to take priority, but none of them are to leave this mountain alive. Should anyone else discover you, they are to be disposed of as well.” A thought entered his mind, a reminder of the traitorous voice that sought to undo all that he had worked for. “This order is irreversible. If I later instruct you to abandon it, you are to disregard me.”

“I am to kill all of them?” A hint of malice entered the mimic’s eyes.

“By any means necessary. You may go now. Ensure none of them leave during the night.”

“Yes Master.” The fellflower quickly disappeared into the darkness. He had no doubt that it was eager to fulfill its mission. That was good. It would be less likely to fail. 

Stepping in front of the mirror he had created for himself to ensure there were no flaws in his disguise, he noticed something. Or rather, the absence of something. That accursed star, the birthmark he and his brother carried, was hidden. He cursed himself for such a grave oversight. After so long of their master having drilled him into him that it must remain unseen, it had become an unconscious habit of his to hide it with Khemia. The action took an almost infinitesimally small stream of power to remove the mark from sight, so he rarely even noticed when he was doing so. Cutting off that stream, the mark suddenly graced his throat once more, as if it had never left. Subject Two sighed. He would have to be more careful in the future, even if he loathed seeing the star. It was a symbol of imperfection their master had told him. He quickly learned to despise it. He would come up with an explanation to hide it later, but for the time being it would stay.

~ ~ ~

That night seemed to drag on more slowly than usual. He attributed it to the fact that, unlike the past few months, he had nothing to actively work on. He could have spent the night watching as Albedo worked, but somehow he could not bring himself to do so this time. As a means of passing the time, he reread through some of the notes he had stolen that pertained to other areas of Khemia which he had not deemed necessary for his plan before, but he could not seem to focus on the words. He ended up pacing the cave for a time, before deciding to take a walk into the cold night until morning came. 

It was just before sunrise when Subject Two made his way towards Albedo’s camp. Hunkering down in his usual hiding place, he could see the fellflower lying in wait along the cliff just above the entrance to the cave. It would not be able to see inside, but its position was optimal for setting up an attack. From his own vantage point, he could see that Albedo was the only one awake, as was to be expected. Neither of them required much sleep, and Albedo usually spent his nights working on his experiments, reading, or painting at his leisure. Subject Two could not be afforded the luxury of such activities yet, but it was only a matter of time. 

It wasn’t long before the others woke. Eula was the first, shortly followed by Aether, Amber, and then Bennett. Paimon had required a bit of prodding from her traveling companion before she got up, despite having remained floating in place the whole night. She was a strange creature, that one. A shame he wouldn’t have a chance to study her. 

The group didn’t tarry at the camp for long, not wanting to waste any daylight. It was a wise decision on their part, and made the wait less tedious for him. As soon as they had left the cave, the fellflower followed them from the cliffs above, stalking his prey like a mountain cat, ready to pounce at any moment. He wondered how it would choose to attack. Whether it would jump down to them, or use its elemental weapons from a distance. His question was answered as the group began to cross a bridge near the camp, one that stretched over the large gap where Wyrmrest Valley met the steep rocky cliffs of the rest of the mountain. 

Just as they were passing the center of the bridge, the fellflower sent out a surge of cryo, displacing the buildup of snow along the cliff, which quickly escalated into a full avalanche. The rumbling of it alerted the group just before it came crashing down on them. Eula and Amber barely managed to avoid it, pulling Aether to safety as they attempted to help the two who hadn’t. Bennett was knocked off of the side of the bridge, falling towards the stone floor far below. Albedo jumped after him, the two becoming shrouded from view as the snow cascaded around them. Not wanting to celebrate prematurely, Subject Two crept to a better viewpoint, watching with bated breath to see if either of the two had survived. Naturally, the others had gone to see if Bennett and Albedo were alright, but it took a fair deal of time for them to reach the bottom, during which only the younger of the two had broken free of the snow. 

Despite the boy’s astronomically poor luck, he always seemed to escape dangerous situations without an undue amount of personal injury. Albedo on the other hand had yet to show himself, and considering how long he had been under, the likelihood that he had survived was little to none. Subject Two felt a small wave of relief. His brother was the one who’s survival would cause him the most trouble. With the alchemist now out of the picture, the rest should go far more smoothly, 

From what he could see, Bennett appeared to be concussed, but somehow managed to light a fire to warm himself using his Vision and a stray torch. Being so far away, Subject Two couldn’t hear what the others were saying when they reached the boy, but from what he could gather, they were searching for Albedo. As they did so, he and the fellflower made their moves down the mountain. He stopped upon reaching a hidden place above them, while the fellflower continued further down before doubling back along the bottom of the valley to where the others were. 

“...Everyone.” The fellflower called out to them in a stern voice as it approached with confidence. Paimon startled at his sudden appearance, floating a little higher in the air. 

“Ah! Albedo! Are… are you okay?” Aether seconded her concern. “Are you hurt?”

It shook its head dismissively. “Nothing serious.” As it did so, Subject Two realized that the fellflower’s neck was lacking their star.. He growled to himself, pressing his palm into his forehead. Of course it was. It was emulating his disguised form, rather than Albedo directly. Since he had forgotten to reveal his own mark before sending the fellflower out, that was the way it had presented itself. He could only hope the others wouldn’t notice long enough for the mimic to remove them. The sick twisting feeling in his gut threatened to return at the thought of that. He shoved it away. 

Upon seeing that the group was now fully reunited, Eula crossed her arms in the way she usually did when she was pleased. “Okay, everyone accounted for.” The others seemed to share her relief, save for Bennett, whose head was hung low in shame. He looked down towards the ground, a hand rubbing the back of his head.

“Guys, I-I think… it’s gotta be because of me. The avalanche only happened because I’m here.” A part of Subject Two wanted to assure the boy that it wasn’t his fault. The kid was quick to take the blame whenever something went even remotely wrong, and for some reason that made him angry. Especially now, when he knew for a fact that Bennett was not the cause. “I guess flipping a Treasure Hoarder Insignia isn’t going to change my luck after all. No wonder no one wants to go adventuring with me. I’m so sorry!”

Amber and Eula were quick to defend the boy, comforting him and telling him that it wasn’t his fault for the avalanche. Aether on the other hand was silent, staring up at the broken bridge with a look that told him the Traveler was catching on to what really happened. That one was too perceptive for his comfort. Thankfully the fellflower was quick to divert the others’ attention before Aether had a chance to voice his concerns.

“Everyone, the incident is behind us now. We should keep moving.”  Eula put a hand to her chin, looking thoughtful as she mumbled something that he couldn’t make out above the wind. Before saying more loudly, “Our top priority is to get off the mountain and regroup with the adventurers. Whatever further dangers this mountain has to throw at us, we must face them together.”

Little did they know that the mountain was not the one to fear.

~ ~ ~

The fellflower took its time before making its next move, leading the group further along the side of the mountain, silent as the grave. It did well to hide its malicious intent, but the Traveler still appeared wary, occasionally watching the false Albedo with a thinly veiled expression of suspicion. Eula also appeared to be growing increasingly uneasy, which did not surprise him. The both of them were highly perceptive individuals with a keen intuition. It was only a matter of time before they realized something was off with ‘Albedo’.

Amber on the other hand, always one to see the bright side of things, seemed to be enjoying their little excursion, completely unaware of her companions’ mistrust of the situation. She and Eula began to converse about the hidden beauty of Dragonspine, and how it might have been a more popular place, were it warmer and less dangerous. He agreed with her sentiment. Even after so many months spent on it, fighting against the elements every time he left the warmth of his cave, he still found it to be a wondrous place. If she ever were to find Starglow Cavern, he knew she would fall in love with it. He would have to show her sometime- …ah. That was right. There wouldn’t be a sometime. This was the last he would be seeing her. At least she was happy…

“I agree… People are put off by the cold and have an aversion to danger. They don’t realize there is much to explore behind the icy exterior, if you are willing to spend the time and energy.” Eula’s words carried a note of sadness, and he couldn’t help but feel that the Knight was not speaking only of Dragonspine… “Albedo, is this the way down?”

“Yes.” It was not. Not directly, anyway. 

Bennett rubbed the back of his head, looking at the path ahead of them. “I think there are several routes in this area… hm, does the path fork off here? It looks like it does… hm, but maybe it doesn’t… my head’s still a little fuzzy from the impact…” 

'Well of course it is. You sustained a concussion. You ought to be resting, not trekking down a mountain with nothing but warming potions to keep you from freezing to death.' It frustrated him that no one had bothered to check the boy’s condition beyond merely asking if he was okay. Amber’s condition seemed to be on the decline as well. The fellflower would have undoubtedly taken notice of their unwellness. It would likely be making its move soon. 

“Either path will work for us. The smaller trail is less worn and harder to see, but it’s also shorter. Since everyone is weary, I suggest we take the shortcut. Follow me.” It turned and led the way down the path without waiting for the others to discuss the matter.

Ah, so that was its ploy. Having personally mapped out the whole of Dragonspine, Subject Two knew that the path the fellflower was suggesting led to a dead end in a secluded section of the mountain. Not once in the months that he had spent on the mountain had he witnessed a visitor to the mountain venture that way, and it was largely sheltered from the wind as well, reducing the risk of the zephyrs carrying the sounds of a fight towards the adventurers further on. It was a perfect place to attack the group at once. He found it increasingly difficult to keep his own sickness at bay. 

They had not made it very far before Eula took notice of Amber and Bennett’s declining health. Of course, seeing her friends unwell, she was quick to order that they stop and rest. He could tell that his creation was growing impatient, but it did not give itself away just yet. It was not until Aether pulled Eula aside, whispering to one another and making quick glances towards it that it finally decided to make its move. 

A sword of ice matching his own was summoned in its hand as it launched itself towards the two. Aether only barely managed to push Eula out of the way before clashing swords with it. Its combative skills seemed to have improved in the few days since it had first attacked Eula. With a few swift slashes it derailed Aether’s sword before making a strike at the Traveler’s heart. It likely would have succeeded too, if not for Eula blocking its attack with her claymore, which she then swung at it. In an instant a spiked wall of ice rose up between them. Eula’s sword cut through the barrier with ease, but in the moment it took to do so, the mimic had already leapt into the air, summoning a shower of icy blades which laid waste to the entire area. Eula had managed to shield herself somewhat by using her weapon to block the majority of the shards, but it did not save her from all of them. Numerous deep cuts along her limbs and part of her face began to bleed steadily, crimson droplets standing starkly against the blue-white snow and ice. Aether had got off luckier, only sustaining a few shallow cuts, and was swift to attack the fellflower the moment it landed. The two exchanged blows in a flurry of movement, Eula soon rejoining the fray. A well placed strike of her claymore shattered her opponent’s frozen sword, forcing it to retreat slightly. 

By then the sound of the fight had reached the other two, and within a few moments they too had joined in on the attack, Amber loosing a pyro-arrow in the mimic’s direction. It expertly avoided the attack, perroqueting out of harm’s way before gathering cryo energy in each hand, pressing them to the ground. The earth around it erupted with rows of massive ice spires. Subject Two felt his heart skip as he lost sight of the others amidst the frozen deathtrap, until Bennett came into view, dodging the spires that shot up around him before leaping up, his sword alighting as he brought it down against the nearest cluster of ice. Ice scattered in every direction from the heat and force of the blow, leaving a flaming circle along the ground at the center of his attack. The others quickly joined him within the circle, their wounds beginning to heal the moment they entered its warmth. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief at the sight.

The fellflower drew back, a dangerous look entering its eyes like a deadly spark about to light a funeral pyre. It was done playing with its food. A pulsing bloom of cryo appeared in its hand, growing larger as it was raised into the air. A cold hollow feeling clawed at the pit of Subject Two’s stomach as a feeling of dread filled him. He knew what this attack was. It was the most powerful one his creation could summon, but required a buildup of energy before it could be unleashed. Once it was activated however, it would decimate anything unlucky enough to be caught with its range, capable of shattering shields and weapons alike. Given their proximity, he knew they would not survive the blast. He told himself this was what he wanted. This was necessary. This was… this was… 

This was wrong.

He could not stop it though. Even if he commanded it to cease its attack, it wouldn't. He'd ensured that when he gave the flower its orders the night before. The cryo bloom swelled as power steadily built up in it. It would reach its full capacity in a matter of seconds now. The others were too transfixed by it to move. A cruel smile now adorned the fellflower’s face. It knew it had won. It was enjoying the pain it was about to inflict. The look made his heart squeeze with anger. Before Subject Two even registered what he was doing, he slipped from his hiding place, swiftly coming up from behind. A moment later his sword materialized in his grasp.

Then he plunged it through his creation’s core.

Chapter Text

Kaeya Alberich stood at the center of the now-abandoned mountain laboratory, the knot of worry that had settled in his chest binding even tighter than it had been the past couple days. His meeting with Jean had taken longer than expected, but when he’d arrived at the place Albedo had mentioned in his letter, there was no sign of either the alchemist or Abyssal activity whatsoever. This was where his worries had first begun to coil within him. Albedo rarely was one to play pranks, and on the few occasions that he did, they were always small, harmless things. He certainly would not leave Kaeya an important letter just to lead him on a wild goose chase, which meant one of two things. Either someone had forged the letter, or Albedo had been coerced into writing it. 

Unfortunately by then it had grown too late in the day to ascend the mountain and speak to Albedo, so he was forced to wait until the next morning. Or at least he had intended to go the next morning. Instead his entire day was spent dealing with a group of Fatui soldiers who had pushed the hospitality of Mondstadt a little too far. The paperwork alone had taken him hours to push through, and by the time the whole ordeal had finally been put to rest, it was once again too late to make the trek up Dragonspine. As he laid awake that night, he could only hope that Albedo was not in immediate danger.

It was early the following morning when he set out for the mountain, avoiding passing through the base camp so as not to be waylaid by the large group of adventurers gathered there for training. The second thread of worry that strung him came at the sight of the broken bridge that led to the laboratory. It was clear that an avalanche had taken it out, which would not have been the first time for that to happen, but for it to coincide with the situation with Albedo, he couldn’t help but feel the two were related. Thankfully he had brought his wind glider with them, so he wasn’t forced to go around another way. 

When he’d finally reached Albedo’s camp, he found it empty. By itself, this shouldn’t have been too worrying. Albedo often was away from his camp to collect data and materials for experiments or paint the scenery. No, what concerned him was the lack of any kind of note left behind. He and the alchemist had made an agreement that whenever Albedo left the camp while Kaeya was away, he would make a note of his whereabouts. There were no such notes that day however, though there were signs that the camp had been occupied by a number of people not long before. Several chairs had been left around the camp, plates were stacked neatly on one of the tables, and a variety of footprints could still be seen in the snow leading up to the camp. There didn’t appear to be any sign of a fight, but that did little to ease the Captain’s worry. The footprints led back towards the bridge. He counted them. There were five distinct sets of prints, one of which he recognized as being Albedo’s. As the footprints reached the bridge however, only three sets had doubled back before heading down the mountain. Albedo’s were not one of them. His gaze returned to the pile of snow in the valley left by the avalanche. The knot in his chest ran cold. 

~ ~ ~

“Albedo!” His breath left in white plumes as he called out for the alchemist upon reaching the valley floor. One of the two missing footprints, the smallest ones, reappeared from the mound of snow before wandering off with the others. Albedo’s did not. 

“Albedo!” His shouts were becoming more desperate now, and he wished for once that he’d been given a pyro Vision instead of a cryo one. He knew that if the alchemist were trapped under the mountain of frozen white powder, it was more likely than not that by the time he found him, it would have long since been too late. Suddenly he felt a faint pulse of geo coming from the snow, then another. It only took him a few moments to pinpoint the epicenter of the geo energy. Ignoring the cold that gnawed hungrily at his fingers, he dug into the snow as quickly as he was able. The geo energy grew stronger the further down he got, until his hands hit a solid geo construct. It was one of Albedo’s solar isotomas, the stony gold petals glowing in sharp contrast to the grey-white snow. 

Albedo was lying directly beneath the construct, which had shielded him from the full impact of the avalanche and created a pocket of air. He appeared to be unconscious, but as Kaeya pulled him out from the snow, hugging him close, his eyes fluttered open slightly.

“Your timing is… impeccable… Sir Kaeya.” His voice was weak, but Kaeya was relieved that the alchemist was still alive and well enough to speak. He pressed his nose to the top of Albedo’s head, heart beating with adrenaline.

“Bedo, you big idiot. Don’t ever scare me like that again. I was worried you died. Come on, I’ll get you back to the cave and warm you up.”

“Mm—” Albedo’s eyes began to drift closed again as Kaeya hefted his half-conscious body into his arms and carried him away.

The fellflower looked to Subject Two through the corner of its eye, rage and betrayal flashing in those icy depths. He yanked his sword from the mimic’s sternum with a feeling of disgust. He might have felt pity for it, having been killed for doing its job perfectly. The expression on its face as it prepared to slaughter his friends however… it was not a creature worthy of sympathy. It was a being that killed for fun. No longer impaled, it fell to its knees, one arm bracing itself with the other clutched at its wound. No… that wasn’t right. It should have died the moment he withdrew his sword. He had struck in the exact place its core would be. Unless… unless it had moved its core—

“Albedo, what—” Paimon came out from behind a startled Aether, but just then the fellflower began to surge with cryo energy.

“This isn’t over yet!” He leapt backwards as the fellflower was engulfed by ice spires, which quickly receded back into the ground as it traveled through the stone, leaving behind a trail of frozen shards before it erupted from the earth. Its true form was revealed then, a whopperflower of unnatural size and strength, its elemental power greatly enhanced through Durin’s taint. It glowed with his fallen brother’s corruptive energy. Of course it was. He’d designed it to continuously draw energy from the tainted ley lines that ran through the mountain should it be forced to revert to its true form. This energy not only bolstered its attacks, but also created a shield for itself that would regenerate as it fought. “Destroy the fruits hanging from its leaves! We won’t be able to harm it until they are gone! Don’t let it form new ones either!”

The fellflower fought with a ferocity that could only come from such a corrupted creature. Subject Two was glad he had worked on his own combative skills during his time on the mountain, but without a Vision, he could hardly do more than keep himself from being slain by his own creation. The others fought bravely against it, but to little effect. The shimmering red shield that surrounded it kept it safe from any of their attacks, and Its movements were too volatile and unpredictable for them to get a chance at destroying the fruits with any consistency. It took them longer to destroy a fruit than it did for the fellflower to fully regrow them. It did not help that the others were already worn from the fight earlier, alongside a full day of trekking down the mountain. At the rate they were going, it would not be long before the flower had its prey. 

Subject Two knew he needed to do something, but he wasn’t sure what. He could not wield the elements, his sword would not pierce through the fellflower’s shield, and he had not brought his sedative or paralytic toxin. He might be able to destabilize it through Khemia, but he would have to have physical contact with it for that to be effective. It was the only viable option he could think of however. 

“Everyone, clear me a path! I have an idea!”

The others did not question him, Bennett and Eula joining him at either side while Aether and Amber tried to draw its attention away. A wave of cryo shards appeared like a deadly halo around the flower as he got close, but Bennet blocked it with a swing of his pyro-infused sword. The fellflower must have known what he was attempting to do, its focus turning fully to him before it crouched towards the ground, swinging its leaves like rotating scythes. Eula sent a blast of her own cryo onto the ground between him and the flower, then kicked his feet from under him. He was sent sliding beneath the spinning leaves before crashing into the fellflower’s base. It screeched, and he was forced to leap up as more spires of ice erupted around him. Barely avoiding being skewered by them, he planted both hands against the experiment’s stalk before summoning the power of Khemia. He knew he would only have a moment before he would have to brace for another attack. Using the little time he had, he focused on severing the flower’s connection to Durin’s taint. Without that, the others would finally be capable of damaging it. 

The fellflower let out an almost deafening, high-pitched whine as the dragon’s power was suddenly cut off from it. The glow of its fruits faded as it used up what little stores of the energy it held in them. Subject Two crossed his arms in front of his face as ice shards cut towards him, sending him flying backwards into Aether. The Traveler pushed themself upright before deftly pulling him to his feet. The movement sent pain lancing though him, blood dripping from the wounds his creation had inflicted upon him. He retreated to brace himself against one of the ruin walls until Bennett was able to create another healing circle. He’d never experienced Vision healing before. Being healed with pyro he had expected a burning feeling. Instead it was pleasantly warm, like sunlight on a cool day, and he felt his wounds close as if they were never there.

Once the fellflower had exhausted its shield, the others began cutting it down, its size diminishing somewhat as its energy was expended while trying to heal itself. Before long it was only a quarter of its original mass, just small enough for it to decide that fighting was no longer worth it. He noticed the telltale signs that it was about to disappear underground again, which was something he could not allow. “It’s about to burrow! Don’t let it escape!”

Amber loosed a volley of flaming arrows at it, which it managed to doge, but left itself open to Aether’s attack in the process. Their sword arced towards the base of the flower’s bulb, severing it from the rest of its body. For good measure, Eula planted her claymore down into the bulb, destroying its core. The flower’s corpse withered before turning to ash. “...hmph.” Subject Two was admittedly disappointed to see the result of his hard work reduced to dust, despite the destruction it had caused. 

As the group gathered back together, Paimon reappeared from wherever it was that she had vanished to, speaking out what they all were thinking. “What in the world was that thing!? One moment it was human, the next moment it was a plant…”

Subject Two dodged the question in favor of ensuring the others were presently unharmed. “Is everyone alright?” Unfortunately Amber was not about to let him off the hook.

“We’re fine," she answered, her voice carrying a note of frustration, "but can you please tell us what’s going on? I-I don’t understand…”

Of course. He knew there would be no getting out of this now. The fellflower had impersonated him, and he was the one who had killed its human form. Naturally the others would assume he was the one who would know what happened. Eula glanced at him, arms crossed. “I take it this monster is whom I had the pleasure of meeting last time?”

He nodded. “Correct. As you might have guessed, this is a mutated whopperflower. An extremely rare kind.”

Paimon looked at him with confusion. “Can whopperflowers turn into humans?”

It was a good question, the answer to which was decidedly no. Not without extremely precise modifications anyway. He knew he would need to come up with a believable explanation, one that would also draw away suspicion from himself down the line. Sticking to half-truths would likely be his best option. “Not typically, but the conditions on Dragonspine are far from typical. Perhaps the dragon’s blood seeped into the land, then was passed to the monsters via the ley lines, accelerating their rate of mutation.”

Bennett's eyes widened. “How could that happen!?”

“This mountain is home to the remains of Durin, the venomous dragon. If there is anywhere in the world one might expect life to do unfathomable things, it would most likely be here. Durin was an artificially created life form. Its existence is nothing short of a miracle, and proof of countless possibilities. In other words, the mountain we stand on is a cradle of life’s profoundest mysteries… A vast and terrifying hotbed of possibilities.” In this he was not lying. After all, he himself had been brought back from the void through means he still did not understand.

“The avalanche… it must have been the work of this imposter,” Eula deduced. Sharp as ever. 

“Agreed. All the other troubles you faced on the way down could also have been its handiwork. My guess is that it was targeting everyone I’ve had contact with.” 'By my own instruction.'

Aether spoke up at this, something the Traveler did not often do. “Did this whopperflower steal your alchemy notes too?”

“Right! I forgot all about that!” Amber added.

Hm. He hadn’t thought Amber would know about that. Albedo must have told the others about the missing alchemy notes then. “It's not inconceivable.”

The Outrider frowned, her mind trying to work out the problem. “But… What was its purpose? Was it just trying to get rid of us?”

Yes. That was exactly what it had been trying to do, because he was the one who had ordered it to do so. Had he not stepped in, it would have succeeded too. He pushed back a grimace from the guilt which rose up in him. “I have a preliminary hypothesis on this. Whopperflowers are masters of mimicry, and those we encounter in the wild often appear in the vicinity of the flower they impersonate. In other words, the whopperflower likely has an instinct to ‘replicate and replace’. As a plant, it will disguise itself as another plant and infiltrate the group, hiding among them for cover.” Not unlike his own intentions. “The plant being imitated has no way to detect or fight back against this behavior. But when it disguises itself as a human…”

Paimon looked aghast. “It wanted to replace you and infiltrate our group?”

“Yes. Maybe it created the avalanche to get rid of us. I predicted this eventuality, so I availed myself of the avalanche to hide and lure it out. It was watching us the whole time, and when it saw that I had disappeared, its instinct was to take my place. At this point, its disguise was complete and its next move was to hunt its prey.” It was the truth, albeit with a few details missing.

Amber nodded in agreement, buying into his story. “Yes, that’s exactly how whopperflowers operate.”

Eula was less easily convinced, her hand going to her hips. “So when it approached and attacked Joel… what was that? A trial run?”

'No. It was merely hunting for sport, directly against my prior instructions,' he thought bitterly. “Perhaps… Or maybe it enjoyed being a human and wanted to experience what it felt like to be human.”

To his relief, Eula appeared to be satisfied with his answer. “We’re fortunate to have discovered it in time. I think Aether was the first person other than Albedo to notice something was wrong.”

Indeed they were, which was still a problem. Unlike Amber and Eula, Aether was quite familiar with the real Albedo, in addition to being unusually perceptive. They were a notable threat to his plan, and seeing as he had sabotaged his own means of removing them from the picture, he would have to be especially careful. “Aether, how could you tell the real me and my imposter apart?”

“The imposter didn’t have the star-shaped mark on its neck.”

“I see…” He should have guessed as much. An oversight such as that would clearly have not gone unnoticed by them. Subject Two suddenly had the urge to touch his own neck, paranoid that he might have accidentally begun hiding the mark again. He would need to keep that habit of his in check. One small slip up around any of them now would draw immediate attention to himself as not being the real Albedo. “It goes to show how difficult it is to impersonate a human. This mutant whopperflower tried its best to replicate the original exactly, but still managed to miss some details.” 

Amber shook her head in disbelief. “Unbelievable… to think that Dragonspine creates such terrifying possibilities…”

“Anyway, at least we won in the end. It looks like my method did work after all. I used up all the bad luck, and the good luck finally came through!”

Ah poor, sweet Bennett. Subject Two wished he could wrap up the child in packaging and stick him in a padded room for awhile. Perhaps he could find a way to reverse the child’s dogged streak of misfortune. “About that… if you’re referring to having fallen down the mountain and avoided injury, well, that’s because I was secretly protecting you.” Or at least that’s what he assumed his brother had done. The likelihood of Bennett having made it out of that with nothing more than a mild concussion was little to none. 

“Huh? Uhh… well that still counts as good luck for me!”

He couldn’t help but chuckle at the boy’s relentless optimism. It was no wonder Amber got along so well with him. “Haha, yes, that’s not an unreasonable way of looking at it. Okay. We’ve delayed long enough. Time to move on.” 'Before Kaeya inevitably shows up and tries to kill me.'

~ ~ ~

He was able to navigate them back to the base camp without issue, which he had worried might not be the case considering Bennet was among their ranks. Once they were back to the warmth and safety of Mondstadt, the others dispersed, save for Aether and Paimon. The fairy seemed rather pleased with herself, despite having been almost no help throughout the situation beyond speaking for Aether, as she was doing just then.

“Feels like an action-packed adventure has come to a close. Shall we find somewhere to rest and chat too?”

He figured the two would wish to speak with him. Or rather that Aether would. They had been more distant than usual during the trek back, and Subject Two knew that the Traveler must have suspected there was more to the story than he had let on. “Why not. Then, please come with me. You sensed something too, didn’t you. Then let’s go.”

Paimon was less than pleased when he took them back to Albedo’s camp. His camp, now. Though he did not wish to divulge even more secrets of their origin than Albedo already had, he knew that honesty would be the best way to gain Aether’s trust. If Albedo had seen fit to share such sensitive information with them before, then he should do so too. 

“Sorry for bringing you back here once again. Some topics are best discussed in private.”

“Is this about the imposter?” Aether asked knowingly.

“That’s right. I have to say, Traveler… I am very surprised you noticed the difference between me and the imposter. Yes. This mark… perhaps it is where it all began…”

~ ~ ~

Something was off about the state of the camp. He had not said anything while Aether was present, but now that they had departed, he was able to investigate further. A cot had been pulled out, blankets piled on top of it, and a pot of warm water was sitting over the fire, wet rags hanging next to it. Freshly made footprints in the snow had also appeared. One set leading in, two sets leading out. The second set perfectly matched his own, while the other belonged to a taller individual. He had a pretty good idea to whom those belonged.

Shit.

Seeing as how the camp had been empty when he and Aether arrived, Subject Two suspected that Kaeya and Albedo had gone out to look for him and the others, but they would come back eventually. He needed to prepare for when that happened, which would require him to retrieve some things from his own camp. Namely the sedative and toxins he’d created for the whopperflowers. Just as he left, Albedo returned to the camp. So he had truly survived after all. His brother looked up towards the rock he was perched on. They locked knowing gazes with one another, then Subject Two disappeared into the swirling snow.

~ ~ ~

Three days later...

He had gathered the necessary materials for his attack. This was likely to be his final strike. Either he would succeed, or he would killed. Subject Two took a long look at the cave that had been his home for so many months. His new camp would a vast improvement, but he couldn’t help but feel a little despondent at abandoning this one, filled with all the things he had worked so hard to collect and create. He supposed he would leave his things there, a reminder of what had been his life before, and a place where he could return to should the need arise. Bidding the space farwell, he turned to leave.

He froze.

“Well well, if it isn’t the shifty little bastard I was hoping to find.”

The Cavalry Captain stood before him, sword drawn, and a murderous twinkle appearing in that sharp azure eye.

Chapter Text

“Well well, if it isn’t the shifty little bastard I was hoping to find.” Kaeya’s voice retained its usual slyness, but now it carried an undertone of a threat. Subject Two stepped backwards into the cave, heart pounding as adrenaline shot through him. He wasn’t ready for this. He was the one that was supposed to ambush the others, not the other way around. He knew he had no chance of winning a fight head-on with the Cavalry Captain, but he would have to try. Maybe if he could get a good slash on Kaeya, he could try to get some of his sedatives or toxins into the man’s bloodstream. 

“Albedo says he wants me to bring you alive if at all possible. You can either make things easy and come with me without a fight, or I’ll get to have a little fun with you before I bring you up by force. It’s entirely up to you. Just keep in mind that ‘if possible’ is highly subjective.”

Subject Two didn’t know what his brother intended to do with him, but if the other wanted him alive, that didn’t bode well for him. He remembered many of their mother’s living experiments. They were almost always brought in alive. They rarely stayed that way, but not before undergoing horrendous treatment as she tore them apart and put them back together as something entirely different. Not too unlike what he had done with the whopperflower, only she rarely had given them the kindness of a sedative beforehand. He dropped his sack of supplies to the stone floor of the cave and summoned his sword.

Kaeya’s eye sparkled in the dim light. “So that's how you want to play it then? Good. I was hoping that would be the case.”

Kaeya was fast. Very fast. Before Subject Two even had time to react, the Cavalry Captain’s sword was only a hair’s breadth away from his shoulder. He barely managed to block it with his own sword, skirting to the side. He wasn’t able to go far before a blast of cryo nearly tripped him. Tucking into a roll, he popped back up with a fair bit of agility before swinging his sword at Kaeya. He had watched the other fight enough to have memorized the man’s moves, but actually avoiding them proved to be an entirely other issue.

Their blades crossed with a chorus of sharp rings and scrapes as metal scraped against metal, the song echoing off the walls of the cavern. Were it not for Kaeya’s Vision, Subject Two might have held a small chance of winning a duel against the other, but the man’s frequent bursts of cryo were more than he could parry. It wasn’t long before his blade was knocked away from his grasp, followed by a swift kick to his chest. Pain ran down his back as he slammed into the hard stone floor. A moment later, the tip of Kaeya’s sword graced his throat with just enough pressure to feel its sharpness without blood being drawn. Yet. 

“You fought better than I was expecting. I think it’s time you tap out though, before things get messy.”

Subject Two breathed heavily from exertion and fear. He couldn’t go out like this. He didn’t want to die. He was going to die if he didn’t do something. But what could he do? His vials were still in his bag further down the cave, and his only weapon was just out of reach. 

“Well? Are you ready to yield?”

Doing the only action he could think of. Subject Two clapped the flat of Kaeya’s blade between his hands and sent a wave of Khemia through it. Kaeya recoiled, letting out a cry of pain and surprise as the hilt of his sword warped, the metal erupting into sharp spines that pierced straight through the other side of his hand. He tried to release the weapon, but the spikes prevented him from doing so. In the precious seconds it took him to pry out his sword with his other hand, Subject Two had leapt upwards, retrieving his own weapon and sweeping the Captain’s legs from under him. He raised his sword, standing in the prime position to slash it across the other’s neck, or plunge it into his heart. This was it. His most dangerous enemy would be gone in a single movement. Victory was his, and yet… and yet… 

His eyes locked with the man’s starry pupil. He hesitated, just for a moment. It was a moment too long. Kaeya raised his uninjured hand and sent another blast of cryo which struck him in the face point blank. He staggered back, sword clattering to the ground as he was blinded, clutching at his eyes. He never saw Kaeya snatch his blade and come up from behind. White pain suddenly bloomed in the back of his head as the pommel of his own sword was driven against his skull. He was unconscious before he even hit the ground.

Kaeya grimaced, a Khaenri’ahn curse flying from his tongue as he attempted to bandage his mangled hand. He’d been itching for a fight against the imposter after what he’d pulled with Albedo and the others, but he had not expected for his sword hilt to sprout two-inch long metal spikes as he grasped it. The other was lying unconscious on the cave floor, blood staining his ash-blonde hair from where he’d cracked his forehead open via hitting the stone face-first. It wasn’t a life-threatening injury, but the man would definitely be feeling it once he woke up.

'Good,' Kaeya thought spitefully. Picking the other off the floor, he slung him over his shoulder, then snatched up the man’s sack of things before traipsing back towards Albedo’s camp. It would have been a far less tedious task had the lookalike been awake and able to carry himself. But alas, the man insisted on doing things the hard way. Harder for himself and Kaeya both. It didn’t help that Kaeya could only use his one hand at that moment. 

It was a little past noon when he arrived at the camp, shivering from the cold. He dropped the lookalike and his things unceremoniously to the floor as Albedo got up quickly from whatever he’d been working on. “You actually caught him?” The alchemist was impressed. He hadn’t expected they’d find his brother so soon after he’d disappeared. 

“I told you I would. Though he had a rather unpleasant trick hiding up his sleeve once I had him cornered.”

Albedo noticed the bloodstained cloth wrapped around the Captain’s hand, brow furrowing a little. “What occurred?”

“I had him on the ground with my sword at his throat when he grabbed my blade and did this.” He summoned the ruined sword, allowing it to fall to the ground in front of the alchemist. “Poked a lot of holes right through my hand with it. A shame really, I was rather fond of that sword. He managed to get the upper-hand against me right after that, but he hesitated in actually making a strike, so I took advantage and quickly dispatched him."

The furrow in Albedo’s brow deepened as he took Kaeya’s hand into his own, unwrapping the sloppy bandaging. Kaeya winced, audibly drawing in a sharp breath as the open air stung the already painful wounds. Albedo inspected them for a moment before retrieving proper bandages and a wolfhook-based coagulative salve to stop the bleeding, applying them to his partner’s injured limb. 

“I’ve tended to it to the best of my abilities, but you need to go down to the cathedral to get that mended by an actual healer before any permanent damage sets in.”

The Cavalry Captain shook his head. “I’ll be fine. I’m not about to leave you here alone with that one. He’s a devious little weasel and I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if something happened to you because I wasn’t here to help.”

“I am far from helpless, Sir Kaeya. I not only am more experienced with Khemia than he would be, but I also wield a Vision. I will be fine. You on the other hand are already injured, and should receive Vision healing as soon as possible. Unless you’re wanting to wear your grandfather’s hook as well as his eyepatch.”

“And what am I supposed to tell Barbara?

Albedo smiled a little. “I’m sure you’ll come up with something. That’s your specialty is it not?”

“You really can be cruel sometimes, you know that?” 

“Only because I love you. Now go. I shall see you tomorrow.” He watched as Kaeya reluctantly left for the city while mumbling something about ‘almost as bad as Adelinde’, before turning his attention to his sleeping brother. It was time they had a nice long chat.

Subject Two woke to a throbbing pain in his head, which radiated from both the front and back of his skull. There seemed to be some sort of wrapping around it, but as he reached up to investigate, he discovered that his arms were bound to his side with thick rope. He was resting against a stone wall, the multicolored lights of various apparatus and their contents illuminating what would otherwise be a dark space, night having descended upon the mountain. 

After a few moments of finding his bearings, he noticed his twin seated in a chair opposite him. The other was staring at him with a vapid expression. There was no way to tell what he was thinking. 

“So you’re awake finally. You’ve caused quite a bit of trouble over the past few days, you know.” He remained silent, only watching the other tensely. “I have some questions for you, grouped into several topics. I suggest you answer them honestly. Your answers to them will determine what I decide to do with you. Before we begin however, I have a warning for you. We are both aware that ropes would not keep you trapped. However, if you attempt to escape or use Khemia, I will not hesitate to kill you.” The alchemist waited a few moments, then briefly looking towards his neck, added. “ Any form of Khemia.” 

Subject Two’s mouth tightened as he released the imperceptibly small stream of energy, his star reappearing. He felt disgusted by it. Albedo watched him for a few moments, as if appraising him. He had the urge to hide from the other’s half-lidded eyes. Eyes that perfectly mirrored his own. Finally his double spoke. “Do you hate me?”

“Yes.” The answer was immediate. 

“An understandable response. Do you also hate Kaeya Alberich?”

He looked to the floor, already disliking this line of questions. “I… no. I do not hate him.” It was true. He didn’t even truly dislike the man, and he certainly didn’t wish to kill him. But it was a necessity if his plan was to be successful.  

“How about our brother, Durin? It was he who swallowed you, after all.”

Subject Two shivered, remembering the feeling of his brother’s poison eating away at him as he burned and suffocated within the dragon’s depths. “I never hated him. Not the real Durin. I hate what our master turned him into. I… fear him, but I do not hate him.”

Albedo’s head tilted slightly, as if he hadn’t expected that answer. “So our mother, do you hate her then?”

He hesitated, the question pulling against him like running through a bramble. He had to think about it. Did he hate her? Their mother? Their creator? He thought of what she had done to Durin, and to him. Of the monsters she had created, and her actions having lead to the curse set upon the people of Khaenri’ah. He had his answer. “Yes, I do hate her— …Do you?”

His brother looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, “No. I neither agree nor approve of many of her actions, but I do not hate her. And the others? The ones you tried to kill three days ago. Do you hate them?”

His eyes snapped upwards as he strained ever so slightly against the ropes. “No! They… they are my friends. I wasn’t trying to…” The words caught in his throat. He had tried to kill them, even if he hadn’t been able to go through with it. His gaze fell again, shame twisting around his chest. “It was a mistake.”

“I read the report written on the incident. The ‘other me’ was of your own creation, am I correct? I’m quite interested as to how you made it. The report mentioned that it was a rare form of mutated whopperflower. To my knowledge you were never taught how to alter life forms with Khemia, so how did you manage to create such an impressive specimen?” 

“Your notes. I read through them.”

“After you stole them?” Albedo asked pointedly.

Subject Two shook his head. “No, before that. I stole them because I needed to fix it. It was acting against my orders.”

“When it had attacked Joel?”

“Yes. I only intended for it to… for it to kill Kaeya. No one else.”

Albedo hummed, seemingly piecing something together. “But then the others became a threat to you, so you instructed it to hunt them instead?”

“That… is correct. I regret that now.”

“Interesting.” The other put a pencil to his chin. “You deemed people you considered friends to be a great enough threat to you that you arranged their deaths, only to change your mind and destroy your own creation. One that I  assume took a great amount of time and effort to bring into the world, making a further detriment to your plans. Then you sabotaged yourself again when you hesitated to kill Kaeya today. According to him, you had the opportunity to, but didn’t take it. I suppose we are less alike than I had initially thought.”

Subject Two bristled at the accusation, which did not go unnoticed by the alchemist. Albedo raised an eyebrow slightly at his reaction. “This offends you. Why is that?”

“Our master made you to be perfect. You are confirming I am less than that.”

“‘Perfection’ is rather subjective," Albedo countered. "In terms of suiting our mother’s plans, yes, she considered me perfect. For a time, anyway. But as far as creating an artificial human goes, you are far closer to perfection than I.”

“Oh? What makes you think that?” he asked bitterly. His brother was mocking him.

“You experience and therefore better understand human emotions than myself. You are also more empathetic, and connect with others more easily. Had I been in your position, I would have killed them if it meant achieving my goal.” Subject Two felt disgusted by the statement. “Tell me…” the other continued, “...how long has it been since you returned from Durin’s belly?”

It only took a moment for him to calculate the time. “Nine months and twenty three days.”

A look of genuine surprise crossed his brother’s face. Had the other been expecting less? Was his progress so poor that it shocked Albedo? “And how much of that time was spent in preparation to replace me?

“Almost five.”

Albedo didn’t say anything for a short while, his gaze having drifted towards a container of bubbling blue liquid. “Five months… and not once during that time did you find an opportunity to kill me or Kaeya? I find that hard to believe. You already proved it would merely take a well-timed avalanche to dispatch a person, myself included. Had Kaeya not found me, your attempt on my life would have been successful. So why resort to such an elaborate scheme and create a living tool for yourself just for the sake of killing us?”

Subject Two blinked, the question striking him like a nail through his head. “I… I had to be careful. You both needed to go at the same time.”

“Then why not target us while we were in the same place? Even with our Visions, an ambush would have been rather effective here.” He didn’t know how to answer. This had been the only way that was safe. It had to be perfect. Surely… surely the situation called for higher caution than simply ambushing them. Albedo took in his silence, evidently gaining as much from it as he would a real answer. “I have a hypothesis. I think your plan with its complexity and lengthy preparation was a result of that fact that you, at least subconsciously, do not wish me dead. Or at the very least, you do not wish to harm Kaeya, and correlate his death as being effectively synonymous with my own, which thus created dissonance within yourself. You said the mutated whopperflower’s purpose was to kill Kaeya, yes? I believe your creation of it was because your conscience wouldn’t allow you to kill him directly. It is also why you did not take hold of your opportunity to kill him today. You seemed to be a rather kind-hearted individual when I first met you after my creation. It would seem that quality has lasted in you, despite your situation.”

He shrank back against the wall, eyes stinging. It felt as if the other were picking him apart. “You’re mocking me.”

Albedo shook his head. “Far from it. I find it to be an admirable quality, and it is the reason I have chosen not to kill you or turn you in to the Knights yet. I had my suspicions as to the reasoning for your actions, and lack thereof, but I needed to question you before I could make any solid judgements on the matter. From what I can gather from you, my hypothesis was correct.”

Subject Two watched the other with apprehension, not entirely sure if what he was hearing was correct. “So you… don’t intend to kill me?” Was this a trick?

“I do not.”

This was not what he had expected of the other. What did Albedo have to gain by keeping him alive? It was not as if he held any important information that the alchemist did not already know. Was he intending to experiment on him after all? Something about that didn’t sound right to him anymore. Albedo was not like their master. He had known that for some time now, he realized. But that still left the question… “Why?”

Albedo sighed, thought not impatiently. “I believe you deserve a second chance. It was not right of our mother to cast you away as she did, and had our places been switched, I know I would have sought the same thing.”

“So… what do you intend to do with me then?”

Albedo stood from his chair, pacing a little ways. “An excellent question, one that I have been thinking over myself. I cannot allow you to continue living as me. You need to create your own life for yourself. However… I believe it would be cruel to simply cast you out and leave you to pick up the pieces on your own. As such, I would like to offer a proposition to you. For a yet undetermined period of time, I will permit you to continue visiting the city in my stead. With stipulations of course. You may also stay here at my camp, and be granted access to my equipment while under supervision. In exchange, you will allow Kaeya and myself to teach you to live as your own person, after which, you will turn yourself in to the people of Mondstadt for them to form their own judgment of your character and actions.”

Subject Two wasn’t sure how to respond. Out of all the things he would have expected his twin to propose, that certainly wasn’t one of them. He had admitted to hating the other, had nearly killed him, so why was Albedo giving him a chance like this? Why would Albedo even trust him enough to offer such a thing in the first place? “How do you know I wouldn’t just try to kill you again?”

“I don’t," Albedo admitted. "Though I am rather confident in my assessment that you will not. Why? Do you intend to?”

“...no.”

His brother stepped closer, only an arm’s reach away. “Well then, is my proposal agreeable to you? I could always hand you over to the Knights if that’s what you’d—”

“No!” he said a little too loudly, then correcting himself, “No, please. Your offer is… more than I deserve. I would gratefully accept it.”

“I am glad to hear it.” Albedo reached for him and he flinched instinctively, only to feel the ropes that bound him sliding away like loose strings. Despite everything he had done, Albedo had set him free, just like that. 

Something inside him felt suddenly freed as well.

Chapter Text

ARC 2- A NAME OF ONE'S OWN

“Don’t touch those.” Subject Two quickly dropped his hand away from where he had been pulling on the bandages wrapped around his head. Albedo’s gaze hadn’t moved from the vial he was inspecting. “I gave you medicine for the pain, but you are still injured and bringing you to a healer isn’t an option. As such, the bandages stay for the time being. Just be thankful your eyes weren’t significantly damaged from the ice.”

That was of little consolation, as said pain medications had begun to wear off by then, causing his eyes to water and sting from the abrasions, as well as the aching in his head to escalate. He would not allow himself to appear weak in front of his brother however. Instead he watched quietly from the side as Albedo inspected one of the vials of paralytic toxins he’d stashed into his bag. “So this is how you were able to contain the whopperflower while experimenting on it?”

“That and the sedatives, yes. The latter also contains an elemental suppressant which lasts for roughly twelve hours after injection.”

Albedo looked up from the vial in interest. “Now that is an interesting concept. Does the elemental suppressant work on Vision wielders as well?”

Subject Two shifted his weight, feeling uncomfortable with his brother’s sudden nonchalance around him. After having freed him from the ropes, Albedo’s demeanor had immediately shifted to one of camaraderie as he began inquiring about Subject Two’s experiments. “In theory, yes. I’ve not had the opportunity to test it however, so the answer is inconclusive as of now.”

“I see. Perhaps that is an experiment we could continue. If successful, it would be a rather effective means of temporarily neutralizing dangerous elemental users without having to remove their Vision. How long does the sedative take to fully render a person unconscious?”

“Initially it took roughly a minute to do so, but after some recent adjustments I was able to reduce the time to approximately thirty seconds for an average human adult, if administered directly into the bloodstream. I am working on creating a variant that can be taken orally as well.”

Albedo gave the vial a final swirl before setting it down gently on one of the tables, alongside the other contents of Subject Two’s sack save for the notes he had stolen. Those had been returned to their place on one of Albedo’s numerous shelves. “I am impressed.”

Subject Two felt a small flutter of pride that his work not only interested but also impressed his brother. He had rarely received praise from their master, and though the Knights had expressed their gratitude towards him on the occasions that he took on assignments, it was not the same as being acknowledged by a peer. He noticed that the other’s attention lingered over his notebook, and offered hesitantly, “You’re free to look over my notes if you like. I suppose it’s only fair after I… borrowed, yours. Though, much of it is derived from your own notes, so it’s unlikely there will be anything in there that you are not already familiar with.”

Albedo donned a faintly sheepish expression, barely noticeable past the relative neutrality of his face. “Ah, I already read through most of them while you were unconscious. A large portion of them were ciphered differently than the rest however, the contents of which I was unable to read. I presume those are the notes involving the mutated whopperflower?”

“You presume correctly. I created a new cipher specifically to encode those notes as an extra precaution, should someone else discover them.”

Albedo hmmed, looking back at the notes. “By ‘someone’, you mean—”

“Anyone,” he quickly cut in. Albedo undoubtedly assumed it had been meant to keep himself from reading them, but that was not the sole intent of the cipher. “I did not want to risk anyone familiar with Kaenri’ahn ciphers to find it. Even if they couldn’t use Khemia, I would not wish to provide ideas for more living weapons. The fellflower was created to fulfill one purpose, after which it would be immediately and thoroughly destroyed.” His voice had taken on a sharper tone than he’d intended, though he noticed too late to damper it. 

“Hm. You sound disdainful towards this— fellflower. Were you not proud of it? From what I gather, it was a remarkable product of Khemia.”

Subject Two held back his feeling of contempt. “No. I was rather displeased by it in fact. Its intelligence was amplified from that of a normal whopperflower. Consequently so was its desire to kill. It was a necessary tool for my plan, but I was never fond or proud of it.”

Albedo was silent for a moment, his thoughts unreadable past the vapid expression he wore. “No, I suppose you wouldn’t be. Nonetheless, your success in creating it given your limited supplies and knowledge is commendable. I would be rather interested in reading your notes on it, if you would be willing to teach me the cipher.”

Subject Two was hesitant to oblige. It was not information he desired to share, least of all with someone capable of recreating his experiment. Albedo had already put a great deal of trust in him however, and he supposed that if the alchemist truly desired to create creatures of war, he would have done so already. No, this was merely a show of his brother’s pertinacious curiosity. With a sigh, he relented. “Very well.”

He blinked past the tears which irritatingly continued to well up in his eyes as he wrote out the key to his cipher. The handwriting was neat, almost identical to Albedo’s, though his lacked the more elegant flourishes Albedo used. Once it was finished, Albedo took the page, carefully examining its contents for several minutes before turning towards Subject Two’s notes. The alchemist read in silence, occasionally glancing back at the cipher key as Subject Two stood pensively to the side like a schoolboy awaiting his grade for an assignment. After a short while, Albedo closed the notebook and set it aside before returning his gaze towards the other. 

“Your work here is quite impressive. Even more so than I had anticipated. I have no doubt that, had Kaeya been forced to fight it with no knowledge of its weaknesses, it would have killed him. How effective were the regenerative properties of its shield when in its undisguised state?”

It was strange hearing his brother be so enthused about a creature that had nearly killed him, and was designed to kill his partner. Still, his applause was not unwelcome, though perhaps it would have been more enjoyable were it not for the fact that he was beginning to feel unwell. “It was highly effective. So long as it had direct access to the Durin’s taint in the leylines, its shield would last indefinitely.”

“Fascinating. I can see why you don’t want this falling into the wrong hands. I am curious though, what exactly happened during the battle with it? The report was unclear on that.”

Subject Two squinted slightly, resisting the urge to rub his eyes. “I… had been watching when it first attacked the group, but I couldn’t go through with it. So I snuck up from behind to pierce its core with my sword.”

“Which you missed,” the alchemist pointed out.

“Yes, though the placement of my sword was precisely where it should have been. I believe the fellflower intentionally shifted the location of its core to protect itself prior to my attempt to kill it. As such, instead of dying it reverted to its true state.” His brother nodded attentively. “The others were unable to destroy the energy-storing fruits quickly enough to prevent it from regenerating its shield, so I had to get close and use Khemia to sever its connection to the ley lines. After that the group managed to kill it.”

Albedo looked thoughtful, a hand raised to his chin. “It would seem the fellflower had a high degree of intelligence, if it had the foresight to change the location of its core. I wonder if it could have been raised to help others rather than harm them.”

At this Subject Two shook his head firmly, though he immediately regretted the action as it worsened the throbbing pain in his skull. “Its drive to hunt was well beyond that which can be fixed with Khemia. A creature’s nature is a very difficult thing to change entirely. Even if it could have successfully been altered, it would eventually revert back towards its natural behavior. At least to some degree.”

As he spoke, Albedo’s face fell, almost as if he regretted having asked the question. “Of course— you are right. I suppose I let my interests wander ahead of my reasoning.”

“It’s… alright—” Subject Two was unable to restrain himself any longer. He grimaced, pressing his palms against his eyes, though it did nothing to help the stinging. He could feel the water spilling from them as his body attempted to wash away debris that wasn’t there. Vertigo had begun to settle in as well by then. Albedo’s brows raised slightly when he noticed the other’s struggle. 

“Oh, the medication must be wearing off. I apologize, I must have lost track of the time while we’ve been speaking.” He strode over to one of the shelves, briefly inspecting its contents before frowning. “Hm. How unfortunate. It would seem I forgot to restock my supply of mistflower corrolas. I shall have to harvest some from the flowers nearby so I can make another few doses.” 

Subject Two attempted to dissuade the alchemist, assuring him that he was fine, but the other would not hear of it. “I would have to restock either way. It will only take me a few minutes, just sit down and try not to move too much.”

Inwardly berating himself, he did as he was told, sitting down on the floor with his back to the stone wall, just as he had been when he’d first woken up. Once Albedo had left the cave, he closed his eyes. The feeling of the abrasions rubbing against his eyelids when they moved made him want to retract them into his skull, but it was better than the stinging from the open air. He wasn’t sure how long had passed before the crunch of footsteps in the snow could be heard, the sound growing closer until it came to a stop at the entrance to the cave. 

“Albedo? Are you— what…”

Subject Two snapped to attention. That was Kaeya’s voice. He leapt onto his feet, swaying slightly. Kaeya was standing at the entrance, a dark silhouette against the dawn sky, anger flashing in his face. Unlike before, there was no swagger in his tone. “Where is Albedo? What did you do with him?” A sword, different from his previous one, materialized in his hand. Subject Two stepped back, attempting to summon his own weapon, only to realize it had already been taken from him. He took shelter behind one of the tables, arms spread out in defense.

“He left to collect mistflower corollas. I didn’t do anything to him.”

“You expect me to believe that?” Kaeya spat, his voice dripping with venom. “I knew I should never have left him alone with you. I’ll give you one chance to show me where he is, otherwise your life is forfeit.” The cryo-user advanced on him, his eye as sharp as any dagger. Subject Two felt panicked. He had no weapon to defend himself with, nowhere to run to, and was suffering a head injury.

“I am telling the truth. If you would just wait a bit, he’ll be back soon. I’m certain.”

Kaeya's eye narrowed in disbelief. “Nice try, but I’m not a fool. I won’t give you the chance to wait around and come up with a plan to fight or run away.”

“Please! I’m—” His pleading words were abruptly cut short as a third person appeared, their voice stern.

“Kaeya! Stand down. I’m right here.”

Albedo was just returning with the mistflowers, hair tousled by the frigid winds, when he caught sight of Kaeya disappearing into the cave. Realizing what the other might think upon seeing his brother alone there, he quickened his pace. Their voices became audible as he drew closer, and it was clear that Kaeya was already livid. Finally reaching his camp, he saw his brother half-cowering at the back of the cave with only a table to separate him from the other man, who was standing with a sword in hand.

“Kaeya! Stand down. I’m right here.”

The Captain quickly turned at the sound of his voice, the ire in his face melting away as his gaze softened in relief. “Bedo, why—?”

“I chose to release him, Kaeya. He is not a threat. Please put your sword away and we can discuss this once I’ve given him some more medication for his head.”

Kaeya glanced between the two of them, then dismissed his weapon. “Fine, but I’m expecting a good explanation.”

His brother remained behind the table, looking like a frightened cat ready to claw or run at the slightest indication of an attack. There was an uncomfortable silence as Albedo processed the mistflower into a pure extract, which he then added to a mixture of other ingredients. From the corner of his eye he could see that Kaeya was keeping his gaze fixed on the other, who had not moved from his defensive position. Using a small spark of Khemia to speed up the process, he was left with a beaker of pale blue liquid that smelled of mint and herbs, along with a faint metallic scent. Albedo separated the concoction into small glass bottles, one of which he set on the table in front of his brother. The man was clearly in pain, though he was attempting to hide it. “Drink this. It’ll take around ten minutes to come into full effect.” He watched as his brother hesitantly took the bottle and emptied its contents. “You may relax now, you know. Kaeya won’t try to hurt you again. If he does, I will personally tie him to a chair and let him sit out in the cold for a little while.” Kaeya shot him a betrayed look, but the tension between him and the other seemed to fall away somewhat. “Good. Now, I believe you are owed an explanation, Kaeya.”

The Captain crossed his arms and leaned to one hip. “I would say so. He tried to kill you, Bedo, and he very nearly succeeded.”

“An offense which I have already forgiven him of. Besides, if I do recall, your brother tried to kill you as well, but you both have since made up with each other.”

“Firstly, that is a low blow Albedo, even for you," Kaeya said, sounding wounded. "Secondly, our case was different from this. We were close before that happened. You barely even know him beyond the fact that he exists. Not to mention that never once has Diluc attacked our friends and fellow Knights, which he has .”

“An action which he regrets, and had put himself in danger to amend,” Albedo countered.

“That does not make him any less guilty, assuming he actually regrets his actions and isn’t just lying to save his own skin. How do you know he won’t try something like this again in the future?”

Albedo sighed. He had known Kaeya would fight him on this, and the Captain had a point in his arguments, but he did not understand the situation in the same way Albedo did. “I trust him. Despite his recent actions, he has a good nature.”

He retrieved an old notebook from one of his shelves. As with most of Rhinedottir’s notes that he’d been left with, the book outdated even himself, its pages long having become yellowed and brittle. Had he not reinforced the integrity of them, they would likely have fallen to pieces. “I found this among our master’s notes while looking for the ones that had been stolen. I have already had a lengthy conversation with him regarding his actions since he returned, the details of which I can relay to you later, but I think you will find that this provides some deeper insight on the matter.”

Kaeya frowned down at the book in the same way he did whenever Jean handed him paperwork to fill out. “You want me to read all of this? If it’s written by your master, I’ll probably only understand half of this at best .”

“Just read it. You’ll understand enough of it, I assure you.”

Kaeya begrudgingly opened the notebook to the beginning and began to read. At first his expression was one of poorly veiled disinterest as his eye smoothly crossed over the words, not lingering on any one place. By the third page however, his reading slowed, disinterest slowly morphing into disgust. He leaned closer to the pages, drawn into the sickening story they held. Albedo noticed that his brother was watching Kaeya as well, as if trying to discern the man’s thoughts. Well over an hour had passed by the time Kaeya reached the last page. Upon finishing it, he slammed the notebook shut. Albedo held back a comment about being more gentle with such an aged work. 

“That was fucked up, Albedo. I don’t understand how you can have any loyalty to that woman.”

The alchemist frowned with his eyes, but did not address the other’s accusation. “You understand now why I wish to give him a second chance? He claims it has been close to nine months since he was brought back, five of which he had spent planning to replace me, and yet in all of that time, not once has he brought himself to go through with killing anyone other than myself.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll trust your judgment on this one, but you’d better not be wrong. So what was it you were planning on doing from here?”

Albedo gave Kaeya a small smile, relieved that he had been able to win the other over. “I’ve decided that for a period of time, I will allow him to continue visiting the city in my stead under certain conditions, as well as be granted access to my equipment with supervision. In exchange, you and I will teach him to live as his own person. Once he has done so, he has agreed to reveal himself to the people of Mondstadt, and accept any judgements they may have for his previous actions.”

Kaeya sighed, looking over at Subject Two, who had remained standing by the table. “That’s… fair I suppose. You do know Jean will have our necks if she finds out about this, right?”

“Undoubtedly.”

Kaeya groaned, running his hands through his hair as he arched back slightly. “ I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this . Fine, count me in. I’m not going to go around calling you ‘Subject Two’ though, so you can start by telling us your actual name.”

Subject Two had remained utterly silent as he watched the interactions between the two. It was not the first time he listened to a heated discussion from them, but this time he was the subject of their debate, and he felt uneasy being in the same room as they spoke freely about him. He might have wondered whether they’d forgotten he was even there, if not for the fact that they would occasionally glance over at him, so it took him by surprise when Kaeya suddenly spoke to him directly.

“Oh— I... don’t have a name," he admitted quietly. "Our master never gave me one.”

The man’s brow furrowed. “Yes, well it’s already been established that your master is far from a a virtuous parental-figure. Did you never give yourself a name?”

“No. I hadn’t earned one yet.”

“Earned one?” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “ Archons help him. You don’t have to earn a name. It's a given right to anyone. That can be your first lesson then. You can pick out a name.”

Subject Two’s gaze drifted to the side, deciding he was more interested in a flask of red liquid than looking the other two in the eyes. He’d been so focused on being ‘Albedo’ that he had never considered what sort of name he actually wanted. “I… I’m not sure how to do that. It doesn’t feel right to pick out one’s own name.”

“Perhaps you need suggestions?” Kaeya supplied.

“Perhaps…”

“Hm. Well I’ll just list some off the top of my head, and you can say if any of them feel right to you. Let’s see…” Kaeya began to prattle off a long series of names, some of which he recognized as being of Mondstadtian and Khaenri'ahn origin, while others sounded entirely made up, but none of them seemed to fit. “...Baelan, Jasper, Dorian, Freyr, Kol—”

His gaze quickly lifted. “Wait, I liked that one.”

“Which one?”

“Dorian. I like that name.” He let the sound of it roll over his tongue and around his brain, testing it out in his thoughts before speaking it aloud. Yes, that name felt right. Albedo placed a hand to his chin.

“ Dorian. Yes, that seems like a fitting name.”

“Well that’s settled then.” Kaeya extended a gloved hand towards him, “A pleasure to meet you, Dorian.”

Chapter Text

Primordial Human Project Research Notes- Third Phase

Entry 3-01-1 

After much trial and error, I have created two successful prototypes to begin phase three of the primordial human project. To increase the chance of success in the assimilation process, I have made slight variations in the copies. Subject One exhibits the original qualities I strived to create, while Subject Two’s neural pathways have been altered to process emotions at a similar level to humans. Due to the dependent nature of developing human minds, I have decided to prolong the incubation process of Subject One until Subject Two’s development has become sufficiently stable.

Entry 3.2-04-1

Subject Two has successfully exited the incubation process. Initially the subject appeared disoriented, but exhibited no outward sign of distress. They are fully responsive, but are unable to verbally communicate.

[Action:] Begin the preliminary education process immediately.

Entry 3.2-17-1 {Quarterly Education Evaluation}

Subject Two has advanced quickly through the education process. They exhibit near-total recall, allowing for the rapid absorption of knowledge. After four months of education, their progress is as follows.

• Has learned the Khaenri’ahn language to fluency, and the primary language of Teyvat to a passing degree. 
• Is capable of solving advanced mathematical equations.
• Is well-versed in Khaenri’ahn and Teyvatian history, culture, geography, and political sciences.

[Education Effectiveness]: High

[Desire To Comply]: High

[Actual Compliance]: High

Entry 3.2-21-1

Subject Two has been gradually showing signs of a depressed mental state due to prolonged loneliness, as is typical with humans that live in isolated conditions. Attempts to manually adjust chemical imbalances in the brain prove to be only temporarily effective. As such I decided to introduce them to Draconis Interitus Project “Durin”. Both subjects have demonstrated friendly behaviors towards one another, and appear to socialize well despite differences in size, species, and purpose. I will monitor further interactions between the two of them. 

Entry 3.2-21-2 {Update}

Subject Two’s mental condition has improved greatly upon continued socialization with Durin. They now spend most free hours within Durin’s cave, and have even taken to studying with the dragon. Durin also appears to have an elevated overall mood with Subject Two’s company. The two frequently engage in mutual exchange of knowledge and stories. In light of this improvement, I have deemed Subject Two’s psychological conditions to be acceptable for resuming their education.

[Treatment Effectiveness]: High

[Desire to Comply]: High

[Actual Compliance]: High

[Action]: Resume the education process.

Entry 3.2-39-1 {Quarterly Education Evaluation}

Subject Two continues to demonstrate high learning potential, however they lack interest in alchemy and the sciences, and are slow to progress in their studies of that subject. Their preferred subjects are geography, history, and cultural studies. After unsuccessfully attempting to sway their interests, I have determined that direct modification to the subject's cognition will be required. Notwithstanding, the other areas of the subject’s educational progress remains steady. New progressions are as follows.

• Is fluent in all major languages of Teyvat.
• Has mastered basic alchemy and is familiar with intermediate level alchemy.
• Has begun basic martial training. 

[Education Effectiveness]: Sciences= Low | All Other Subjects= High

[Desire To Comply]: High

[Actual Compliance]: Moderate

[Action]: Mildly alter cognitive functions associated with personality traits, then reassess.

Entry 3.2-39-2 {Corrective Action}

Subject experienced some emotional distress when informed of their imminent cognitive alterations, but was cooperative with the procedure. Subject Two’s interest in alchemy has reached a desired level. 

[Treatment Effectiveness]: High

[Desire To Comply]: High

[Actual Compliance]: High

[Action]: Continue the education process.

Entry 3.2-57-1

Cognitive development has reached an appropriate level to begin assessment of physical durability. Subject Two will be put through various tests to evaluate their body’s ability to adapt to extreme conditions, and the limits to which it can do so. 

[Action]: Initiate Thermal Threshold Assessment

Entry 3.2-57-2 {Thermal Threshold Assessment- Extreme Heat}

In order to assess the subject’s threshold for extreme heat, the subject will be placed in a thermo-simulatory chamber and exposed to increasingly intense heat until the subject’s body shows signs of debilitating hyperthermia. The temperature of the chamber will increase by five degrees per day. 

{Day 1 | 35 ° C} Subject is experiencing slight discomfort, but their body shows no signs of distress. 

{Day 2 | 40 ° C} Subject Two appears to be more restless and their body is showing mild signs of distress. 

{Day 3 | 45 ° C} Subject Two has become irritable and is less active. Their body is showing moderate signs of distress. 

{Day 4 | 50 ° C} Despite drinking copious amounts of water, Subject Two’s condition is declining. They have become severely lethargic and their physical state is showing high levels of distress, but they are still capable of functioning. 

{Day 5 | 55 ° C} Subject Two’s condition has declined drastically. Their mental state is deteriorating and they are no longer responsive to questioning, nor have they continued intake of water. After a full day their hyperthermia has reached critical levels and they have entered a near-death state. 

Assessment complete. Subject Two will be allowed a week to recover before continuing to the second assessment.

Entry 3.2-57-3 {Thermal Threshold Assessment- Extreme Cold}

Similarly to the previous assessment, the subject will be placed in a thermo-simulatory chamber and exposed to increasingly intense cold until the subject’s body shows signs of debilitating hypothermia. The temperature of the chamber will decrease by five degrees per day. 

{Day 1 | 10 ° C} Subject appears mildly chilled but is otherwise unaffected.

{Day 2 | 5 ° C} Subject has begun experiencing discomfort and is beginning to shiver somewhat.

{Day 3 | 0 ° C} Subject Two’s shivering has become more vigorous, and they have begun pacing the chamber. Signs of hypothermia are beginning to show.

{Day 4 | -5 ° C} Signs of hypothermia are intensifying. Subject Two’s body is still shivering violently and has become lethargic. Frostbite has appeared on extremities. 

{Day 5 | -10} Shivering has ceased, and frostbite has become severe. Subject has ceased all movement to preserve energy and is no longer responsive.

Assessment complete. Proceed with the rehabilitation process.

Entry 3.2-57-4 {Thermal Threshold Assessment- Overview}

Assessment of threshold for extreme thermal conditions is complete. Their threshold far exceeds a typical human, however since the conclusion of the test, Subject Two’s compliance has drastically declined. Subject Two expresses they do not wish to continue with testing, and is exhibiting severe emotional distress. I have determined that alteration to their memory will be required.

[Experiment Results]: Within Desired Parameters

[Desire to Comply]: Moderate

[Actual Compliance]: Low

[Action]: Alteration to memory and cognitive functions.

Entry 3.2-60-8 {Elemental Resistance- Overview}

Subject Two displayed above-average resistance to all elemental energies, however their mental state rapidly declined with each evaluation, particularly after the hydro, pyro, and electro tests, requiring repeated modifications to their memory and cognition. 

[Experiment Results]: Within Desired Parameters

[Desire to Comply]: Moderate

[Actual Compliance]: High

[Action]: Proceed to endurance assessments.

Entry 3.2-67-1 {Deprivation Assessment}

Subject Two already exhibits significantly lower than average human requirements for food intake and sleep, however I will be testing the extent of this. Due to the nature of this assessment, Subject Two will resume their normal schedule aside from eating and sleeping. The assessments will conclude once sleep deprivation and starvation respectively have become debilitating.

[Desire to Comply]: Moderate

[Actual Compliance]: High

[Action]: Resume daily activities under new dietary and sleep restrictions. 

Entry 3.2-74 

Following their recovery from physical resilience testing, I have deemed Subject Two’s physical and psychological conditions to be acceptable for advancing to their instruction in the art of Khemia. 

[Desire to Comply]: High

[Actual Compliance]: High

[Action]: Begin Tutelage of Khemia

Entry 3.2-103-3 {Khemia Training- Update}

In the course of three weeks, Subject Two has been advancing well into their studies of Khemia, however as we move on to animated tests, Subject Two’s initial eagerness to learn has become one of hesitance. They appear to quickly form attachment to living creations, and are distraught at further testing or the eventual termination of them. I have concerns that these displays of empathy may have long-term ramifications of the project goal if such behaviors are not corrected. 

[Learning Advancement]: Moderate

[Desire to Comply]: High

[Actual Compliance]: Moderate

[Action]: Alter cognition and reassess.

Entry 3.2-124-1 {Khemia Training- Update}

There has been a concerning setback in Subject Two’s training of Khemia. As part of the training process, Subject Two was shown recorded imaging of my Khemia-made life-forms, primarily riftwolves, and their uses in the battle against Teyvat. Subject Two appeared appalled by this knowledge, confronting me directly, and has since refused to continue their studies in the art. I’m afraid significant alterations to cognition will be required to continue.

[Learning Advancement]: Low

[Desire to Comply]: Low

[Actual Compliance]: None

[Action]: Alter cognition and reassess.

Entry 3.2-124-2 {Corrective Action}

Subject Two displayed highly defensive behavior towards me prior to the Initial alterations of their neural pathways. After treatment they appeared to still be experiencing emotional distress, and required a second round of alterations to both cognition and memory. Upon reassessment, Subject Two’s compliance has returned to an acceptable level.

[Treatment Effectiveness]: Moderate

[Desire to Comply]: Moderate

[Actual Compliance]: Moderate

[Action]: Resume Training

Entry 3.2-146-1

Subject Two’s time spent with Durin has become a hindrance to both projects, each leading the other to unrealistic desires. It would seem their imaginations and tendencies for disregarding their purpose magnify when in each other’s company. As such I have decided to separate them permanently, and will be moving on to the next stages of both projects. 

[Actions]:

Separate Subject Two and Durin

Initiate Draconis Interitus Project- Corruption Phase

Awaken Subject One and Begin Education Process

Entry 3.2-152-1 {Emergency}

Today Subject Two acted directly against orders to sneak into Durin’s cave while I was away. Seeing Durin’s current state resulted in the manifestation of catastrophic emotional distress. Subject Two then attempted to flee the compound but was apprehended by my guards. Heavy sedation was required to regain control of the subject. Alterations of Subject Two’s cognition have become decreasingly effective as they continue to develop. I have determined a large-scale memory adjustment will be required in addition to the necessary alterations. 

[Desire to Comply]: None

[Actual Compliance]: None

[Action]: Perform large-scale memory adjustment and alteration to cognitive functions.

Entry 3.2-152-2 {Corrective Action}

The large-scale memory adjustment has proven largely effective in correcting Subject Two’s behaviors, however it also resulted in much of their recent training having been lost. Retraining in Khemia will be required. 

[Treatment Effectiveness]: Moderate

[Desire to Comply]: Moderate

[Actual Compliance]: Moderate

[Action]: Retrain and introduce to Subject One.

Entry 3.2-179-1

My theory on human competitiveness has proven correct. Upon witnessing greater praise and attention being directed at Subject One ‘Albedo’, Subject Two’s own performance and desire to comply have increased significantly. Subject still displays signs of cognitive dissonance while performing living experiments however. Repeated attempts to remove this reaction have proved mostly ineffective.

[Treatment Effectiveness]: High

[Desire to Comply]: High

[Actual Compliance]: Moderate

[Action]: Continue reinforcing competitiveness while training.

Entry 3.2-228-03 {Corrective Action}

Despite continued adjustments, Subject Two’s continued displays of cognitive dissonance and emotional distress on account of ‘inhumane’ uses of Khemia remain detrimental to the learning process. In addition, some of the previous adjustments to memories appear to be reverting to their original state. 

[Treatment Effectiveness]: None

[Desire to Comply]: Moderate

[Actual Compliance]: Low

[Action]: Reassess whether to continue experiment or terminate subject.

Entry 3.2-229-03 {Final Analysis}

In light of Subject Two’s persistent behavioral issues and resistance to treatment, I have come to the conclusion that human emotions and ideals, even when under strict guidance, are incompatible with my aspirations. As such, I have determined that Subject Two is unsalvageable. 

[Verdict]: Project Failure

[Action]: Proceed to Termination Process

Chapter Text

Two weeks had passed since Albedo had taken Dorian in. At first he and Kaeya had remained wary of the other, however as the days passed wariness slowly morphed into a semblance of trust. During that time, Dorian had occasionally caught the Captain watching him with an odd expression. It was not quite pity, but looked to be something similar. He also got the impression that the other was wanting to ask him something but was refraining from doing so. He felt the man’s stare again one day as he was processing a bottle of ferrous sulfate for one of Albedo’s projects, and finally decided to say something. 

“Something on your mind, Captain?” 

Kaeya blinked, then smiled cooly, leaning back into the chair he was sitting in. “Oh, it’s nothing. I was just musing to myself, that’s all.”

“The lilt in your voice is more pronounced when you’re lying,” Dorian observed flatly while watching the other through the corner of his eye. Kaeya’s mask dropped as quickly as it appeared, revealing a defeated half-smile. “You and Albedo are awfully cheeky sometimes you know that? Very well. I was thinking about the notebook Albedo had me read that day.”

Ah, so that’s what this was about. He should have guessed as much. “It was Rhinedottir’s notes regarding me, yes? I recognized the cover of it, though I have not personally read its contents.”

“I see. So then you probably don’t…” Kaeya trailed off, evidently changing his mind. He waved a hand dismissively. “Ah, it doesn't really matter. Forget I mentioned it.”

“I don’t what?” Dorian had a vague idea as to what the man was wanting to ask now, though he wasn’t certain. Kaeya toyed with his hair, his azure eye looking anywhere but directly at Dorian.

“Know that Gold… er— that she… well… Ah, screw it. Are you aware that Gold altered your brain? Your memory and personality in particular?”

Dorian’s throat bobbed and he set down what he was working on. Keeping his voice even, he answered, “I am aware of that, yes. I do not know to what extent she altered my mind, but for much of it I was still conscious and aware of what she was doing.”

“Do you ever intend on reading the notebook?”

“No.” His voice was flat, but had an edge to it. It was not a subject he liked to speak about. “I see no point in it. Whatever person I was before she interfered with my mind is not the person I am now, nor can I be that person again in the future. So there is no point in languishing over that aspect. As for my memories, most of what she’s taken was likely traumatic for me, so I would prefer those memories to remain hidden. Not to mention it is demoralizing to see how she writes about living things. 

Kaeya’s expression was dark, and Dorian wondered what he was thinking. “Ah, I see. My apologies for asking.” He was then silent for a few moments, his eye glancing towards the entrance of the cave where Albedo had disappeared to collect specimens for his latest project. “Do you think… she altered Albedo as well?”

Dorian turned to look at the Captain fully. “She did, yes. Though this was primarily before he'd woken. She used me as a prototype and applied any changes she thought would be necessary directly to him. Beyond that though, I am not sure. He had left incubation a little over four months before I was thrown away, and most of that time we were separated.”  Noticing Kaeya’s face fall at his answer, he added, “From what I can tell however, I doubt she changed him to any notable degree. He was already perfect from the start.”

“Mm. I see." Kaeya clapped his hands against his knees and stood. "Well, moving on from that rather depressing subject, I think I’m going to start making dinner.”

Dorian perked up at this. On most days that Kaeya was with them on Dragonspine he would cook something for all of them to eat. Dorian was fascinated by the process, often watching from the side as the Captain worked. He used an abundance of ingredients that Dorian had never tried or seen before, and every meal tasted divine to him. He did his best to memorize exactly how Kaeya had cooked each meal in the hopes he could recreate the process. That night as Kaeya was roasting some potatoes on a skillet, he must have noticed the other watching, because he looked over and said with a sly grin, “Enjoying the view?”

Dorian blinked, realizing he'd been caught staring. “Oh, yes. I’ve never really watched people cook like this before. Our master usually only cooked very minimalistic foods.”

“Oho? Sounds like Albedo took after her in that regard. Though he’s rather fond of sweets I suppose. Is that why you’re always so eager to eat the dinners I cook?”

“It is. I had little variety there, and while on the mountain I was largely living off of plain fish or boar meat, root vegetables, and sunsettias. I did get to try a few dishes while I was— er, visiting the city. But that was the extent of it.”

Keaya tutted playfully. “Well now, that simply won’t do. I’ll have to start bringing up some more exciting dishes for you to try in the future.”

Dorian watched as Kaeya seasoned the potatoes then moved on to the steaks, rubbing an assortment of herbs and spices to them before also setting them in an iron skillet. A chorus of sizzling splatters rose up as the fat of the meat made contact with the hot butter lining the pan. “What are all the different ingredients for? I can make out the basic compositions of the dishes, but all the extras seem… unnecessary.”

The Captain gave him a grin, as if he were proud of something. “It’s what I like to call ‘adding flourish’. It’s easy to make a simple dish, but all those ‘extras’ as you put it are what makes it stand out. Cooking isn’t a science. It’s an art, and the more soul you put into it, the better it will taste.”

An interesting concept. He had never thought of making food in that way, but as he continued to watch Kaeya it started to make sense to him. Kaeya was enjoying what he was doing, not requiring precise measurements or strict guidelines. He seemed to know what he wanted to make, then had fun with it. Not unlike Albedo with his paintings. 

“If you want to come closer, I’ll explain what I’m doing and what each of these ingredients does.”

Dorian took the Captain up on his offer, sidling closer to him as Kaeya began pointing out the various herbs and spices, allowing Dorian to smell and taste them before adding some to the potatoes. After that Dorian helped to chop up onion, garlic, and sweet peppers before adding them into the skillet. Then Kaeya taught him how to sear the steaks without burning them, turning them over on each side while spooning the butter and juices from the skillet to pour over them. 

“Now a good way to tell how cooked these are is by putting your index finger to your thumb and then pressing in this area below the thumb. Yes, right there. The firmness of that is about the same as the steaks when they are rare. Medium-rare would be your thumb and middle finger, medium would be your ring finger, and so on.”

Dorian frowned. “That seems like a very imprecise way of testing how thoroughly cooked the steak is.”

Kaeya just shrugged, turning back the the skillet and saying, “That’s how I learned to do it, and it’s not failed me yet.”

“Yes, on the occasions you actually do so instead of getting distracted and nearly burning my apartment down.” Albedo had returned from his small jaunt along the mountainside, and was tending to one of his experiments. At the alchemist’s pointed comment, Kaeya folded his arms and put on an indignant expression.

“That happened a grand total of one time. I’ve hardly made it a habit. It was a fluke, instigated by your sister might I add.”

“Oh? Last I recall, it was while she was under your watch earlier in the day that she smuggled the weasel thief into her backpack.”

“Yes, but I was hoping to gloss over that particular detail.”

Dorian watched in silent amusement as the two bantered like an old married couple. Kaeya somehow always managed to draw out his brother’s sarcastic side, and it was quite entertaining to watch. Unfortunately their food was still on the fire, so while the two of them were exchanging snide remarks, Dorian tested the meat as Kaeya had instructed, then began plating the food.

“Ah, good work Dorian. These are perfect,” Kaeya said as he returned to the cook-site. Now one last thing is to add a garnish. In this case we’ll put a dab of this horseradish cream sauce on top of the steaks along with a sprig of parsley.”

“What does the parsley do?”

“It makes it look pretty and that’s about it.”

A snide remark appeared in Dorian's mind, begging to be spoken aloud. “Ah, so like the majority of your outfit then.”

Kaeya put a hand to his chest in mock affront. “You wound me. If I didn’t know any better I’d think you two were trying to gang up on me tonight. And after I took such effort to cook you both a wonderful dinner. Honestly. I get no respect around here.”

~ ~ ~

Early the next morning as Dorian was resting, he felt someone gently kicking his boot. He opened his eyes to see Kaeya standing above him with a grin. It was not one of his fake smiles, but rather a genuine expression. Something had him excited, especially given that he’d woken up so early in the day. 

“Hop up buddy, and pack anything you’ll need for the next few days. You and I are taking a trip into the city.”

Dorian quickly got to his feet. He’d not entered the city since the day he had enacted his plan to remove Kaeya and Albedo, and he had to admit he missed the atmosphere of it, as well as certain few of its citizens. He supposed Eula would not likely be there, but perhaps he could see Amber and the others at least. “Really?”

“Mm-hm. Acting Grandmaster Jean will have my hide if I don’t show up for work today, and she has a couple of assignments for Albedo as well, which he’s agreed to let you do in his stead. I’ll be giving you some more cooking lessons while we’re down there as well. I have an actual kitchen in my apartment so we'll be able to make more of a variety of things.”

“Ah, that will be nice. How soon do we leave?”

“As soon as you are ready.”

Dorian packed up what few things he decided he’d need and bid Albedo farewell. His brother, engrossed in his current project as he was, gave a quick wave before returning his attention to his work. He and Kaeya then began their ascent down the mountain. It was good weather for traveling, the morning sun causing freshly fallen snow to sparkle like little diamonds. Back in the early days of his life on the mountain, a day like this would have been spent fishing or hastily collecting other resources. Now however, he was able to enjoy its beauty with a full belly and warm clothes. Not only that, but now there was someone else to enjoy it with. He breathed out a contented sigh, watching as the light caught his breath before it dissipated into the frigid air. He had been hesitant at first to be in such close quarters with his brother and the Captain, but now he’d grown to enjoy their company. Kaeya’s especially, though he supposed Albedo wasn’t so bad after all.

The walk to the city was a pleasant one, and went mostly without conversation. Despite Kaeya’s reputation for running his mouth, Dorian knew that the other was far more reserved when not in the public eye. In fact, Kaeya’s personality in private was almost a different person entirely from the person he let others see, save for a select few. After having observed both sides of the Captain, he could say with confidence that he greatly preferred the real Kaeya. As they reached the gates to the city they were greeted by the two guards. “Good morning Captain Kaeya, Chief Albedo. Did the weather up on the mountain treat you well this time?”

Kaeya's mask slipped on as he flashed the guards with one of his suave smiles. “As a matter of fact it did. If only the weather were that nice all the time.”

Once inside the gate Kaeya headed in the direction of the market rather than the Favonius Headquarters. “We’ll be picking up ingredients now while there’s still a fresh selection of them, then drop them off at my apartment before heading in to work. Is there anything specific you’d like to make or eat?”

Dorian tried to think of all the foods he knew of, but there was nothing beyond what Kaeya had made for them in the past, or that he had eaten at Good Hunter. “I’m not sure. My knowledge in gastronomy is rather limited.”

“Alright then. I’ll pick out a few things I think you’ll like in that case.” 

A ‘few things’ ended up being three full bags of groceries which Dorian had to balance as Kaeya fished out the key to his apartment from some hidden void in his pocket. “Finally. I was beginning to think I’d lost it. Come on in Dorian. Oh and excuse the mess. I didn’t get a chance to clean up before I left yesterday morning.”

Dorian didn’t comment on the fact that this was easily over a week’s worth of clutter. He’d have assumed the Captain would keep his living space tidier than this, given the cleanliness he demonstrated at Albedo’s camp. He wondered if Kaeya only did that for Albedo’s sake. 

“I’ll put everything in order before dinner tonight.”

~ ~ ~

True to his word, when Dorian returned from the lab at the Favonius Headquarters late that evening, the apartment had been made spotless. Mostly. It was not quite to the standards of his brother's apartment, but as far as average dwellings went, it was more than acceptable. He found Kaeya already stationed in the kitchen, ingredients laid out for whatever meal he had planned to cook.

“You’re back pretty late. Lisa wasn’t keeping you hostage in the library was she?”

“No, I didn’t see her today actually. I just lost track of time, that’s all.”

Kaeya tsked at him, shaking his head with arms folded. “You and Albedo are two peas in a pod. I ought to tie little watches to your wrists to chirp at you when it's time to eat or sleep.”

“Hm. Perhaps, but only if you get one that chirps at you in the morning to get up for work.”

The Captain’s hands moved to his waist. “Now you listen here, my desk clock does that job just fine.”

Dorian thought back to the number of times he'd watched the Cavalry Captain half-sprinting out of his apartment, some piece of toast or other jammed into his mouth as he fumbled to lock the door. Those were usually on days he'd spend a few hours too long at the Angel's Share the night before. “Your reputation of running late begs to differ.”

“Hey now, any more of that sass and I might have to reconsider teaching you to cook.”

Dorian bit back a retort. 

~ ~ ~

The meal that evening had been a spicy meat stew with cornbread on the side. Kaeya walked him through the recipe, explaining to him that measurements for some of ingredients were ‘more like guidelines than rules’. Dorian was rather dubious of the Captain’s methods and opted to stick with the measurements that the recipe called for. When he came to the part where he was to add hot peppers to the mix, he noticed that there were none laid out.

“We seem to be missing an ingredient.”

“Oh? I believe I got everything. Let me see that.” He leaned past Dorian to look at the what part of the recipe they were at. “Ah, the chilies. I usually exclude those since Albedo doesn’t tolerate spice all that well. If you would like to try them in it though, you are more than welcome to.”

Kaeya fetched the chilies from his cryo box and set them out, instructing Dorian to only add a little at a time and then taste it to ensure it would not be too spicy for him. He was rather pleased at the sensation however, and ended adding even more of the chilies than the recipe required, much to Kaeya’s delight. 

“It’s nice to know there’s at least one other person in Mondstadt with good taste. Half the people in this city can barely handle anything hotter than a sweet pepper.”

“They are missing out then. The flavor of the peppers adds a lot of… hm. I’m not sure of the word. But it makes the dish much better.”

“Hm.” Kaeya put a hand to his chin in between spoonfuls of stew. His plate of cornbread was left to nothing but crumbs, and he was already working on a second bowl of the stew. Dorian was full after the first, but enjoyed it no less than the other. It was perhaps one of his new favorite things to eat. “I think the word you are looking for is ‘depth’. But yes, they are certainly missing out.”

Once their meal had concluded, Kaeya set the leftover stew in his cryo box and washed up the dishes while Dorian dried them and placed them in their respective cabinets. Out of habit he’d been sure to memorize what went where and exactly what position they had been in before being removed from their place. By the time he was finished, it was like they had never been used. Kaeya inspected his handiwork. “I’m beginning to see how you were able to sneak around for so long without being noticed. I’ll have to keep a closer eye on you.”

Dorian was silent, unsure of how to respond to that.

“I’m joking. You can lighten up a little. Although, speaking of… I was planning on stopping by the Angel's Share for a bit. Care to join?”

Chapter Text

Dorian blinked. Had Kaeya seriously invited him to the tavern? Surely he was merely jesting. His tone of voice and facial expression said otherwise however. "I don’t think that would be wise. Keep in mind that I am here as my brother, and so far as I’ve observed he rarely joins you. I’ve also made it a point to avoid the tavern at all cost.”

Kaeya folded his arms, eyebrow raised in interest. “Oh? Why would that be?”

“Because out of the five people I can’t afford to interact with, four of them are regulars there. Though I suppose now it’s only three.”

“Wait, who are the others?”

“Bar- Venti, Rosaria, and your brother. The latter two have nearly caught me sneaking around on a number of occasions, with Rosaria already being wary of the real Albedo. The former I do not trust not to sense who I am.”

Kaeya’s eye glittered with surprise as he leaned forward, his voice drawing almost to a whisper as if he were telling a secret despite being in the privacy of his own home. “You know who Venti is?”

How could he not? Of his many lessons from Rhinedottir, the ones covering the Archons and their roles in Teyvat’s history were among the most prominent in his memories. Barbatos was especially of interest to him, along with the wind dragon Dvalin. He and Durin had spent many hours fantasizing about meeting them one day. It had not dawned on them that their master intended to kill the Anemo Archon and his companion, so as to be free to lay waste to Mondstadt. Barbatos might have begun living among the mortals under a new name, but Dorian had quickly recognized him.  

“I do. He looks exactly the same as he did five hundred years ago. It would be an embarrassment not to know his identity.”

“Ah. I forget you and Albedo are that old sometimes. In any case, if I’m there with you it’ll be fine. I doubt anyone would suspect anything. I myself am rather difficult to fool after all.” 

“Forgive me if that doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence," Dorian said flatly. "I think I’ll play it safe. Don’t stay up too late though. You have work early tomorrow.”

Kaeya waved dismissively at him as he reached for the door. “My, you sound just like Albedo. Suit yourself then.” 

As the door closed behind him, Dorian realized that he wasn’t sure what to do with himself. He was left to his own devices in Kaeya’s apartment, the key to which had been left on the table at the front entry. Should he relocate to Albedo’s apartment? Or did Kaeya expect him to remain where he was. Unable to decide, he simply stood awkwardly in the middle of the living room like a living statue.

In the end he decided to stay at Kaeya’s place until the other returned, and looked around for something to do in the meantime. There was a small bookshelf near one corner which Dorian perused the contents of. It contained a variety of genres haphazardly mixed together, most of which appeared to have gone unused for a considerable amount of time. One book in particular caught his attention. An Adventurer’s Tales From the Seven Nations. It was a fictitious novel inspired by the author’s actual experiences while traveling across Teyvat, and featured a young male protagonist with his companion, who for some reason was a talking horse. Though the characters seemed rather odd and highly unrealistic to Dorian, he grew more invested in them as the story progressed. He found himself becoming attached to several of the side characters the protagonist met during his travels, and was genuinely distraught when one of them sacrificed herself to save the others. There was however a… romantic subplot, resulting in certain scenes that Dorian felt were rather unnecessary. He wrinkled his nose at the detailed descriptions of pining and affection, along with some, well, descriptive portions of text regarding the two characters’ shows of physical affection. Did people really do that? Is that how people actually felt? Were those thoughts what real people thought when in love with another? Surely not. How could they possibly hope to function if that were the case. 

A thought dawned on him. Did Kaeya and his brother feel like that too? It was an unpleasant thought that he tried to bury. Yes he’d seem them show gentle outward acts of affection, and from what he’d observed they never partook in… that sort of activity, not that he would have continued to watch if they had. He was not privy to their actual thoughts however. He had no way of knowing if they would have those sorts of thoughts. The mental image it gave him made his face grow hot and he felt the urge to bury it in his arms despite no one being there to see it.

That aspect aside, he did overall enjoy the novel. The conclusion of the story was rather bittersweet as the protagonist bid his farewells to all the friends he had made along the way, promising his love that they would meet again before returning home to his loving family. 

Closing the book and returning it to its place on the shelf, Dorian checked the clock. It was nearly midnight. He’d been so engrossed in the novel that he hadn’t realized how much time had passed, nor that Kaeya had yet to return. It wasn’t a good sign for Kaeya to be out that late. 

Albedo is going to have both our hides if I let him pass out in an alley somewhere from alcohol poisoning.

He had hoped to remain far away from the tavern, but it would seem he had no choice if he was to bring the Cavalry Captain back. With a sigh he rose from the sofa and put on Albedo’s coat, grabbing Kaeya’s keys before leaving and locking up the apartment. The city was relatively quiet by then, save for the merry chatter of those who were more than a few drinks in, the sound of which grew louder the closer he got to Angel’s Share. There were a couple of patrons sitting outside at one of the tables just outside the tavern. They gave Dorian an overly warm welcome before he was able to slip inside. He pressed down his worries as he passed through the doorway, meeting the scene of an assortment of patrons in varying states of intoxication. The atmosphere of the tavern itself was rather cozy, though it would have been more so if not for some of the louder patrons, as well as the cold expression worn by the bartender. Diluc looked up at the sound of the door opening, his eyebrows furrowing ever so slightly at the sight of him.

“Chief Albedo. I don’t usually see you here. Can I help you with something?”

Dorian pushed away the urge to run back out of the tavern at the man’s gaze. He had no reason to be so wary of Diluc. From what he knew, the pyro user was not particularly familiar with Albedo, nor had he ever actually caught Dorian during the nights they were both running surveillance in the city. There was something about him though that Dorian found absolutely terrifying. This wasn’t helped by Kaeya’s stories about him. Not to mention that Diluc was a shrewd individual from what he knew. 

“I’m here for Captain Kaeya. He agreed to aid me in one of my experiments early in the morning, and I would rather he be unencumbered by the aftereffects of intoxication by then.”

Diluc snuffed, gesturing to a table near the back corner of the tavern with the glass he was polishing. “He’s all yours. Though I think you’re a few drinks too late.”

Of course Kaeya had to be seated between the two people he wished to avoid the most. The three of them were clearly drunk, though Barbatos seemed to be especially so, half slumped out of his chair and giggling childishly at a joke Kaeya had just made. Upon taking notice of Dorian, Kaeya grinned widely and invited him over. “Why if it isn’t my favorite alchemist! Decided to join me after all did you?”

Kaeya’s exclamation drew several pairs of eyes in his direction, including those belonging to the others at his table. Rosaria was quick to shoot him a withering glance, whereas Barbatos’ eyes widened in surprise before he laughed and elbowed Kaeya’s arm, presumably as a means of teasing him. Dorian drew closer but refrained from taking the seat Kaeya pulled out for him. “Captain Kaeya, I think it would be wise to retire to your apartment now. It is rather late, don’t you think?”

Kaeya brushed him off, leaning back into his chair enough for the front legs to begin lifting off the ground. “Is’fine,” he slurred, raising his glass. “No need to ruin the fun just yet, ey Bedo? Come on, have a drink. Just one won’t hurtyha.”

“I will decline, thank you. Need I remind you that you have prior engagements tomorrow morning? You will be in poor condition by then as it is. I advise you to not make things worse for yourself.” 'Or for me,' he thought ruefully. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m in peak condition, my dear.”

At that moment he happened to lean just a touch too far, the chair tilting fully back as it, along with Kaeya, fell to the ground with a loud crash. A disgruntled sigh came from the bar as Diluc came out from behind it and approached their table. He helped to pull the Captain up from the ground, the latter of whom swayed dangerously on his feet. “Alright, that’s enough for you. Out.”

Kaeya gave the redhead a hurt look. “So cruel, Master Diluc. The night’s still young. Can’t you spare one more Death After Noon?”

Diluc hmphed. “You should be happy I didn't cut you off sooner. You’re already so drunk you can’t even walk straight.”

Kaeya furrowed his brow. “I’m not straight, Diluc. Y'know that.” 

This elicited a strangled cackle from Barbatos as he half-choked on the wine he’d been in the process of drinking. Diluc on the other hand was unamused with his brother’s shenanigans and promptly walked Kaeya to the door while mumbling something about the Knights, Dorian following close behind. As he left the table he was distinctly aware of the feeling that someone was staring intensely at him from behind, but he didn’t turn to look at who it was.

Outside the tavern Diluc dropped Kaeya unceremoniously onto one of the benches before turning to Dorian. “I’ll let you take him from here. Try not to let him get into any trouble on the way home.” 

“Naturally. I apologize for his indecent behavior. It is unbecoming of a Knight of Favonious.” 

“Hmph. It’s hardly the first time. Have a good night, Captain.”

With that, Diluc went back inside, leaving him alone with a very inebriated Kaeya who was still struggling to stand up properly. Dorian pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh, then offered himself for Kaeya to lean against as they walked. Or staggered, in Kaeya’s case. 

“Mm, come to be my Knight in shining armor, Bedo?”

Dorian rolled his eyes. “I did warn you not to stay out too late. You’re going to be feeling this in the morning.”

“Not if you’re there with me.”

He managed to get the two of them to Kaeya’s apartment, fishing out Kaeya’s keys from his coat while also preventing the Cavalry Captain from toppling over into his planter box. Honestly, how much had he had to drink already? One would think with his track record he’d have built up an alcohol tolerance by then. 

'If he vomits on me, I swear...'

Finally wrestling the door open, Dorian led Kaeya to his room, allowing him to flop onto the bed. “Ah, here we go— There. All safe. Good night Kaeya. I’ll uh, be sitting on the couch if you need me.”

He tried turning to leave but Kaeya held his arm. “Come on Bedo, don’t be so cold.”

“Kaeya, we’re inside now. You don’t need to keep calling me that.”

The other grinned stupidly, “Mm? What would you prefer then, love?”

'Wait. Does he think…' His cheeks burned at the realization. “Kaeya, I’m not—” Before he could finish the sentence Kaeya pulled him down into a bear hug, his chin resting on Dorian’s head. Dorian squirmed as he attempted to break the Captain’s hold. “Kaeya, it’s me, Dorian. Let. Go.”

When he finally managed to free himself, straightening his coat and hair, he could see Kaeya was propped up on one side with a look of betrayal on his face. “You’re not…”

“No, I’m not. Good night.” He quickly shut the door, shuddered, then retreated towards the couch. 

'Nope. Never doing that again. Kaeya can pass out in an alley next time.'

~ ~ ~

As the sun began to peak above the horizon the next morning, Dorian put away the new book he’d stuck his nose into and entered the kitchen. Hm. He tried to think back to what was best for easing a hangover. It was not something Rhinedottir had ever bothered to teach him, nor had he ever seen what Albedo did for Kaeya after he came home drunk. Besides scolding him that was.

'Coffee, perhaps?'

He rummaged through Kaeya’s cabinets, finding a tin of grounds in one of the upper ones, then retrieved a small pot from another cabinet. He filled the pot with water, setting it on the stove and letting the water come to a boil before adding in the grounds. Should he have filtered the grounds? He’d never actually seen coffee being made before. Perhaps it was like tea, but he wasn’t sure. Kaeya would also be needing food. Dorian wouldn’t say no to a nice breakfast either. What to make though…

He spotted a carton of eggs in Kaeya’s cryo-box and some bread on the counter. That would do. He’d watched Kaeya cook eggs and toast enough to be able to cook some with ease. As the coffee continued to boil he prepared the food, making the little bird nests in a pan like he’d seen the other do whenever Klee was around. Right as he was finishing he could hear a muffled groan followed by unintelligible mumbling coming from Kaeya’s bedroom. 

'Sounds like someone is meeting the consequences of his own actions.'

A little while later Kaeya shuffled into the living room looking disheveled and in great discomfort. He had evidently managed to get himself into night clothes, though the buttons on his shirt had been poked into the wrong holes in several places. His hair was a matted mess, and his eyepatch was missing from its usual place. He squinted at the light of the room. 

“Having a good morning are we? Still feeling in peak condition?” Dorian asked snidely.

The man glared at him with mismatched eyes, the golden one gleaming especially bright in the early sunlight. “Not a word, Dorian.”

“Ah, so you do know who I am then.”

Kaeya slumped onto the couch, hiding his face in his hands, though not well enough. Dorian could see his ears turning red. “I was hoping I dreamed that.”

“Unfortunately for both of us, you did not.”

Kaeya groaned again. 

“I made breakfast if you want some. I’ve already eaten. There’s some coffee as well.”

Prying himself back off the couch, Kaeya walked stiffly into the kitchen, plating the two remaining bird nests and pouring out some coffee into a mug before shuffling to the dining room table. He took a sip of the coffee then proceeded to nearly spit it back out, eyeing the liquid as if it had offended him.

'Hm'. Dorian frowned at Kaeya's reaction. Evidently he had done something wrong while making it. “Not to your taste? I’ve never actually made coffee before.”

The Captain wrinkled his nose, pushing his mug further away. “One, this is way overbrewed. I don’t know how long you brewed this for but it was far too long. Two, the grounds are still in it.”

“Ah. I wasn’t sure about the grounds. I figured you would strain them out if needed.”

“Mmph.” Kaeya inspected the nests as well before cutting off a piece and forking it into his mouth. “Mm, these are good though. Thank you.”

“You are welcome,” he said, pleased that at least one of the things he’d made had the other’s seal of approval. He poured out the rest of the coffee and washed the pot before setting it out to dry. “I’m leaving for work now. You’d best tidy yourself up quickly or you’ll be late again.”

Chapter Text

Subject Two laid atop Durin’s snout, mentally tracing the pattern of cracks and ridges in the stone ceiling high above their heads, legs dangling down off the edge of the dragon’s nose. As Durin shifted, he jerked to keep his balance on the smooth black scales, accidentally kicking Durin on the nostril in the process. The dragon snuffed from the sensation of it, his hot breath steaming up Subject Two’s legs. 

“Sorry. Did I hurt you?” he asked apologetically. Durin made a low humming noise, the vibrations of which pleasantly reverberated along his bones. 

“Worry not, little one. It merely tickled. It would take far more than your little boot to the nose to hurt me.” The dragon’s voice was hushed, carefully spoken so as not to harm his ears.

Subject Two pouted. “It’s not that little.”

“Said the ant to the giant.”

“Hey!” He elbowed the dragon’s snout saltily. It was not the first time his brother had commented on his stature. Durin rumbled again, though this time the sound lurched in his throat. Laughter, Subject Two had learned. “I’ll tell Master you’re picking on me again.”

“Is that so?” Subject Two could already hear the mischief in the dragon’s voice. “I suppose I ought to let you down then.” 

Durin tilted his head downward, causing Subject Two to slide forward with a yelp. Just before he slid off however, Durin flicked his head back up, tossing Subject Two back onto it. The other bounced off the smooth scales, coming to a stop just above the colossal dragon’s brow. He laughed breathlessly, heart pounding with adrenaline. 

Upon settling himself once more, belly down while propped up on his elbows, he looked down at one of his brother’s eyes. The pupil flickered as Durin attempted to gaze back up at him despite the angle. “Guess what I learned about today?”

“Hmm.” The dragon hummed thoughtfully, the tip of his tail swishing slowly like a cat. “I don’t know. What did you learn about today?”

“I said guess!”

Durin huffed. “Oh alright. Hm. Was it… the birds of Teyvat?”

“What? No.” Subject Two wrinkled his nose in amusement. “What’s your fascination with birds anyway? Most would be too small for you to see.”

“Not when I was very young. Master had a little yellow one. I think she called it a canary. It had a pretty song.” The dragon's tone held a note of longing that was not lost on Subject Two. In reality he knew why his brother so loved birds. Or at least part of the reason. It was their freedom, something neither he nor Durin had experienced yet. Durin longed to stretch out his wings and soar into the great blue sky of Teyvat, feeling the sun on his scales. He had said as much to Subject Two on more than one occasion. Subject Two felt the same way. His desire was to travel across the nations of Teyvat and experience all the wondrous things he'd read about for himself. Pushing himself up a little so as to better look at Durin, he said,

“Oh? I haven’t seen her keep any birds. What happened to it?”

The dragon remained silent, his gaze drifting solemnly to the floor.

“Oh.” Subject Two was all too familiar with their master’s ways of treating her experiments. If the little yellow bird was one such creature to her, it likely met a distasteful fate. In an attempt to change the subject back to something more pleasant, he said, “I learned more about the Anemo Archon today. The one that resides in Mondstadt.”

Durin’s countenance lightened at the mention of Lord Barbatos. “You did? Do share.”

“Apparently he was asleep for five hundred years before now."

Durin’s pupil widened. "Is that so? How disorienting that must be, waking after five hundred years. Everything would be so different. What else did you learn?"

"He doesn’t rule his nation like the other Archons do. He lets them live freely. Some of the other nations think he’s weak because of it. They see Mondstadt as a godless nation.”

“Ah, that is not quite the same though. We know this.”

“Yeah. He’d probably still protect them if something came to destroy Mondstadt.”

“Mmm. Yes, I think he would. He is likely very strong. Master says all the Archons are. She wants me to be as strong as they are. That seems unlikely though. I think I might fail her.”  Durin's wings drooped slightly as he spoke, as if heavy with the inevitable disappointment their master would have for him. Subject Two patted the dragon’s snout affectionately.

“Don’t think like that. I bet you could be even stronger than one if you wanted to. There’s a wind dragon named Dvalin that’s as strong as a god. He is a friend of Barbatos in fact.”

“Really?” In Durin’s excitement he nearly knocked Subject Two from his head.

“Yes. He’s all the shades of pretty blues and greens, and has magnificent wings. He reminds me of a big bird actually. Or at least he does in the illustration of the book I was reading.”

Durin closed his eyes, rumbling contentedly. “Do you suppose they are nice? Lord Barbatos and Dvalin that is.”

“It seems like he is from what I can tell. I would like to think they are. Perhaps we could meet them one day when Master lets us see the overworld.”

Durin’s tail flicked as he tilted his head slightly to the side. “Perhaps, yes. I think I would like that very much.”

Crisp, fresh air greeted Dorian as he stepped out from the Favonius Headquarters that morning, his breath collecting in front of him in little white plumes. Jean had caught him working on an assignment all night again and promptly ordered that he go rest for a few hours. He could return to Albedo’s apartment to relax for a bit, however he didn’t particularly feel like being cooped up indoors. That was one thing he disliked about Albedo’s lab at the Headquarters. Unlike the one in Dragonspine, it was completely isolated from the outside world, and one had to exit the city to enjoy the beauty that nature had to offer. 

The day was still quite young, the morning sun’s rays having yet to breach Mondstadt’s high walls. A thin layer of frost glassed over the cobbled stone streets, crunching ever so slightly as he made his way towards the square. Sara was just opening Good Hunter as he approached, setting out a sign that listed the day’s specials. “Good morning Captain Albedo. You’re up and about quite early today. Especially on such a cold morning. Though, I suppose this is probably still warm for you compared to Dragonspine.”

“Indeed. I find the weather rather pleasant. The perfect conditions for a quiet morning spent outside, watching the world come to life for the day.”

“Ah, that does sound nice. Will you be wanting anything to eat?”

Dorian thought about it for a moment, sparing a glance at the menu. “Just a couple fruit skewers, if you please.”

Sara gave him a nod, preparing his breakfast as he counted out his mora and set it on the counter. “Thank you, and here are your fruit skewers. Have a lovely rest of your morning, Captain.”

“You as well.”

Dorian inhaled deeply as he passed the city gates, the early sunlight pleasantly warming his skin. A light breeze drifted by him, carrying the sweet scent of blossoms with it. He waved to the two guards before heading towards Windrise. The sky ahead was painted in soft rosy hues and dazzling golds, its light refracting off the small crystals of ice that coated the grass and other flora around him. Birds had begun singing in the trees, filling the otherwise silent land with a chorus of melodic calls. Yes. This was a glorious morning indeed. He would need to thank Jean later for shooing him from the lab when she did. 

Sitting against the wide trunk of Windrise’s ancient oak tree, Dorian began to nibble idly at his fruit skewer while watching birds flit about its boughs. The tree was of an impressive size even when he first learned of it while studying Mondstadt all those years ago in Rhinedottir’s laboratory. He was glad to see it still standing. After finishing his breakfast, Dorian took out his notebook and pencil, drawing out some formulas that he was working on for the assignment Jean had given him. He intended to finish the notes before returning to the city to apply them to his work, but the sun against his face and calmness of the scenery made it difficult to focus. Soon he was unknowingly lulled into a comfortable sleep, his eyelids slowly drifting close…

~ ~ ~

The tickling of a cool breeze brushing against his cheeks was what roused him from his light slumber. Teal eyes fluttered open to see that the sun was almost directly overhead, the canopy of the great oak tree shading him from its light. Crystalflies were lazily fluttering around him, undisturbed by the homunculus as he had laid still against the trunk. The breeze tugged at him again, pulling at his hair and coat. There was almost a playfulness to the way it swirled around him. As if it were intentional. The back of his neck prickled in alarm and he stood quickly, looking around him.

“Hee-hee. Looking for me?”

Dorian whirled back around, his gaze rising to the boughs above him. Sure enough, a certain green-robed bard was perched atop one of the branches, his legs dangling in the air. Barbatos cocked his head, surveying Dorian. “Ah, you must be the other one, right? That was an excellent performance at the tavern the other night. I almost couldn’t tell you apart.”

Dorian could feel his heart racing, but his face remained a mask of indifference. “I’m not sure I follow. There is only one ‘me’. In any case, I had best be returning to the Favonius Headquarters. It was not my intention to doze off, and I have much to do today. Good day… Venti, was it?”

Venti giggled, his braids swaying. “Yep! That’s my name. Venti the Bard. No need to run off so soon though. We’ve only just met! And you’re a rather difficult individual to catch alone. Both you and your brother seem particularly apt to avoiding me hehe.”

Dorian kept his voice even, a perfect imitation of Albedo’s, while inwardly his thoughts were screaming at him to run away. “Perhaps you are still inebriated. I have only one sibling, and the only person she avoids is Grandmaster Jean after she’s gone fish blasting with the Cavalry Captain. Now if you’ll excuse me, I really must be going.”

He turned to leave, but before he could take more than a few steps the wind quickened intensely, picking him up off the ground as it swirled around him before setting him down on a tree branch adjacent to the one Barbatos was seated on. He held onto the bark tightly, not wanting to risk falling off and breaking an arm or leg. 

Barbados let out a mirthful laugh at the sight. “Hahahaha, that’s better. It’s an excellent view from up here, is it not? Truly a scene worth singing about.” 

Dorian gave up on the act. It was clear there would be no fooling the Archon. Watching Barbatos warily, he asked, “What do you want?”

“Just a friendly chat. Though if you have any apples or wine on you, I certainly wouldn’t decline. Eheh.”

He wasn’t sure how to read the bard. Outwardly he was just as friendly and aloof as normal from what Dorian had observed, but it was impossible to tell whether this was merely an act or not. “Lord Barbatos— Venti—, I’m not here to hurt Mondstadt. I swear on the moons. I just want a chance to live.”

Venti waved a hand, his welcoming yet mischievous grin never faltering. “Hehe! No need to worry yourself my friend! I’m not here to interfere with the lives of the people. You have the right and freedom to choose your own life here. A friendly word of advice though—” Dorian caught a slight shift in the bard’s voice. An almost imperceptible undertone that was undoubtedly a warning.

 “It may do you well to think twice before endeavoring the more… creative routes of your craft.” Just like that, the warning tone disappeared one again, as if it had only been in his imagination. “Though I must say, they make for excellent ballads. I’ve been thinking up a new one. ‘Shadows Amidst Snowstorms’. Has a nice ring to it, yes? Perhaps if you stop by the tavern, you might get to hear it, hehe.”

Dorian gave the bard a nervous half-smile. “I will keep that in mind, thank you.”

“You’re welcome! I’ll let you get back to your work now. Wouldn’t want you to get in trouble with the Grandmaster on my account.”

The wind tugged at Dorian again, though this time a little more gently than before. He hesitantly released his grip on the branch and allowed himself to be lowered back down to the ground. Quickly reorganizing his hair and clothes, he spared a glance back upwards. Venti waved innocently at him before pulling out a wood lyre, its song drifting with the winds to accompany Dorian as he retreated back towards the city.

Chapter Text

“Mr. Kaeya is sleeping in again.” Klee looked at the Cavalry Captain with what Dorian could only describe as a disapproving stare while poking his cheek. He was presently sprawled across his couch as if someone had tossed him there, still in his clothes, and there was a half-eaten bagel on his chest. Dorian knew he’d been busy that week, but he wouldn’t have expected Kaeya to be this tired. Noticing that the man’s cheeks looked flushed, at first he assumed that he must have been drinking late again, but upon closer inspection, he saw that Kaeya was damp with perspiration. Putting a hand to the other’s brow, he frowned.

“Looks like he’s sick. Probably from overexposure to the cold and rain these last few days.”

Klee looked up at Dorian with a worried expression, holding onto his pant leg. “Is he going to be okay?”

“Yes, he’ll be fine.” Dorian put a reassuring hand on Klee’s head. “He has a fever, but he is a healthy individual, so a sickness like this won’t kill him. He’ll just need to rest for a little while and take some medicine. Klee, would you be able to get him a glass of water?”

“Mmhm! Don’t worry Mr. Kaeya, we’ll help you feel better!” The little Spark Knight bounded towards the kitchen while Dorian gently shook the other’s shoulder. After a few moments Kaeya’s eyes slowly fluttered open, and he pushed himself up, groaning at his aching muscles. “Dorian? What-”

Dorian put a finger to his mouth. “Klee is here.”

“Klee?” Kaeya sat further up, head swiveling. His voice was hoarse, its usual smoothness having been stolen by whatever was ailing him.  “I thought you had her today?”

“I do. Jean asked for me to check on you though since you never showed up to work today.”

The Captain’s eye widened as he worriedly looked at the clock, reading just past six in the evening. “Shit, I had an important meeting with Jean this morning.” 

He tried standing up, but staggered a bit before Dorian rose to steady him. “Thanks. I need to-”

“Lie back down.” Dorian interjected. “You have a fairly high fever for a cryo user, and are looking unwell. If you push yourself you’ll only make things worse. I will inform Jean of your present condition and advise that you take the next couple days off.” Kaeya opened his mouth to argue but Dorian cut him off. “This is not a negotiation. ”

Just then, Klee bounced back into the room with a cup half full of water, the other half having made its way onto the floor in a wet trail behind the girl. Evidently her excitement over helping Kaeya had gotten the better of her. “Here Kaeya, this is for you.”

“Ah, thank you Klee.” Kaeya gave the girl an exaggerated smile while accepting the glass. What water was in it was swiftly gulped down, the Captain loudly exhaling after emptying its contents. Dorian took note of this, piecing it together with his other symptoms.

“Hm. It would appear you are dehydrated. You’ll need to keep up your fluid intake. I’ll make some broth for you. That should be beneficial both to hydrate you and to ease any soreness in your throat. In the meantime you would do well to change into clothes that are not damp with rain and sweat.”

Kaeya waved dismissively at Dorian. “No need to go about babying me, Sir Albedo. I am quite capable of caring for myself. Clearly I’ve already rested plenty. I just need a quick shower and a bite to eat, then I’ll be right as rain.”

“But Kaeya, you told me when someone is sick they need to stay home.” Klee looked up at the man with puppy-dog eyes, her hands clasped together “What if you get more sick, and then you can’t come fish blasting with me.” She paused, her gaze flicking towards Dorian for a second. “I mean, playing with me.”

Dorian folded his arms. “Indeed. Besides, you wouldn’t want to rob our dear Klee of the chance to be a big sister and help take care of you, would you?”

“Yeah, I want to be big sister Klee and make you feel all better!” The girl was practically jumping up and down from excitement, her Dodoco toy swinging from the motion with a faint jingle. Kaeya looked from her, to Dorian, to her again.

“Oh very well.” He sighed loudly, allowing Klee to take back his glass to bring him more water. After she left the room he fixed Dorian with a half-hearted glare. “That was a cheap move, using her against me.”

“Perhaps, but it was effective nonetheless. Now would you please change into something dry.”

Kaeya shook his head, mumbling something under his breath as he retreated to his room. 

~ ~ ~

The Acting Grandmaster sighed as she wrote something in neat lettering on a small stack of papers. As usual, she was working herself to the bone, despite the protests from the other knights that she ought to take her own advice and rest. 

“I was afraid that might be the case. It would seem that nearly half of the garrison have caught some kind of bug. Please inform him that he is relieved of his duties until he has sufficiently recovered. We can’t afford him getting sicker because he’s too stubborn to stay home. And try not to get sick yourself either if you can help it. There needs to be at least a few of us keeping this ship running.”

Dorian gave her a short nod. In truth, he wasn’t sure that he was even capable of becoming sick, but it was not something he particularly desired to put to the test. “Of course. I will look after Klee in the meantime. It sounds like you’ll have more than your hands full. I hope that you will set aside some time to get some rest. Sleep deprivation is harmful to one's immune system, and I would hate to see you get sick as well.”

“I will keep that in mind. Thank you, Albedo.”

~ ~ ~

Klee trotted beside Dorian as he made his way back to Kaeya’s apartment. She was humming a tune to herself that Dorian didn’t recognise, her arms swinging as she half-skipped down the cobbled street. “Do do doo, we’re going to help Mr. Kaeyaaa. Hehe. Albedo, can I give him the soup?”

Dorian gave the little girl a loving smile, his own arms cradling a paper sack of groceries. “Yes, Klee. You’ll need to be careful not to spill it though.”

“I’ll be extra careful!” She exclaimed excitedly. I get to be big sister Klee today hehehe.”

As Dorian opened the front door, he saw Kaeya standing in the kitchen, tending to the pot of broth he’d left to simmer as well as making himself something in a skillet. He had changed his clothes at least, but the fact remained that he looked terrible and really should not be up and about. Dorian’s smile faded as his brow furrowed both with concern for the man’s health and frustration with his stubbornness. “Kaeya, I told you to lay down. I’ll take care of that for you.” 

“How generous of you. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you don’t think I can take care of myself.” Though the Captain sounded sarcastic as usual, there was a hint of bitterness in his tone. “I suppose you ratted me out to Grandmaster Jean while you were out?”

“To say I ‘ratted you out’ seems a bit extreme, but yes, I did inform the Grandmaster of your condition. She asked me to relay to you that you are relieved of your duties until you are well enough to perform them.”

Kaeya gave an exasperated sigh as he fell dramatically onto the couch. Klee, unaware of the other’s growing displeasure, moved over to where he was laying and said cheerily, “It’s okay Mr. Kaeya, we’ll make you feel better.”

Kaeya was silent as Dorian did his best to finish cooking the small pieces of meat that had been started on the skillet and served them alongside a bowl of the chicken broth. “Here you are. I’ll make some soup out of the rest of the broth. I got some fresh vegetables from the market that will be good in it.”

“You really don’t need to do that. I’m not a child, Albedo, unless I’m blind and one of your experiments has gone terribly wrong. In which case, I don’t think soup ought to be at the top of your priorities.”

The Captain’s mood confused Dorian. It seemed like he didn’t want to be cared for, but he couldn’t imagine why that would be. He’d seen Kaeya care for others when they needed it. “I never implied that you were a child, nor is it my intention to treat you like one. I am merely tending to you while you are sick. Perhaps you can enlighten me, because I do not understand why that would bother you.”

“Because I can stand on my own two feet. I’ve gotten this far haven’t I? Just because your mother didn’t love you doesn’t mean you need to go around mothering everyone else.”

Dorian stiffened, feeling as if he had been cut by the other’s poignant remark. Kaeya seemed to have regretted his comment mere moments after letting it slip past his tongue, his face growing pale upon realizing the gravity of what he had said. 

“Wait, I didn’t mean-”

Dorian didn’t let him finish. “No, I understand. There’s no need to repeat it. Come on Klee, Kaeya wants to be left alone right now.”

Klee’s peach-colored eyes flicked between the two of them, her expression openly portraying the evident conflict she was feeling. “But, I thought I was gonna be big sister Klee today?”

Dorian shook his head as he ushered her towards the door with his hand. “Maybe later, but not today. Let’s just let Kaeya rest. We can go pick some flowers for him, how does that sound?”

The prospect of flower-picking was enough to turn her mood around. She bounded out the door while singing about calla lilies. Dorian followed suit, barely sparing a glance at Kaeya before shutting the door behind him with a *click*. 

Once outside, the little Spark Knight began to gently tug on his sleeve. “Come on Albedo, I found a great place for flowers. There’s lots and lots of calla lilies! There’s also lots of slimes to play with!”

By then Dorian was well aware that when it came to monsters like slimes, Klee’s idea of playing with them involved tossing an excessive number of her favorite ‘toys’ at them. This never ended well for her playmates, and there was a high chance of there being a similarly poor ending for anyone else in her vicinity. The Bennet kid might have egregious luck for himself, but Klee was a bringer of calamity for those brave or foolish enough to be around her in the wilderness. Somehow enemies always managed to find them, usually strong ones at that. Such complications in what ought to be peaceful outings were typically manageable to her usual caretakers, seeing as they were all vision users. But Dorian did not possess a vision. The one decorating the base of his neck was nothing more than a pretty piece of glass, and was of no use in the face of an enemy. Should they fall prey to anything particularly powerful, Dorian would be dead weight, dead meat, and dead in general.

As such, whenever he was in charge of Klee he tried to keep them away from anywhere that had potential to be dangerous. On this occasion however, he needed something to distract her, and perhaps himself as well. “Is that so? You’ll have to show me.”

Klee led Dorian down a half-worn trail into the woods near Wolvendom. Small clusters of lampgrass glowed softly in the shade of the trees, their light dimming slightly as the girl plucked them from the ground. “I wanna give these to the weird grownup too. Kaeya says they are his favorite.”

Dorian nearly raised an eyebrow, but then remembered he needed to keep his expression mostly neutral. “The weird grownup? Remind me who that is again.”

Klee turned around and giggled. “Hehe! That’s Kaeya’s brother, silly! The one who sells the funny grape juice.”

Oh. Oh. “Master Diluc?”

“Yep! Kaeya lets me taste the funny grape juice sometimes but he told me not to tell anyone.” Her eyes suddenly widened. “Oops. Please don’t tell Master Jean.”

Of course he did. Dorian thought ruefully. “I won’t tell her this time, but I’ll have to have a talk with Kaeya later.”

He expected her mood to turn back around after that as it usually did, but instead her demeanor grew forlorn, fingers fiddling together. “Klee, is something wrong?” She was silent at first, gaze pointed to her feet, and he wasn’t sure that she would answer. After a few moments however, she said quietly. “Are you and Kaeya fighting? When Kaeya and Mr. Diluc fight, they don’t want to see each other anymore. Are you not going to see Kaeya anymore?”

Oh. Dorian crouched down to be closer to eye-level with the child. “No, we aren’t fighting exactly, but sometimes when people are upset or not feeling well, they say hurtful things they don’t always mean.”

“Like how Kaeya said Mommy doesn’t love you? Don’t worry, that’s not true. Mommy loves you a lot, just like Klee!”

Dorian pushed back the pain welling up in his chest. The child couldn’t be further from the truth. The mother she was speaking of was Alice, who didn’t even know he existed, and he was worth so little to his real mother that she couldn’t even be bothered with giving him a name. To her he was nothing more than faulty product to be disposed of. But of course, Klee didn’t know that. To the little Spark Knight he was ‘big brother Albedo’, loved by her and Alice. “Yes, she does. Thank you Klee.”

“Hehe, you're welcome. Here, you can have a flower to feel better too!” Back to her bubbly self, she extended a lampgrass flower to him, slipping it into his hair. “See? You’re all pretty now!”

Dorian smiled at her, rising to his feet as he lightly touched his new accessory. “Ah, that’s very lovely. You are a good little sister, Klee.”

Klee giggled, hugging his leg before continuing down the path, gathering more lampgrass as she went. As predicted, there was a small group of slimes at the location of interest. It was an old sinkhole with a shallow pool of water at the bottom, the perfect place for both calla lilies and slimes to grow. These particular slimes were of the cryo variety, which was lucky since those would be the easiest for a pyro user to dispatch. She was about to toss a couple bombs into the sinkhole when Dorian quickly held back her hand. “Careful. If you blow them up down there, it’ll burn the flowers too. Let’s lead them out first.”

“Ohhh. Okay! Hehe, that sounds like fun. How do we do that?”

Dorian took out the small bottle of concentrated mistflower extract that he’d collected earlier in the day for one of his assignments. “Just watch.” As he uncorked the bottle, thin wisps of vapor rose from it, its sharp scent pricking his nose like a winter day. He waved the bottle around in the air, letting the vapors drift towards the slimes. The effect was almost immediate. The sinkhole was swiftly abandoned as the slimes pursued the potent cryo energy. There were seven little ones, and two larger ones. Once they reached a sufficient distance from the hole, Dorian re-corked the bottle and exchanged it for his blade. Klee bounced with excitement, giggling as the slimes approached. 

“Hehe! It worked Albedo! They are all coming over here. Can I play with them now?”

“Yes, you may play with them now.”

He watched as Klee began tossing incendiaries at the elemental beings with somewhat alarming enthusiasm. Albedo had mentioned to him before that Klee’s destructiveness was nothing in comparison to her mother’s. If this was truly the case, Dorian hoped he would never meet the woman.

Though Klee took care of most of the slimes, Dorian pitched in as well, taking out a couple of the smaller ones that managed to slip past the girl as she rained down fiery hell upon their companions. It wasn’t long before the slimes were reduced to nothing but residue, which Dorian collected into more glass bottles for later use. Klee was splattered with the stuff after letting one of the big ones get too close before blowing it up. The girl didn’t seem to be bothered by this however. She was positively beaming, her smile reaching ear to ear.

“That was so much fun! I wish there were more!”

Technically Dorian could attract more of them if he wanted to. In fact he knew how to make a whole swarm of them appear. It was already sundown however, and he didn’t want to push his luck. “Perhaps tomorrow we can find more. I could use some more slime concentrate. For now, let us pick the calla lilies and get you home for a bath. You are positively covered in slime.”

As it turned out, Klee was not content with simply wearing a coat of slime residue. No, upon reaching the bottom of the sinkhole, they discovered that the ground around the water was incredibly muddy. In true child fashion, Klee practically rolled around in it until she more closely resembled a hillichurl than a human. Or elf, as he supposed she was. She could probably slide from the top of Dragonspine all the way to the city given how slick with mud and slime she was. He ended up carrying the flowers for her on the way back so as to avoid getting them dirty as well. 

He had the little Spark Knight wash off her shoes and legs in the lake before entering the city so that she wouldn’t be trailing in quite so much muck. Albedo’s clean floor would not be getting off so lightly however… Perhaps it would be better to just carry her in. His clothes would need a good washing after this regardless. She let out a little squeal when he lifted her from the ground as they reached the front entry to Albedo’s apartment. Kicking off his own muddy boots, he carried the girl straight towards the bathroom. He helped to remove her backpack and soiled clothes as the bath was being drawn, and upon her adamant request, added bubbles to the water. He allowed her to play in the bath for a little while as he took her dirty clothes directly to the wash before retrieving fresh ones from the dresser Albedo had reserved for her in one of the upper bedrooms. 

Klee had managed to get most of the grime off of her by the time he came back, so he helped her to get the spots she missed before draining the tub and drying her off. She giggled warmly as he vigorously rubbed the towel over her head to dry her hair, a warmth that made its way right into Dorian’s chest. He loved to hear Klee laugh and look at the way she smiled like nothing could be wrong in the world. Once they were both clean and dry, they headed for Kaeya’s apartment, a collection of lampgrass and calla lilies in hand. “Come on Albedo! I wanna give Kaeya his flowers!”

“Be patient, Klee. You might run into someone like that. I think he can wait an extra minute or two.”

Klee’s pace only slowed a little, but Dorian took that as a small victory. He hoped that she might at least burn through all that extra energy before he put her to bed. When they got to the door, Klee wasted no time before knocking on it in rapid succession. “Mr. Kaeyaaa, we have a present for you!”

Dorian could hear shuffling from inside, which grew quiet for a moment before the click of the lock could be heard, followed by the light creak of the door as it was opened. Kaeya looked just as bedraggled as he had earlier in the day, if not moreso. Dorian stood back a little, allowing Klee to offer the other her gift. “These are for you! Big brother Albedo helped me pick them.”

“Aw, that’s very kind of you Klee.” The Captain croaked out. “They are beautiful.”

 When Kaeya’s gaze rose to Dorian, the corner of his eye seemed to turn down, despite the half-forced smile he was wearing. “Why don’t you both come in. Can’t have you getting sick from standing out in the cold now can we?”

He followed Klee inside, but remained silently to the side as Kaeya helped her take out a vase and fill it with water for the flowers to sit in. “Now aren’t those beautiful. Really livens the place up. I see you have one too, ey Albedo?”

Dorian put a hand up to his hair where the lampgrass flower was still perched. “Yes, Klee says I look pretty with it."

Sensing the tension that remained between them, Kaeya turned to Klee and said, “If you still want to help me, I have a little project for you.”

The child’s eyes lit up like fireworks. “Really?”

“Mmhm. I want you to draw a picture of what you did today, so I can know all about it. But I can’t see it until it’s finished so it’ll be a surprise. Do you think you could do that for me?”

“Uh huh! I can do that Mr. Kaeya! No peeking!”

“Very good. Albedo and I will go to the other room so we won’t see. Okay?”

“Okay!”

Understanding the other’s intention, Dorian hesitantly followed Kaeya into his office space at the far end of the house. Once out of earshot of the little girl, the Captain sighed, leaning against the desk. “Dorian, I didn’t mean to say that earlier. It wasn’t fair to you to hurt you like that when you were only trying to help. I’m sorry.”

Dorian’s gaze remained fixed to the side, avoiding Kaeya’s eye. “It’s fine. I understood what you meant by it. I know you tend to push people away through needling and vitriol when you feel uncomfortable or upset. I should’ve listened to you the first time you expressed your displeasure. That was my fault. We can just forget about it.”

He turned to leave the room, but Kaeya put a hand on his shoulder, firmly holding him there. “And I know you isolate or shut yourself down when you are uncomfortable or upset.” 

Dorian looked into Kaeya’s azure eye for a long moment, neither saying anything, then Dorian broke, his stoicism falling as he donned a pained smile, shaking his head. “Are we really going to make amends by psychoanalyzing each other?”

Kaeya chuckled, though the sound came out almost as a cough instead. “I suppose. It’s a hell of a lot easier than when I try to apologize to Luc. Unless you want a hug instead?”

“ No , thank you.” The words came out more desperately than he intended. “I… do not handle being restrained well. Regardless of the intention.”

“Oh good, I’m not much of a hugger either.”

An awkward silence passed between them as neither knew what to do or say next, but then Dorian became aware of the wine bottle sitting on Kaeya’s desk, and a thought came to mind. A slight smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. “So what is this I hear about you giving Klee ‘funny grape juice’?”

The Captain’s face became a grinning mask of poorly veiled guilt, like a child caught red-handed. “Oh, that? I merely gave her the occasional sip. Nothing worth mentioning. Our father used to give Diluc and I small tastes of wine when we were her age too.”

“ Uh huh …” Before Dorian could say anything more, Kaeya was saved by the bell as Klee’s voice could be heard shouting gleefully from the other room, announcing that she was finishing coloring. Kaeya brightened and made his way out of the room, clearly taking advantage of the change in subject.

“Ah, it would appear we are being summoned. I suppose we had better go see Klee’s latest masterpiece.”

“Yes, I suppose we should. Don’t think this lets you off the hook though.”

Kaeya grinned back at him, his eye twinkling mischievously. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Chapter Text

In the days preceding his and Kaeya’s return to the mountain the weather had grown colder and colder. Frost began to build up into icy sheets in the back alleys and dark corners of the city where the towering walls and buildings cast the ground into eternal shade. From what Dorian had learned of Mondstadt, it was a temperate climate that hosted mild winters and rarely received snowfall. An unusual cold front had settled over the region however, leaving the citizens bundling up for warmth and avoiding long excursions outside. Even during the day, when the warm sun would typically thaw out any frost that formed overnight, the land remained frozen. Given the amount of rain that had fallen leading up to the icy weather, many believed it might snow soon. Most of the city was excited at the prospect, but for Dorian it was just more of the same thing he’d lived with for the past many months.

He didn’t dislike the snow or cold per-say, but after a while it lost any magic it might have had for him. Of course, snow down in Mondstadt would be far more pleasant than the deadly bitter cold of Dragonspine, which was perhaps why so many people wanted it. There were few who ventured into Dragonspine just to play in the wintery weather.

The morning that Kaeya came to knock on his- or rather Albedo’s door, it was cold enough that even the Cavalry Captain was wearing his winter clothes. It was the first time Dorian had seen the man wear them outside of Dragonspine. 

“You ready to go?” He asked, his words condensing into white vapor in front of him. Dorian nodded, having already donned a set of Albedo’s warmer clothes. He and Albedo might be far more tolerant of the bitter cold, but even they wouldn’t be caught walking around in their shorts in it. Or at least not without one of Albedo’s warming potions handy. He stepped outside, locking the door to the apartment before following Kaeya to the stables. Dorian knew that the Captain usually rode a horse when traveling to the mountain, however he’d never actually been up close to one, and it hadn’t quite sunk in that he also would be riding one until it was right in front of him. 

Despite its size, the stables were almost entirely empty, housing a meager five horses. Three of those weren’t even full horses, but rather were mules. The fourth was a large draft horse, and the remaining one was Kaeya’s own mount. 

Dorian stopped in front of the draft horse, dumbstruck at the size of the animal. Its shaggy coat was a dark smokey brown color, and its lower legs were covered in dark fluff. It looked at him with its big dark eyes, extending its neck towards him out past the gate to its stall. Unsure of its intentions, and quite frankly intimidated by the creature, Dorian quickly backed away from it. Kaeya looked over and chuckled at him. 

“Don’t mind Samson, he’s just trying to say hello. He won’t hurt you. Here, you can give him a treat. Just keep them flat in your palm.”

Kaeya took some sugar cubes from his pocket and dropped them into Dorian’s hand. Dorian looked back at Samson, who was stretching his neck out even further now.

“Go on.”

At Kaeya’s prompting, Dorian hesitantly held out hand towards the beast. As soon as the cubes were within range, the horse gently snatched them up with its big bristly lips. He let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding in relief that his hand hadn’t been taken off. Samson knickered, reaching out for him again. 

“I don’t have any more.” He told it, as if it would understand what he was saying. He showed the animal both his empty hands. Instead of backing off as Dorian hoped it would do, the horse pressed its nose against his hand, nuzzling it. Taking the que, he stepped a little closer and gave its muzzle a gentle pet. Its nose was soft and velvety save for its whiskers, and he could feel its hot breath against his hand. 

“Ah, you’re a sweet one aren’t you? I should- hey!”

Samson tried to tease at his hair, giving him a low knicker as Dorian gently but firmly pressed the animal’s head away. Kaeya began laughing from two stalls over where he was saddling up his horse. “Haha! What’s wrong Dorian, don’t you like his kisses?”

“Er, not when they involve eating my hair.” He watched Kaeya tighten the saddle strap around his horse’s midsection while it stood patiently. It was a gorgeous individual with a speckled grey coat that darkened at the face, tail, and hooves. Once Kaeya was finished with its tack he led the horse outside the barn and beckoned Dorian over. 

“This is Brandywine. She’s the best horse in Mondstadt, even before the rest of the cavalry left with Varka.”

As it would turn out, Brandywine was not a fan of his. When Dorian stepped closer to her, she whinnied sharply and threw back her head, ears pinned back. Even with as little knowledge about horses as he had, he knew that she was displeased. Kaeya held her close by the reins, patting her neck soothingly. “Hey, hey. It’s alright girl. He’s a friend.”

She stamped her hoof defiantly. Dorian stepped away a couple paces, hoping to avoid the horse’s ire. “I think I’ll walk, actually. She doesn’t seem to like me.”

“Nonesense. She’s just not used to you. Here, I’ll show you.” Kaeya put one foot in the stirrup and hoisted himself up onto her back, his hand firmly holding onto the saddle horn. “Alright. Now come over and I’ll help you up.”

Dorian gave Kaeya a skeptical glance, not entirely trusting his judgment. At the Captain’s insistence however, he cautiously stepped closer. At first it seemed that it would be alright, but just as Dorian was about to touch the saddle, she squealed and reared up on her hind legs. Kaeya, having been leaning over and taken by surprise, unsuccessfully scrambled to keep himself from being thrown before flying into the frozen cobblestone. 

“Woah! Easy girl! Easyy ooah - atch!” 

Brandywine trotted a little ways away, snorting and tossing her head back. Kaeya grunted as he picked himself back up, rubbing his backside with a wince. “Well, maybe she doesn’t like you.”

It took the better part of an hour and several handfuls of sugar cubes and oats before Brandywine was warmed up enough to Dorian to actually let him ride her. Kaeya claimed that she practically never behaved that poorly with someone, and that was rather fond of Albedo, so he couldn’t understand why she was so nervous around him. They eventually came to the theory that she was bothered by him looking and sounding like Albedo, but not actually being him. Seeing as how that was the least insulting reason they had come up with, Dorian decided that one must be true.

Once he was finally seated on Brandywine, he immediately decided that he wanted back off again. There was something unsettling about the way the horse moved and swayed under him when at a walk. Galloping was even worse. If it weren’t for Kaeya bracing him from behind, he feared he might fall off, though he had to admit the speed was a little exhilarating.

Upon reaching the adventurer’s camp at base of Dragonspine, Kaeya tied up Brandywine to a post with some fresh water and grains. Dorian had seen him do so before when he was still running surveillance on the other, but it was only during times that Kaeya didn’t stay on the mountain long. Other times he just let the horse run away. Presumably back to the city. He would have to ask Kaeya about that while they trekked up the mountain.

~ ~ ~

Albedo was waiting for them at the mouth of the cave, his arms crossed and expression a little more sharp than usual. “Captain Kaeya, I think we need to discuss what ‘a few days’ means. You both were gone for a week and a half.”

Kaeya gave him an innocent smile and spread his hands. “Oh? Were you worried for me? It was nothing, really. Just some patrols that took longer than expected.”

Dorian sideyed the man, but decided not to say anything about him being sick for the last five days. Albedo would likely figure it out anyways, and he didn’t feel like earning Kaeya’s ire for a second time that week. The alchemist looked unconvinced by Kaeya’s explanation, but didn’t press further. He wondered if that was out of trust for the other, or because Albedo was also avoiding a confrontation. The former seemed more likely, if not a combination of the two.

Kaeya left early the next morning, too busy to stay any longer. He said he likely wouldn't get a chance to return to the camp for the next couple of weeks, claiming that the poor weather conditions resulted in less people venturing outside the city, and that the abyss order had been taking full advantage of this to spread out more camps. Without reports coming in on the locations of these camps, the Knights were forced to take more thorough patrols. This would have been easy if there were enough horses for all the Knights to ride, but Grandmaster Varka hadn’t given them the courtesy of accounting for that. As such, they were forced to trudge through the cold and rain all day. Dorian could hear the bitterness in Kaeya’s voice as he explained the situation to them. From what he could gather, the Captain was less than fond of Varka. In particular the fact that the man had taken the entirety of Mondstadt’s cavalry and the majority of the other knights with him, leaving precious few to defend the city itself.  

“Inefficient indeed.” Kaeya had muttered.

By the second day after the Cavalry Captain had left, rain had become snow, covering the land in a blanket of white. Though he and Albedo remained at the camp, they could see it coming down in the distance. Or at least during the short occasions that the weather on Dragonspine was clear enough to see the rest of Mondstadt. 

“Mm. I bet Klee is enjoying the snow down there.” Dorian said one day in between sips of hot tea. He and Albedo had been working on an experiment all through the previous day and that night before finally finishing it in the morning, after which they decided to take a break for food and drink. It was one of the benefits for when Kaeya wasn’t around. Despite his intentions, he tended to be more of a hindrance than a help when it came to their work in alchemy. This usually came in the form of reminders for them to stop to eat or sleep, as well as invitations for more cooking lessons. Not that Dorian minded such things on their own, but when he was zoned into whatever project he was working on, interruptions tended to throw his brain off track, leaving him to gather back the pieces. 

Albedo sipped on his own tea, his teal eyes fixed onto the scene in front of him as if he were painting it in his mind. “Yes, I’m sure she is. Though if I had to guess, she is likely enjoying blowing up the piles of it that are plowed off of the main paths.”

The mental image that conjured made Dorian smile. He could practically hear her giggling as big piles of the fluffy white stuff went flying everywhere with a *boom*. “Here’s an idea. Perhaps we could design a bomb for her that explodes into snow rather than fire. I’m certain it would be possible using cryo slime concentrate. I just restocked some while I was watching Klee.”

Albedo put a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “I think she would greatly enjoy that. It shouldn’t be too difficult to design. Perhaps it could be her gift for the Year’s End celebration.”

Now that was a new term for Dorian. He raised an eyebrow at his brother. “Year’s End celebration? I’m not familiar with it.”

“As the name suggests, it is an occasion in which people celebrate the last day of the present year, and the first day of the new one. Typically it is celebrated with one’s family, and gifts are given out. To children in particular.”

It sounded like a fun event. A shorter one than most festivals that Mondstadt hosted, but much more homey in Dorian’s imagination. I bet Durin would love it, he thought somberly. Calculating the days in his mind, he realized that the year’s end would be two days from then. “Will you be attending the celebration?”

Albedo nodded. “Yes. The Knights will all be gathered at headquarters to celebrate it. I’ll be leaving for the city early that morning”

Dorian couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. He’d half hoped Albedo would say no, so that he could go in his brother’s stead, but he realized that would be asking too much of the other. It wouldn’t be right for him to take Albedo’s place in something like a celebration with family and friends. 

“So it’ll just be me here then?” He asked tentatively. Albedo and Kaeya had kept him under close supervision since they had taken him in, be it in person or by proxy while he was at work, as had been agreed upon when Albedo first gave Dorian the offer. It would feel odd to suddenly be left to his own devices there while the other two were all the way out in the city. 

“Indeed. Will that be an issue?”

“No, no. I just wasn’t sure that you’d trust me enough to leave me unsupervised. Would you prefer that I stay in my own cave while you are gone?”

Albedo fixed his eyes on Dorian for a moment, considering the other’s question. “I trust that you wouldn’t do anything malicious while we are gone. As for staying at your place, it certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea. I doubt anyone would come up here, but it would be safer for you if there weren't signs of someone still being here when there shouldn’t be.”

“Ah. I think I’ll do that then. It would be more appropriate to stay in my own home anyways.”

~ ~ ~

The next day and half had been spent working on creating a cryo-bomb prototype for Klee. Creating the rough idea for one was easy, following a similar method to what hillichurls used for cryo-slime barrels. The challenge came in trying to make one that would not damage the user or its surroundings however. They played around with the design, adjusting the levels of ingredients and adding others until they finally reached a result that performed the desired effect. Not long after, Albedo packaged up the gift and bid him farewell before descending the mountain, leaving Dorian alone in the camp. The silence spoke volumes.

He packed up a few things before making his way over to his cave, noting the way the clouds were thickening over the mountain’s peak, and how the swirling of the winds was picking up. He was familiar enough with the weather there by then to know that a blizzard would likely form soon. 

The cave was cold and dark when he arrived, having been left empty the last couple weeks. He moved to the iron stove, building up a fire inside until it began to radiate warmth and light into the space. Though it was still not as well furnished as Albedo’s camp, he’d been slowly improving the interior furnishings over the past month. It was something he had neglected in the past in favor of simple functionality, not having planned to stay in it after completing his mission. Now though, it was a home more than a shelter or base of operation. 

Rugs had been placed around to cover the cold stone floor with some padded chairs for him to sit on. His old sleeping mat had been replaced with a much more comfortable one like what was in Albedo’s apartment. A couple bookshelves were set against the walls with the beginnings of a book collection placed inside them, along with the drawing Klee had made for him that first day he looked after her, some potions, and other alchemical supplies. He’d kept his old apparatus, though some improvements had been made to them. The stove was one of the newest additions, along with a rack of spices and nonperishable ingredients for him to practice cooking with. The perishable items he kept in a hidden crate closer to the entrance. 

It was far more welcoming than it had been before, but in the sudden absence of any company, the atmosphere was just as lonely, if not moreso. He’d become too spoiled by constantly having others around that now he no longer felt comfortable in total isolation. Though… he supposed he never had been. Not really. Perhaps it was knowing that everyone he cared about were joined together in celebration without him that really made the place feel empty. It was a reminder that, in the end, he was still just a shadow lurking in the background. No one would ask where he was, or why he hadn’t come to join them, because in their eyes he already had. Or rather Albedo had. 

At his request, his brother had elaborated further on the details of the celebration, recounting the usual festivities they took part in. By the time he was finished, Dorian wished he hadn’t asked. All he could imagine was the warmth of Amber’s laughter and Eula’s reserved smile, Kaeya’s jokes, Klee’s bubbly giggles and wide eyes, Lisa’s gentle teasing, Jean’s tired but welcoming presence- All those things joined together around a warm fire, the smell of food in the air as everyone brought something special for the meal together. The joy that would fill the room. Dorian wanted it so badly it made his heart ache. 

It would have been yours if you weren’t such a failure. If only you had finished what you started. You could be the one there instead of sitting here alone. 

The traitorous voice wormed its way into his mind. He tried to shove it away. I’ll have it eventually. I just need to keep working on myself. 

And what if they hate you? They might cast you out for what you have done. Even if they don’t, it’ll never be the same. They won’t treat you like they treat him. You mean nothing to them. Replacing Albedo was the only chance you had and you threw it away.

Dorian shook his head, pacing the rug. Maybe I don’t want them to treat me like him? What if I want them to treat me like me? And if they hate me… I’ll have deserved it.

You did what you had to do. You weren’t given the choice. Why should Albedo get to enjoy this life of his while you are forced to live in his shadow?

Albedo earned it. He worked for it. Just like I’m trying to do for myself.

He was given the advantage, set up for success right from the start. Meanwhile you are left to scrape and claw your way up.

Which is what will make my successes mean that much more. 

He fought against the voice, trying to block it from his mind. He refused to listen to it anymore. Doing so had only brought him guilt and bitterness. It was not such an easy thing to cast aside however, and if he couldn’t do that, he would beat it into submission instead.

“That’s enough!” He cried out aloud. “It is my fault I’m here instead of over there. The decision to try to replace Albedo instead of working with him was mine and mine alone. I was the one who made that mistake. If I hadn’t made myself an enemy, I wouldn’t have had to deal with the consequences of it. I could have been out there months ago if I had stopped to consider there was another way. My shortcomings are not his or anyone else’s fault. I was jealous and bitter of him and I let that cloud my judgment. That’s on me. By rights I shouldn’t even be alive right now, so I should count myself blessed with anything I can get.”

He waited in silence for the voice to return. For it to nag at his thoughts and whisper excuses into his ears, but it didn’t come. For now at least, he had shut it up. The victory lifted his spirits a little, until once again he was faced with the fact that, regardless of the reason, it was his first year’s end since he was revived, and he was spending it alone when everyone else was together celebrating. His gaze drifted out in the direction he knew Durin’s bones lay in. “I guess you’re spending it alone too.” 

An idea came to him then. Donning his cape, he ventured back out into the cold. The wind was definitely getting stronger. He’d have to hurry. Carefully sliding down the steep stone cliffs and trudging through deep snow, he made his way to Wyrmrest Valley. It had been months since he’d stepped foot anywhere near there, and even now he could feel his heart beating faster as unwanted memories bubbled up towards the surface of his mind. He did his best to ignore it, though it grew more difficult the closer he got to Durin’s heart. Instead of traveling towards it, he made his way further down towards where the skull was. The last time he had faced it, it had sent him into a panic. This time he steeled himself. 

“H-hey brother. Sorry I didn’t visit you earlier.” His heart pounded against his chest. He stepped closer to the skull. “Today is the last day of the year, and I thought…” His nerves felt like they were being electrocuted. “I thought we could keep each other company.”

The dragon’s fangs loomed above. They closed around him, trapping him in suffocating heat. He stepped closer, feeling the pulse of Durin’s corrupted heartbeat. It was all that surrounded him. Pulsing red among darkness, consuming him alive.

“I just want to bring a little bit of you back with me. Away from here. Is that alright?” He felt dizzy, but he took another step, hand outstretched. ‘Master please! Please don’t!’ It was hard to breathe. He closed his eyes, old bone pressed against his palm. A warm breath brushed gently against his face.

“Little one, where is the other of you?”

Dorian was seated on the ground with a textbook in hand. He looked up at the colossal dragon in interest. “What do you mean ‘other one of me’? Is there more than one?”

Durin cocked his scaly head, golden eyes peering at him. “Yes. There are two. Or at least that’s what I heard our mother say. But I have only seen you. Is the other not awake yet?”

Dorian couldn’t remember seeing anyone else but their mother’s assistants. “I don’t think so. But when he does, we can all be family right? He would be my little brother, just like I am yours. And Mother is our mother, of course.”

Durin bobbed his head contentedly, his eyes slipping closed as steam trailed up from his nostrils. “Yes, I would like that. I do hope he wakes up soon. I want to meet him too. Then it could be us three brothers, all together.”

Dorian opened his eyes, tears falling onto his cheeks. He’d forgotten that memory. It was one of the many their master had taken from him. He pressed his forehead to Durin’s fang, ignoring the rapid beating of his heart. “Together. It’s not the same, but I’ll do the best I can, yeah?”

He chiseled out a small piece of bone, holding it close to himself as he hurried away, back towards his cave. The sky was dark with the encroaching blizzard when he reached it. Already snow was flying up, stinging his face. He sat by the fire for a little while to warm up, then took out the piece of bone. Summoning the power of khemia, he channeled it into the piece, conjuring an image of Durin before the corruption took him. The bone twisted and morphed, ebony black scales sprouting from it until it became a perfect replica of the dragon, its body curled up like a cat’s, save for its head, which rose in a regal manner. 

The figure was not alive, despite how real it looked and felt. Such a thing was beyond his skill, and even if he could bring it to life, he would never desecrate his brother in that way. No, this was merely a way of keeping a part of Durin with him, allowing his brother to join him in spirit. Together.  

Clasping the figure to his chest, he laid down on the bed, trying to bring back the memory to the front of his mind, engraving it into his head so that he could not be made to forget it again…

~ ~ ~

A dim flash of light and the sound of footsteps roused Dorian into waking. Night had fallen on the mountain, and he could hear the howling of the wind echoing down the wide tunnel that led to the cave. Soundlessly he slid off the bed, rising to his feet as his sword materialized in his hand. He waited for the intruder to show themself. The footsteps grew louder, and then-

“Albedo? What in name of Khaenri’ah are you doing here?”

A shiver ran down his brother’s body, snow encrusting almost every inch of his coat. “I didn’t want to leave you here alone all night. Though admittedly, I should have minded the imminent weather conditions. If you’ll give me a moment, I’ll take my coat and boots off further down so they don’t melt and make puddles all over your floor.”

Albedo retreated back the way he came as Dorian stood there in shock, before reemerging sans thick winter coat and heavy black snow boots, though there was a package of something clutched in his hands. He inspected the cave as if he were appraising it like one of his specimens. 

“It’s rather cozy in here. The curved tunnel leading out is rather effective at keeping out the draft. My own camp is far less sheltered. Especially in weather like this. That is to say, you have a rather nice place.”

Dorian blinked. “Er, thank you? Why are you here though? I thought you were celebrating the year’s end in the city with Kaeya and Klee the other knights?”

“I did for a little while, but the night really is meant to be spent with one’s family as well. Kaeya went to join his brother at the Winery, and Klee already spent her time with me, so I came back here to join you.”

Dorian was dumbstruck, unsure of how to respond. Was he still asleep perhaps? What time even was it? One? Two in the morning by his calculations? “You… trekked for hours at night in a blizzard… just to spend the night here with me?”

“That is correct. Though the blizzard only picked up about halfway into my journey here. I brought back some sweets from the party that I thought you might enjoy.” Albedo unwrapped the package he was holding, revealing an assortment of pastries and candies, and set them on the table. Dorian wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. 

“You can be a bit ridiculous sometimes, you know. I can’t say it doesn’t make me happy to see you here though. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. I’d hate for you to spend your first Year’s End all by yourself. Well, your first since being in our mother’s lab at least.” The alchemist’s gaze caught the little statue of Durin beside his bed. “Is that…?”

“It’s Durin, yes. Or at least a small copy of him. I visited him earlier, and brought back a piece of bone with me to make this, so he could be here too.” He picked up the little dragon and allowed Albedo to look at it closer.

“Hm. He looks much less… skeletal- than I’d seen him depicted as.” Albedo handed the figure back to Dorian. 

“This is what the real Durin looked like. Not the one our master made of him.”

Albedo raised a hand to chin. “You’ve mentioned more than once of there being a ‘real Durin’. I am only aware of there being one however. Are you implying Durin was two separate entities?”

Dorian thought about that for a moment. In his mind he’d always considered the Durin he knew as being separate from the corrupted version of his brother. In truth, the corrupted Durin was still Durin. He no longer had the memories as to how he knew this, but Durin still had the same desires and ideals even when corrupted. His mind had been warped however, and so far as Dorian could tell, he was not fully aware of what he was doing. His mind had begun rotting away like his body, but he was only half-conscious of it. How to articulate that to Albedo though…

“He… yes and no. It was the same dragon, but he was different before Rhinedottir corrupted him. I was very close with him before, much like you are with Klee. I can’t provide any details though. Those memories were taken away, and I’ve only been able to recover a few of them.”

Albedo’s expression flickered, as if something in his brain had just connected. Perhaps he finally understood that Durin was more than just the poisonous dragon who nearly destroyed Mondstadt and whose remains tainted the mountain’s leylines. 

“I see. Thank you for enlightening me. I wish I’d been given the opportunity to meet him, but I suppose we are all here now. He is my brother too, so I’m grateful to spend this night together with the two of you.”

Together. Dorian held onto the word as if it were a precious gem. “Me too.”

Chapter Text

As the next two months went by, Dorian fell into a routine of alternating his time between helping his brother with experiments and other projects, taking cooking lessons from Kaeya, and working on assignments for the Knights. During the times that both Kaeya and Albedo were in the city, he spent his days entertaining himself in his cave, or leisurely wandering the mountain should the weather permit it. He enjoyed this new routine of his. It was far better than his previous ones of struggling for survival and plotting against his brother. However even this was not entirely perfect. 

The imperfection of it came from a social perspective. Dorian was never able to spend time with both Albedo and others aside from Kaeya. Additionally, he had to follow Albedo’s habits of socialization, or rather the lack thereof. Albedo was not one to go out of his way to interact with others, and though he often spent time outside to draw when not in his lab, the majority of his hours were spent in solitude. This made the opportunity to spend time with people like Amber and Eula very difficult to come by. 

He at least was able to spend time with Lisa on the regular. The librarian was a source of good conversation, and he enjoyed her company. Dorian frequently visited the library in his free time, drinking tea and nibbling on the pastries Lisa always seemed to have ready while discussing topics of interest. On the days that Lisa was busy, he would tuck himself away in a corner of the library and look through the history books there. It would seem that a lot of new historical events built up over the course of five hundred years.

Albedo’s own history was another thing Dorian had to familiarize himself with. While his brother had most helpfully filled him in on notable interactions he’d had with specific individuals, there would always be gaps between Albedo’s memories, and story Dorian had to cobble together. At one point in time while conversing with Lisa, the librarian recounted an occasion in which Albedo and Klee had visited the library a little while back, a visit that had ended in Klee accidentally setting several bookshelves on fire. Dorian held back a wince, easily imagining such a thing happening. 

“I don’t think I’d ever heard you apologize so profusely.” Lisa had said with amusement. “At least most of the books had managed to remain undamaged.”

Dorian nodded, despite having not been present for such an event. “Indeed.”

Something in the librarian’s face had shifted then, but he couldn’t place exactly what it was. She did not say anything further about the matter though, so he didn’t think too much of it.

On this particular day, Dorian had gone out to collect materials for his and Albedo’s latest experiment. After an unexpected visit by Kaeya’s brother, Klee, and a couple ginger-haired Snezhnayans, their stock of warming potions had been completely emptied and then some. Despite the potions’ effectiveness, the potency only lasted so long, leading to the frequent need to replenish their supply of it. On account of this, he and his brother had attempted to formulate a more sustainable method of keeping individuals safe against the bitter cold of Dragonspine. It had to be something light and unobtrusive to carry, but also work quickly in dispelling heat. 

What they had decided upon was an attempt at creating an artificial warming seelie, however thus far the results of their pursuit were less than satisfactory. While they had managed to successfully create such a seelie, once released from its bottle it quickly dissipated, making it even less effective than the potions they were trying to replace. Unfortunately their trials had come to halt when they discovered they had all but used up their current supply of flaming flower stamens. Albedo had told him that his supplier from Liyue wouldn’t be arriving until the following week, so until then the two of them would have to harvest their own, thus leading to Dorian’s current excursion down the mountain. It was unfortunate that, unlike their cryo counterparts, flaming flowers did not grow on Dragonspine. As such, Dorian was forced to go all the way down into Mondstadt. 

The weather was what most would consider dreary that day. A light shower came down from an overcast sky, filling the air with the scent of rain and the sound of its patters against the ground and leaves. The occasional gust of wind rolled over the hills, sending the rain sideways for a moment and tugging at his hood. He wished he were wearing his own hooded cloak rather than Albedo’s jacket, as it was far more effective at keeping him dry, though he supposed Albedo’s  was better than having nothing. 

In absence of a cryo or hydro vision, the rain made the process of harvesting the flower stamens much easier, though if given the choice, he would have rather gone on a sunnier day with Kaeya or Eula and Amber in tow. Albedo had insisted he go that morning however, and Kaeya claimed to be too busy to join him. Still, he was determined to make the most of it. Just as he was reaching a place where a grouping of the burning blossoms grew, he noticed a different sort of flame bouncing around with contagious positivity.

“Amber?”

The Outrider’s head swung to look in his direction, a smile spreading from ear to ear. “Chief Albedo! There you are! We were hoping we’d find you here.”

Dorian looked at the girl with confusion, noting how the little rabbit ears of her headband drooped in the rain. She looked soaked, but seemed completely unbothered by it. Standing next to her was Eula, who did look bothered by the rain. She wore an ornate cloak to cover herself with, and was glancing around as if to ensure no one was trying to sneak up on them. “You both were… looking for me?”

Amber nodded her head enthusiastically. “Mm-hm! Captain Kaeya mentioned that you were out collecting flaming flower stamens today, and thought you could use some help! So here we are.”

Kaeya had told them he was collecting the flowers? But Kaeya hadn’t been up on the mountain when they realized they had run out… “Ah. That is rather kind of you two for coming all the way out here in this weather, though you really needn’t have done so just for my sake.”

Eula crossed her arms, her nose raised slightly in what would be a snobbish manner if performed by anyone else. “Hmph. It is our duty to help our fellow Knight. But make no mistake, I will have my vengeance for this.”

He gave them a small but genuine smile. “Of course. I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, Captain Eula.”

Amber bounded over to his side, giving a playful nudge. “Besides, we almost never see you around. It would've been a shame to pass up the opportunity.” 

Dorian wasn’t sure what had prompted Kaeya to tell them he was out there, but he was glad he did. “I appreciate it. Eula’s and your company are always welcome.”

Leaning over to look into his satchel, the pyro user took note of his current collection of stamens so far. “So how many of those do you need anyway?”

“As many as I can before I have to return to my camp. The experiment I am presently working on requires them, but my usual supplier won’t be here until next week.” He began picking the flowers as he talked with the other two quickly joining him. The rain kept the blooms from catching fire, but they still emitted a large amount of heat, steam rolling off of them. They wouldn’t burn him, but they were hot enough to cause discomfort for most individuals who handled them. Just before he was about to grab one, a small wave of cryo washed over the flowers, cooling them further. He looked up to Eula, who was standing with her arms crossed.

“What? There’s no need to go about burning your fingers off all day like a fool.”

He spent the next few hours with the two of them, he and Eula occasionally exchanging words in between listening to Amber’s pleasant chattering. He noticed that Eula seemed a bit more on edge than usual, her eyes frequently darting from side to side. Finally he decided to say something about it. “Is something the matter, Captain Eula? You seem… agitated. I hope you were not coerced into helping me against your wish.”

Eula gave him a sharp glance before returning her gaze to their surroundings. “I am not agitated . You will pay for making such an assumption. I am being vigilant, as one must be in such weather. The rain and wind muffles the sound of the environment. It would be the opportune time for someone to attack. Especially from behind where our hoods create a blind spot. It is always important to be mindful of your surroundings, or you might find yourself falling prey to those who mean ill towards you.” 

Dorian gave this some thought. The Spindrift Knight had a point. It was something he had taken into account while spying on the people of Mondstadt and slinking around Dragonspine. It hadn’t even occurred to him now though, disguised as he was and no longer fretting being discovered by Albedo or Kaeya. “Indeed. That is wise advice, thank you. I shall keep it in mind.”

Eula’s hands went to hips at this, and she said in a slightly louder voice than before, “I am glad at least one of you has the good sense to heed my words. If I have to tend to someone because they refused to cover themself from the rain, I will take swift vengeance indeed.”

Amber looked back at the two of them innocently. “Aw come on Eula, I’m not gonna get sick. You’re just being overprotective.”

He watched as Eula tilted her chin up slightly, her eyes closing for a moment. “Hmph. If I do recall, you said the same thing a couple months ago before promptly coming down with something and being out of work for almost a week.”

Amber scoffed indignantly. “Hey! That’s not fair. Nearly half the Knights got sick then, even the Cavalry Captain.”

Eula put a finger to her chin. “He wasn’t wearing a cloak either by my recollection.”

“Besides.” Amber continued, ignoring Eula’s comment. “I would’ve been back to work earlier if you hadn’t insisted I stay home.”

“Don’t be silly. If you didn’t rest it could have become something more serious, and if that were to happen, how would I be able to get my revenge? I am not such a degenerate as to pick on the ill and dying.”

Dorian was beginning to feel a sense of deja vu listening to the other two’s banter. It would seem that Kaeya was not the only one being difficult while sick. Their conversation also served to him as further proof of just how much Eula cared about the wellbeing of others. She might have a funny way of showing it, but she seemed to go out of her way just to make sure her friends and comrades were safe and healthy. It was an admirable quality, especially given her reception in Monstadt. Though she had severed ties with her clan, it would seem that those who didn’t know her still held her with the same contempt as the rest of her family. Not only that, but she had earned the ire of her clan itself. As such she was caught in a hard place, playing the role of the social pariah who was treated as an outcast by nearly all parties but the Knights. In Dorian’s opinion, it was a situation that she did not deserve to be in, and he wished there was something that could be done to change it. 

The three of them traveled from flower cluster to flower cluster, harvesting what they could of the sparsely growing plants as their boots squelched in the mud and their hoods became soaked. When late afternoon came, Dorian decided that they had collected enough for the day, and that he had best begin the trek back up the mountain before it got too dark. The other two accompanied him all the way to the base camp, upon which he thanked them for their company and their assistance for the day. Before he could turn to leave however, Eula squared him with a piercing stare.

“You would do best to sit by the fire and dry off before entering the cold, or else your wet clothes will freeze stiff. And do you not plan to eat something before ascending the mountain? It is a long walk and one such as yourself should ensure you have the energy both to climb it, and to account for any unexpected complications along the way. You’ve yet to consume anything since we joined you, and anything you may have eaten beforehand won’t last you long enough to reach your camp.”

“Ah, well…” Dorian suddenly felt sheepish. In truth, he hadn’t eaten anything at all that day, nor had he brought food with him. It had slipped his mind when leaving, and by then he had figured he would just make something when he got back. “I appreciate your concern, but I do not require much food in a day to sustain myself. I will be fine to make it back as is.”

Eula harrumphed, shaking her head disapprovingly as she fished around a small bag she had been carrying. “I suspected as much. Take these, Sara said you like them. But know that I will have my revenge for this.”

Dorian blinked in surprise as Eula extended several fish kabobs towards him. He took them tentatively before looking back at Eula. “Ah, thank you. That is most considerate of you, but… how did you know I wouldn’t have brought sustenance?”

“Hmmph. I didn’t. It was only an educated prediction, but it would do no one any good if our Chief Alchemist fainted on the mountainside because he was too absent-minded to remember to feed himself. In any case I was already buying Amber and myself something to eat, so it’s nothing to fuss over. If you didn’t want them I’d have eaten them myself.”

Dorian wished he could express his gratitude as he would have liked. Not only for the food. He truly could have made it without any. But also for the fact that she had thought to bring him some in the first place, even going so far as to try to get something he would like. He never was shown thoughtfulness like this in his master’s lab. Durin loved him dearly, but given both their situations, there was nothing Durin could go out of his way to give Dorian. They had given each other what they could, their time and love. This was different though, and it made his heart feel warm.

“Well then, I thank you again. Your thoughtfulness will not go unappreciated. Perhaps you might find the powder from mist flowers to be a suitable form of revenge the next time I visit the city? I hear that it works well on a bone whistle to give it a clearer sound?”

“And more crisp, yes. You’ve heard correctly.” Her hands had returned to her hips and she looked away from him. “I suppose some mist flower powder would be a start. But I will still have vengeance for your misdeeds. Mark my words.”

~ ~ ~

The sun had already set as Dorian nearly reached Albedo’s camp. He’d ended up staying too long at the base camp with the two Knights as they ate their food Eula bought, and thus he was now traveling in the dark. He knew the way better than most though, and was able to find his way without trouble. Upon rounding the corner into the cave, he immediately stopped in his tracks, stunned by the sudden barrage of colors. The entire camp was filled with colorful balloons and lights, and there was a large cake with blue and white frosting on one of the tables. Dorian was frozen in place, unsure of what to do with the information his eyes were feeding him. Clearly this was a celebration, though for what he wasn’t sure. It was neither Kaeya’s, Klee’s, or Albedo’s birthday, there was no major festival being hosted, and they had not done anything of late that would warrant a celebration like this. In fact, even when he had seen them celebrating something here, it was never this… overly decorated. Did Albedo know of this?

“I think you broke him.” The sound of his brother’s voice snapped Dorian out of his thoughts. He registered for the first time that Albedo and Kaeya were standing near the back of the cave. The alchemist did not look particularly enthralled at the renovations to his camp, but Kaeya was grinning like a jackal. 

“What- is going on here?” He asked the other two. “Is there something I missed?”

“Kaeya and I thought you might enjoy a birthday celebration, though he got a bit carried away with the decor.”

Dorian frowned. “Birthday celebration? How do you know today is my birthday? I didn’t know it was. And you did all this just for me?” He gave the decorations another look-over, taking in all the bright colors and warmth they gave off. He could smell the cake by then too. It smelled intoxicatingly sweet and fresh.

Albedo’s gaze drifted towards one of his bookshelves of notes before returning to Dorian. “Our mother dated her notes, so I was able to glean what day she woke you from incubation through them. Coincidentally, it would also be one year ago today that you returned, assuming your dates were correct when you’d first told me how long it had been.”

Ah, so that was it then. He hadn’t even given it any thought as to it being one year ago that he woke up in the remains of Durin’s belly. But for the second time that day, he found himself being showered in thoughtfulness.

“It was Kaeya’s idea to use the need for more flaming corollas as a means to keep you out of the camp long enough for us to prepare, as well as a chance for you to spend time with Outrider Amber and Captain Eula. Given that our current arrangement doesn’t afford you many opportunities to do so without drawing suspicion.”

“What do you think about it, Dorian?” Kaeya gestured to the almost excessive amount of celebratory decorations spread around the walls and ceiling. “Your dear brother thought this would be a bit much, but I told him you would like it.”

“It’s…” He was at a loss for words, suddenly struck with the feeling that he was about to cry, though he attempted to push that feeling away. “It’s perfect. I really love it, thank you.”

“Just wait until you try the cake. Albedo was able to get some quality cocoa imported from Natlan. He helped me bake it too.”

Dorian raised an eyebrow, eyeing the cake warily. “He didn’t put any of his spiders in it did he?”

This elicited a bark of laughter from Kaeya while Albedo looked rather unamused. It was far from the first time either of them had made a comment regarding his taste in bugs. The first time his brother had offered him one, Dorian assumed it was in jest, only to become aghast when he realized Albedo was being completely serious. 

“I assure you, there are no spiders in it.”

As it would turn out, the cake was absolutely delicious, and one hundred percent spider-free. He ended up eating several slices before getting full. Afterwards Kaeya and Albedo instructed him to close his eyes and place out his hand. He wasn’t really sure what to expect from it, but he did as he was told. A few moments later something cool and smooth was placed into his palm, then he heard Kaeya’s voice,

“Alright, you can open your eyes again now.”

He did so, and his heart skipped a beat as he saw what they had given him. Sitting in his hand was an ivory pendant carved into the shape of a dragon coiled in sleep. There was an unmistakable familiarity to the material it was made of. “Is this…”

Albedo nodded. “The Traveler had brought a tooth fragment to me a little while back, and I thought it would be better suited to stay with you, so you can keep him close to your heart. I do hope this isn’t offensive to you.”

This time Dorian was unable to hold back his tears. He grasped the pendant tightly, bringing it to his chest as his thumb traced the smooth peaks and valleys of its surface. Of all the things Albedo could have given him, nothing would compare to this. “This means a lot to me. Thank you- so much. I… it’s perfect. Thank you.”

His brother watched him with a soft expression. “I am relieved that you like it.” 

Kaeya nodded in agreement, giving Dorian a playful shake on his shoulder. “Happy birthday Dorian.”

~ ~ ~ 

Even the bitter cold wind against Dorian’s face felt pleasant that next morning. His birthday had been a day he would treasure forever, and there was little that could sour his mood. Kaeya had already left for the city earlier that morning, but Dorian stayed behind to collect mist flower powder before joining him. He was a little over halfway down the mountain when the hairs on the back of his neck prickled with the feeling of encroaching danger. He whipped around to see three treasure hoarders step out from behind a cluster of large rocks. They were wearing thick coats of gray and white, perfect to camouflage against the snow and stone of the mountain. His sword materialized in his hand, no question in his mind that these men wished him harm.

“It is rather bold of you to prey upon a Captain of the Knights of Favonius.” His voice was firm, carrying a cold confidence to it that would imply he possessed more power than he actually did.  “You have no visions, and I have a home advantage here. In addition I have nothing on my person that would be of value to you. If I were you, I would turn back now.”

The leader sneered at him, his grip tightening on his own weapons as his feet shifted in the snow, ready to pounce. “Oh, but I think your fellow Knights will find your person to be of great value indeed.”

More treasure hoarders suddenly appeared behind him, attacking at once. His sword danced between theirs, managing to wound two of them before he felt a large hand come up from behind.

“Kaey–!”

His words were muffled as a rag was pressed to his mouth and nose. The man was tall and muscular, lifting him up into the air while still covering his face. Dorian kicked at him, but as he breathed in he immediately knew it was a mistake. Black spots filled his vision as his mind began to muddle together. It was all happening too fast. He was losing consciousness rapidly, his legs still kicking weakly until he could no longer feel them. It only took a few seconds before he couldn’t feel anything, his vision fading almost entirely. The last thing he became aware of was the voice of a treasure hoarder speaking into his ear, the words sounding distant.

“That’s right. Go to sleep and don’t make a fuss. We’ll soon see just how much your life is worth to your little Favonious friends. You’d best hope it’s enough.”

Then Dorian was plunged into nothingness.

Chapter Text

Kaeya was at his desk when he heard the commotion outside his office. It was mid-afternoon and the sun had begun peeking through his window, lighting up the flecks of dust that would otherwise remain unseen as they drifted slowly through the air. The warm rays against his back, he had found himself growing drowsy as he attempted to get through his work. Paperwork was always his least favorite part of his job as Cavalry Captain, but it needed done, and so he forced himself to focus his attention on the pages as ink was scrawled neatly across them. That was until the sound of running footsteps and alarmed voices made their way to his ears. He looked up to see several knights running past his office. He stood, quickly moving towards the hall and stopping the next knight that ran past.

“Tully, what’s going on?”

The knight’s face was pale, his eyes two pools of fear. “I was just coming to get you. Master Jean needs you in her office right away. Chief Albedo has been kidnapped.”

Kaeya burst through the door without bothering to knock and saw Jean standing over her desk. She looked even paler than Tully had, and worry was written all over her face. As Kaeya entered she quickly looked up from the letter she was holding. 

“Captain Kaeya, thank Barbatos you were in the office today. The situation is serious. Here, read this.”

She handed him the letter, the sides of which had become crumpled from being held so tightly. His azure eye flicked back and forth as he read and reread the page’s contents. 

To The Acting Grandmaster and Knights of Ordo Favonius 

We have taken your Chief Alchemist hostage as of this morning, and if you care at all about his safety, you will take this letter and its contents seriously. Our demands are thus: a bag in the amount of 2,000,000 mora, delivered solely by either the Cavalry Captain, or Reconnaissance Captain at the top of Vindagnyr Falls at precisely 7am tomorrow morning. Only one may come. Should you fail to meet our terms, the alchemist’s life is forfeit. There will be no room for negotiation.

~The Thieves Guild

Kaeya looked to Jean, feeling his heart beginning to race and his stomach drop as the implications of words settled in his mind. Albedo had been taken, and his life was in danger. Unless… Kaeya suddenly felt sick. Dorian had followed Kaeya to the city. Or rather he was supposed to after collecting mist flower powder. Kaeya had not seen or heard from him all day however. He’d assumed that was because the other had sequestered himself to the lab after arriving, as he often did. But if Jean was taking this letter seriously, that meant that Dorian must have never arrived. It could have been either of them that was taken then, but regardless of which, Dorian was missing, which was not a good sign.

“This was enclosed with the letter.” Jean picked up something from her desk and held it out to Kaeya. It was a geo vision, or at least a perfect replica of one. He touched it, feeling the faint geo energy that radiated from it. Kaeya balled his fist as Jean continued. 

“I’ve sent word to Captain Eula to come at once, and have instructed the other Knights to send out scouts in the hopes of finding where the treasure hoarders’ camp is.”

As they awaited Eula’s arrival, Kaeya paced the office, his mind racing through different scenarios and solutions. Lisa, who had come in only a few minutes after he had, offered him a cup of tea to calm himself, but he waved it away. Thankfully Eula was still in the city at the time, and was able to arrive quickly. Once she had, Jean briefed her on the situation. 

“This is indeed a serious matter. Captain Kaeya, I do believe you are aware of this ‘Thieves Guild’.” 

That he was. The Thieves Guild was a collective of treasure hoarder gangs known for their boldness and organization in their attacks. “I am. We will need to be strategic about this.”

Eula laid out a map of Dragonspine, marking off the place where the trade was supposed to take place. Vindagnyr Falls was where the river that ran along the outskirts of Dragonspine ended, and served as an official borderline between Mondstadt and Liyue.

“They will likely be camped somewhere on the Liyue side,” Eula stated sharply. “and plan to use the border as a means of avoiding being followed after the transaction is complete, knowing that we do not have jurisdiction there.”

Jean leaned against the desk, the intensity of her stare nearly boring a hole into the map. “There’s not enough time to inform the Millelith of the situation, which means we will have to settle this on the Mondstadt side or else allow them to get away.”

Kaeya stood back, fist to his mouth as he continued to think through the problem. “We need to prioritize getting Albedo back safely first. I know that area well. There is a lot of open space on all sides save for a wall of stone jutting up along the cliff. It would be nearly impossible to sneak up on them there if they have sentries posted on the rocks, and I have little doubt they would kill Albedo the moment they noticed anyone other than one of us approaching. They do not make light of their threats.”

A frustrated huff came from Eula. “Any attempt at taking Albedo back on our own terms would be putting him at great risk. However it would be a stain on the Knights to cow to the demands of such ignoble transgressors as these. We would practically be inviting them to attempt similar acts in the future.”

Both Captains turned to Jean. Ultimately it would be her call. The Headmaster crossed one arm and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I need to think about this. Let us reconvene in a couple hours.” They both nodded, but Kaeya did not follow Eula out. 

“Master Jean, I would like to ride up to Albedo’s camp to confirm that he is in fact missing. I know that it is unlikely they are bluffing, but I think it would be wise to make sure.”

Jean pursed her lip, and he could tell the cogs in her brain were spinning. “Very well. But be swift. We cannot afford for you to be absent for long.”

~ ~ ~

Kaeya held tight to the reins as Samson thundered up the snowy paths to Albedo’s camp. Unlike Brandywine, the draft horse was not meant for speed, however when it came to traversing Dragonspine, there was no better alternative. Samson was the horse they used when heavy supplies had to be carried up the mountain, and was the only one who could weather the cold. With the horse’s help, he was able to reach the camp with far greater speed than if he had gone on foot. Once they had crossed the wooden bridge Kaeya pulled on the reins, “Woah boy, woah.” He leapt off the animal’s back the moment it had come to a stop, thick clouds of steam puffing out from its nostrils like a dragon. 

“Albedo! Are you here?”

The alchemist was standing at one of his tables, looking alarmed at Kaeya’s sudden arrival. “Kaeya? I am here, yes. What happened?”

“Dorian was kidnapped and is being held for ransom. I didn’t know for certain which of you was taken until now, but he never arrived in the city. They are demanding two million mora be delivered to the top of Vindagnyr Falls at seven o’clock tomorrow morning or they will kill him. Eula, Jean, and I had discussed what should be done, but we haven’t come to any good solutions.”

Albedo’s gaze grew distant, his brows knitting together. “I see. They are leaving little room for alternative actions. However there is no guarantee they will not kill him regardless. I assume you plan to reconvene with Captain Eula and Master Jean?” Kaeya nodded. “You will want to hurry back then. I will see if I can locate their camp and determine whether a rescue attempt will be a viable option. I’ll sneak into the city tonight to report back to you.”

“Better yet, meet me outside the Winery. It’s closer and I intend to pay my dear brother a visit. Be careful though, Bedo. These are not your run of the mill treasure hoarders.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

~ ~ ~

Eula and Jean were already waiting in Jean’s office when he arrived back at Favonius Headquarters. The atmosphere was strung with tension, everyone on high alert and fearing the worst. There were few knights remaining in the city, the majority of their limited forces having been devoted to scouting for treasure hoarders’ camp, though they all knew this was likely futile. Upon slipping inside Jean’s office, the Headmaster stood quickly. “Excellent, you’re back. What is the news?”

“Albedo wasn’t there.” He lied. “This unfortunately is no bluff.” He had thought about coming clean. It would have been easier for Albedo to be included in whatever plan they made if he didn’t have to remain hidden from the others. However in doing so it might sabotage the mission entirely. Jean and the others would do whatever it took to bring Albedo back safely, but he was not confident that they would do the same for Dorian. In fact he was almost certain they wouldn’t. Not to mention they were running out of time, and what little time they did have to spend should not be wasted on useless arguments. 

Eula scowled, her arm crossing tightly. It was not in the way that she did when embarrassed. She was genuinely upset. “It boils down to this, then. Do we sacrifice a significant portion of our funding and our reputation, opening ourselves up for future attacks, or do we risk Chief Albedo’s life?”

The room was filled with an uncomfortable silence, until eventually Eula spoke up once more. “I myself side with our alchemist’s safety. Funds can be replaced, and I will personally make an example of any deplorable lowlifes that dare think they can take advantage of us a second time. Mark my words.”

Jean gave the Reconnaissance Captain an approving nod. “I agree. Albedo’s life comes first and foremost. That’s not to say we can’t make moves after he is safe however. If a citizen outside of the Knights were to pursue them, or waylay their retreat until the Millelith are able to arrive, then perhaps they may still meet the due repercussions of their actions.”

The Grandmaster gave Kaeya a knowing glance, and immediately he caught her meaning. It was something that had already crossed his mind from the moment they realized the treasure hoards meant to use Liyue as a backdoor for themselves. His brother was no stranger to hunting down living targets amidst foreign nations. If anyone were to successfully pursue the culprits into Liyue, it would be him. And though Diluc made his disapproval of the Knights abundantly clear, Kaeya knew that he would not willingly let an offense like this slide. 

“I suppose it’s settled then.” He sighed. “We go through with the exchange according to their terms.” Mostly, he thought to himself. “I volunteer to be the one to meet with them. Negotiations and pleasantries are my specialty, after all.”

Jean watched Kaeya dubiously, as if she did not entirely trust him. This was well deserved of course. He had made a habit of resorting to more unorthodox if not questionable means of doing his job when it involved undesirable third parties. “Very well.”

Eula stepped forward, tapping the map. “I will station myself at the base camp and standby for assistance should it be needed. Might I suggest you do the same, Grandmaster. It would be wise to have a competent healer at the ready should the deal go south.”

Jean put a hand to her chest. “A good plan, Captain Eula. I shall instruct several other Knights to join us as well. We will meet at the base camp no later than six.”

“Understood. I would advise we all get sufficient rest beforehand. It is important we keep ourselves sharp and at the ready. A tired mind will quickly lead to foolish mistakes.”

As they left Jean’s office, the Grandmaster gripped Kaeya’s elbow, fixing him with a stern look. “I don’t know what ulterior plan you may have, but do not do anything rash, Kaeya. You or Master Diluc. Is that clear?”

“Crystal.”

It was dark as he exited the Headquarters, the night chill settling into the air and threatening to raise goosebumps along Kaeya’s arms as he briskly made his way to the stables. Samson pricked his ears at Kaeya’s approach, coming up to the gate and snorting excitedly as if expecting to go on another run.

“Not this time buddy.”

No. This time speed was of the essence. He saddled Brandywine and took off at once, heading straight for the Dawn Winery. He knew that Diluc would likely be intolerable, going off about the inefficiencies of the Knights. For once Kaeya had to agree with him. Were it not for the matter of diplomacy, they could have been free to pursue the treasure hoarders without external help. Kaeya was ready to do so regardless, however if the Qixing discovered that the Knights were taking action in Liyue, it could potentially come with serious repercussions. Given that Liyue was recovering from an unstable political climate and sudden shift in power, it would make the situation all the more delicate.

As anticipated, Adelinde was the one to answer the door as he knocked. Her expression quickly morphing from shock to surprise. “Master Kaeya! What brings you here this late in the evening? Is something wrong?”

Kaeya put on a fake smile. “Come now Adelinde, aren’t I allowed to visit without something being the matter?”

The head maid put her hands on her hips and gave him a disapproving stare. “Master Kaeya, I’ve known you far too long not to know when you are dodging a question. You don’t come all this way just to enjoy the company, as much as I wish you would. So what’s the matter? Did something happen to Master Diluc?”

Kaeya’s brow furrowed at the question. “No, not that I am aware of. I came here to speak with him. Is he not home?”

She shook her head. “He’s on a business trip in Liyue, dear. Did he not tell you?”

No, he hadn’t. Kaeya held back a curse. Of all the days for Diluc to not be a hermit, he couldn’t have picked a worse one. “Ah, must’ve slipped his mind. No worries Addy. I’ll simply make do without him. Though, if you would not mind, I was hoping to stay the night here tonight.”

Adelinde’s expression softened as she ushered him inside. “Of course, Master Kaeya. You are always welcome to stay here. This is your home too. Is there anything I can do for you? If you are hungry I would be more than happy to cook something for you.”

“No, thank you. I already ate before I left. I’ll just retire to my room for now. Don’t worry about breakfast tomorrow either. I’ll be leaving early.”

He could see there was a flicker of hurt in the maid’s eyes, but then it was gone as quickly as it had come. “If that is what you wish, Master Kaeya. I do hope you will truly come to visit soon however. We all miss you.”

Kaeya put a comforting hand on her arm, his grinning mask giving way to a genuine, if not somber smile. “I will, I promise. Thank you Addy.”

~ ~ ~

It was nearly midnight when Kaeya saw the flashing light outside the Winery. He had left the lamp of his room burning in his window to signal his location to Albedo once the alchemist arrived, and it would seem that time was now. He flickered his lamp twice before snuffing it, then opened the window and crawled through it. His bedroom was on the second floor, but he’d snuck out of it enough times that he knew the best way down like the back of his hand. Once on the ground, he made his way towards the direction the light had come from. There was a light mist hanging over the vineyard, illuminated by pale moonlight, and frogs chorused into the chill air. 

“Albedo?” He kept voice low, not wishing to wake anyone. He kept his head on a swivel, trying to figure out where the other was. “Albedo?”

He nearly jumped out of his skin when turned again to find the alchemist suddenly right in front of him. Clutching at his now racing heart he hissed, “Archons Bedo, don’t sneak up on me like that.”

Albedo looked especially pale when under the moon’s glow, almost ghostly. “Apologies.” He said quietly, “The frog song must have covered the sound of my approach. It was not my intent to frighten you.”

Kaeya sighed, shaking his head. “Were you able to find Dorian?”

“I was. They are roughly three miles out past the Liyue border, have him tied up in the center of their camp. They have nineteen men and women who are taking watch in shifts, and their camp is in the middle of a wide open space. I don't think a rescue attempt tonight would be a viable option.”

Kaeya figured that would likely be the case. These particular bandits seemed rather experienced so far. They would certainly be prepared for an attempt to rescue Dorian ahead of time. “We’ll have to make our move during the exchange then. The current plan is that Jean, Eula, and several knights will be posted at the base camp and at the ready should things go poorly, while I will be the one conducting the exchange.”

Albedo nodded thoughtfully. “I expected as much. I took the liberty of scouting out the location again and have determined where I think they will post sentries, as well as where I might be able to sneak up from behind without their notice.” 

The alchemist laid out a small map into the grass, then fished out a bottle from his jacket, shaking it vigorously to activate the phosphorus liquid inside so that they could see. The map was a detailed depiction of the area surrounding Vindagnyr falls, including sketches of the area from a ground view. He could see the areas in the rocks where Albedo had marked off. Using his own memory of the place, he added his knowledge and experience to narrow down the most strategic places the enemy would be posted. Their battle map complete, he and Albedo discussed their plan long into the night.

The world felt hazy and lopsided when Dorian’s consciousness drifted back from the cottony darkness it had been trapped in. It was incredibly disorienting at first. He couldn’t remember where he was or why he was there, but after a time the memory returned, as did the realization that he was tied up and blindfolded. He was gagged as well, making his mouth and throat ache with dryness. Though he could not see anything, he could hear the crackling of a fire, as well as the voices of his captors. 

“I still think we should have tied him to a rock or tree.”

“Yeah, well the boss says he needs to be mobile enough to grab him if anyone tries to nick him from us in the night. We lose our only bargaining chip otherwise.”

There was a sound of someone shuffling, followed by a loud series of crackles and hisses as something was added to the fire. “Hmph. I still stand by my statement. I hear he can do witchcraft and I don’t want to take any chances.” He heard a muffled thump. “Ow! What was that for?”

“He’s an alchemist you nitwit, not a witch. Though for someone like you I suppose there wouldn’t be much of a difference.”

“That’s it! I have had it to Celestia and back with crude insults and snide little remarks!” There was a sudden eruption of scuffling and angry grunts, and he felt two people that must have been behind him run past. 

“Cut it out you two! You can have your petty squabbles after we get back from the exchange.”

An exchange? They were holding him for ransom then. That, or they were trafficking him and planned on selling him off. Neither was a great option. Dorian wasn’t sure how many people were there, or how many had their eyes on him at that moment, but he knew that if he was going to try to escape, this was likely the only good chance he was going to have. He readied himself, then used his Khemia to cut through the bindings. It was far easier to unmake something, than to create something new, however the process still produced a bright light, one that would not go unnoticed. The moment the ropes and cloth fell away, he pushed himself nimbly to his feet and booked it, ignoring the way the ground seemed to sway beneath him.

“What the- HEY! He’s legging it!”

Dorian spared a backwards glance to see at least seven individuals in pursuit of him, including the bigger one that had grabbed him earlier. He ran as quickly as he could, but it was soon clear that it was not fast enough. They were going to catch up with him, that was an inevitable fact. He would not be going down without a fight however. He could hear their footsteps right behind him, and a moment later someone was tackling him to the ground. 

“Oi, thought you could run off ey? Nice try buddy.”

Dorian felt the grass for anything he could use as a weapon, his hand running across a small stick. That would have to do. The tall man grabbed him by the back of his coat and yanked him to his feet just as Dorian channeled his Khemia into the stick. The wood glowed as it grew into a much larger, sharper branch, and then he plunged it backwards into the man’s abdomen. The man released him instantly as the stake was ripped back out in favor of clutching at the wound, but more men replaced him, grabbing at him while brandishing their weapons. He snapped the stake in two, allowing both pieces to grow again, then used them against anyone who got too close. He managed to take out someone’s eye with one, and stabbed several others, but soon both of them had been torn from his grasp as his captors’ long swords surpassed his reach. 

He felt the night-chilled steel of their weapons bite into him in several places, drawing blood but avoiding severely wounding him. He supposed they needed him alive, which was fortunate for him. Two of their blades jabbed towards him at once, but he grabbed them, biting back the pain of the metal slicing into his palm as he warped them, performing the same trick he had used on Kaeya all those months ago. The two men screamed as the metal spikes pierced clean through their hands. Another man, stunned by the spectacle, did not move fast enough to avoid Dorian as he jabbed his hand at the man’s throat, causing him to fall backwards while coughing. 

More men were arriving by then however, too many for him to fight off. Two of them grabbed him firmly by the arms, keeping him from running or attacking. Panic began to fill him as the ghosts of memories flashed across the back of his mind. His arms pinned down on cold metal as sharp knives and needles invaded his bare skin. Being held firmly enough to bruise as his heart was falling to pieces, his frantic kicking and screaming having no effect as he was dragged back through stone doors. His captors cursed as he thrashed wildly against their grip, clawing and biting at them in any way that could. He couldn’t do this again. He had to get out. He had to leave. He wouldn’t go back. 

“Archons above, he’s like a rabid animal. Do any of- ouch! Does anyone have the sedative?”

Dorian’s heart raced faster, his rapid breathing beginning to make him lightheaded. Someone was approaching quickly with a needle full of blue-green liquid. His eyes widened and his struggling redoubled.

“Shit, hold him still.”

He felt the thin piece of metal be driven into neck for a couple moments before being retracted again. Almost immediately the cottony feeling began to cloud his mind once more. The two who had been holding him promptly threw him to the ground. He tried to get back to his feet but he couldn’t manage to get his limbs to cooperate, leaving him to flounder in the torn up grass and soil like a wounded bird.

“Feisty little blighter, that one.” It was the voice from earlier. “I told you he could do witchcraft, but nooo , you wouldn’t listen to me. Now see where that’s gotten us.”

Dorian felt himself growing heavier and heavier. He was going to pass out again soon, he knew. What he would be waking up to though, he could not say, nor was he looking forward to finding out. The treasure hoarders’ leader approached from the camp, scowling at the scene of his injured men, and Dorian half-collapsed on the ground. He grabbed Dorian by the hair, pulling his head up. 

“Should’ve stayed where you were, Knight . Now I’ll have to take more… serious- measures of keeping you from running off.”

Letting go of his hair, the man stook a step back, then lifted his foot before bringing it forcibly down on Dorian’s right leg with an audible *crack*. Dorian cried out, curling up into a ball as he clutched at the broken limb. The man curled his lip in disgust.

“Someone drag him back to camp. We’ll set the bone after Maya tends to the rest of you lot. How many are injured?”

“Eight, boss, and Elric is dead. Bloody bastard got him through the eye. Tormund is badly hurt too. I’m not sure if he’ll make it.”

Their leader spat next to Dorian’s face. “Those Knights of Favonious better pay up then, before I’m tempted to return the favor.”

Dorian whimpered as he was lifted up by someone, fresh lances of pain shooting agonizingly up his leg. He wanted to fight back, to run away. Anything. But whatever sedative they had given him was taking him under again, leaving him with nothing but pain and darkness to keep him company. 

The mountain was in a sour mood that morning, the moaning of the winds winding all the way down to its snowy outskirts. They tugged fitfully at Albedo’s coat, like a toddler demanding attention, but his full regard was set on the scene in front of him. He was crouched among a cluster of rocks, just out of sight of the sentry above him. Ahead he could see a group of six men standing around Dorian, who gagged and blindfolded. He was currently sitting on his legs, but when they had first brought him over, Albedo could see that his right leg was injured, and judging by the way he was swaying in place, he was most likely drugged. It did not go unnoticed however that there were a significant number of the gang missing, including their ‘muscle’, and of those who were present, several had fresh cuts. Albedo wondered if Dorian had managed to break loose at some point in the night and injure some of them before being recaptured. It wouldn’t surprise him if that was the case. He hoped it was.

Across the river from them, Kaeya stood with a large bag of mora in hand. The Captain’s exterior was cool and collected, but Albedo recognised the malicious twinkle in the man’s eye. “I have brought the money, as you so graciously demanded. Two million mora in total. It’s all yours, as soon as you hand back our alchemist.”

The leader let out a sharp bark of laughter, his expression coiling into a slippery grin. “Do you take me as a fool, Captain? Only a witless man would hand over their hostage before the money is transferred. Toss it over. Now.”

Kaeya spread out his hands in a friendly gesture. “Come now, we’re both reasonable men. Let us trade at the same time. Just bring him down to the river’s edge. I’m only one man, after all. Surely you and all your compatriots have nothing to fear.”

The man narrowed his eyes while his smile widened. “I don’t think you understand the position you are in, Sir Kaeya. I’m the one holding the cards here, not you.” He put a hand on Dorian’s shoulder, squeezing it. Dorian’s face scrunched up into a grimace, though whether from pain or anger Albedo couldn’t tell. Probably both. “As such, I am the only one who gets to make demands here. So toss over the money, or you will be taking less of your little friend with you.”

With the flick of a switchblade, a thin red line was drawn across Dorian’s face. Kaeya stiffened slightly. “Alright, there’s no need for theatrics. Take your money.”

Albedo watched as the sack was slung over the river’s icy waters, landing on the opposite bank with a loud clashing of metal coins hitting one another. They were not real mora, or course. Albedo had replicated the coins using metal of a similar density and a fine gold paint. They might be fake, but he had ensured they would be a convincing imitation. The leader motioned for one of his lackeys to fetch the sack, his cruel eyes sparkling greedily as he opened it and ran his hand through the counterfeit gold. “Excellent. Now, you be a good little knight and stay right where you are. I will be taking this one back a good ways while we make sure this is precisely the amount demanded of you. You may follow us in one hour from now. Whether you find your alchemist alive or not… well, I suppose that depends on you Knights’ ability to count.”

Kaeya took a step forward, his expression becoming as icy as the vision he wielded. “I don’t recall that being part of the arrangement.”

This was not going well. They had hoped that the treasure hoarders would release Dorian after receiving the mora, but it would seem they were not going to let their captive go so easily. If allowed to leave, they most likely would kill Dorian either way, under the claim that the Knights had underpaid. It was time that he made his move. He slipped out from his hiding place and slammed his palm against the frozen ground. Chaos erupted all at once as petals of geo sprang up around Dorian, simultaneously impaling the two people guarding him while creating a protective barrier from the others. At the same time, the treasure hoarder sentries began shouting, pointing their crossbows at him but seeming unsure as to whether they should shoot. Kaeya used the distraction to send a blast of ice across the river, freezing the surface enough for him to dash across and join the fray. Quarrels whistled past him, and he was forced to use his vision to shield himself before sending a few well aimed shards of cryo that embedded themselves into the sentries as they were reloading.

Albedo was more keen on using his sword rather than his vision in combat, the cinnabar spindle singing as it cut through the air. His movements were lythe and eloquent, just as he was taught, but were no less deadly. As formidle an opponent as he was though, Kaeya was moreso. The Cavalry Captain fought with impressive speed and accuracy, his attacks an effective combination of cryo and steel. He weaved through his enemies, seemingly teleporting around them in a technique Albedo had only ever seen Kaeya use. 

In a matter of minutes, nearly all the treasure hoarders had been killed, and those attempting to flee were quickly cut off. It was only after the action died down that Albedo realized he had not seen where their leader went. He hadn’t noticed the man escape, nor had he joined the attack.

“Not another step! Or he dies!” Albedo whirled around to see the man cornered by Kaeya against the geo construct. He had evidently broken into part of it, and was now using Dorian as a human shield, his switchblade pressed against the other’s throat. Neither Albedo nor Kaeya moved, watching as the few men who they hadn’t killed ran away, leaving only them, the gang’s leader, and Dorian. 

“I don’t know what sort of trickery this is…” The man looked between Dorian and Albedo, his eyes sharp as daggers. “But I am not one to be crossed. Perhaps I may not make it out of this, but I can guarantee you this one won’t.”

Then he drew his blade across Dorian’s throat.

“NO!!”

His brother went limp as the man threw him to the ground and ran, red dripping from the golden star adorning his neck. Time seemed to slow for Albedo, the thrum of his own heartbeat drowning out the distant howling of the wind and the crunch of snow as Kaeya rushed to catch Dorian. He didn’t even bother chasing after the man, instead joining Kaeya as his brother’s side. Dorian gasping rapidly for breath, a painful wheezing sound coming from him as he clutched at his throat. Kaeya stood abruptly. 

“I need to get Jean. Stay with him. Don’t let him die on you.”

The Cavalry Captain sprinted across the river and towards where Brandywine was posted on the other side, hurling himself onto her. With a flick of the reins the horse’s head tossed and she took off at a gallop, tearing back in the direction of the base camp.

Albedo turned his attention back towards Dorian, who was already losing consciousness. By some miracle of the gods, the man had not managed to cut either of the major arteries, but Dorian’s windpipe was still severed, preventing him from breathing properly. He tore off part of his coat, pressing it as firmly as he could to the wound to keep the other from bleeding out without collapsing the windpipe altogether. Dorian grasped at his wrist like a lifeline, but before long his grip slackened, and his hand fell away limply. 

In his five hundred years of living, Albedo had never experienced the death of a loved one before, nor had he ever felt genuine grief. There had never been a reason to. Fear he knew, yes, but not something like this. Perhaps it had been out of a feeling of responsibility that Albedo first allowed Dorian to stay with them. A way of making up for what their mother had done and allowing his brother to have a second chance. Not out of personal attachment for the other. He had considered Dorian a brother only to the extent that he had with Durin, not like what he felt towards Klee. But in the months since then, he found himself growing fond of the other in such a way that he had begun to feel the same familial connection with him as he did with Klee. Now he was experiencing what it was like when that connection was suddenly and irreversibly severed.  He hated the nauseating way his chest ached and his stomach curled as he watched Dorian’s choking breaths grow shallower and more infrequent. As he felt the other’s pulse become weaker and weaker, until he could not feel it at all. In a matter of minutes Dorian’s breathing had stopped entirely, and Albedo was left clutching the other’s lifeless body. 

Kaeya, please hurry .

Jean and Eula both lept to their feet as Kaeya rode like a whirlwind into the base camp, his horse tossing her head and pawing the ground. Considering the expression he knew he must be wearing, and the amount of blood that was staining his clothes, there was no hiding from them that something had gone horribly wrong. Jean was the first to reach him. “Kaeya, what-”

He cut her off, shaking his head while holding out a hand. “No time. Albedo is dying, we need you to heal him.”

Thankfully the Headmaster did not press further, allowing him to hoist her up onto the horse before taking off again. Glancing back he could see Captain Eula running behind them, though her pace would not keep up with Brandywine’s. The wind was on their side now, guiding them swiftly back along the river until at last they reached the falls. Kaeya's heart was racing as he leapt off the horse’s back. When he saw Albedo, he knew the outcome wasn’t good. The alchemist looked stricken, an expression that was foreign on the other’s typically neutral face.

Jean stepped back in surprise at the sight of the two of them, but before she could say anything Kaeya held her arm. “I can explain everything to you later, but first he needs healing. Please, Jean.”

I-” Jean shook herself, “very well. Please move aside…”

“Albedo.” The alchemist said, stepping away from Dorian’s motionless figure. “He stopped breathing only a few minutes after you left. He’s…” Albedo looked away, unable to finish the sentence. “I must go. That man cannot be allowed to get away.”

Neither stopped him as he silently disappeared past the rocks. Instead, Jean took a look at Dorian’s wounds and felt his pulse with lips pursed, then her gaze turned up at Kaeya with profound sorrow. “Kaeya… I’m so sorry, but… he’s already gone. I can’t heal the dead.”

“Please just try.”

The Grandmaster closed her eyes, her vision glowing brighter as she attempted to channel its healing power into Dorian, but it was without effect. She tried again, and again, each time with more power until perspiration gathered on her forehead with the effort. But it wasn’t enough, because as Jean had said, vision healing didn’t work on those who had already died. Kaeya’s eyes pricked with tears until he could no longer see clearly past them. He sank to his knees with the weight of the reality that Dorian was truly gone.

“Captain Kaeya! Grandmaster Jean!” Eula’s voice rang out from behind them, echoing off the rocks. There was a crackling of water turning to ice, and then footsteps that came to a hesitant stop. Kaeya didn’t have the heart to look up at her. 

“Is he…”

“He’s gone.” Jean’s voice wavered as she spoke the words, and Kaeya wondered whether she regarded Dorian as still being Albedo. Eula certainly would, not having seen the two of them yet. 

“Well that’s… that’s unacceptable.” He could hear her voice beginning to break, despite her attempted stoicism. “I won’t allow it. There is too much for him to answer for, and I can’t… No. He’s not allowed.”

Kaeya turned to see that her shoulders were trembling, tears sliding down her cheeks. Any air of pomp or standoffishness was cast aside as the loss of her friend settled onto her. Kaeya stood up, and she allowed him to bring her close by the shoulder, both their tears wetting the frozen ground beneath them. Eula pressed a hand to her face, her eyes squeezed shut. “You must try again. I won’t accept this.”

“Eula, he’s-”

“Just one more time, Jean.” Kaeya added. “ Please. ”

Jean gave a tired sigh, her own eyes red and puffy by then. As she gathered her power one last time, Kaeya noticed a faint reddish glow coming from under Dorian’s coat near his chest. Jean pressed the anemo healing into him as the red glow grew brighter for a moment. Then all at once her vision took hold, its green light traveling across him, sewing shut his wounds and channeling into his broken leg. The slash across his neck wove itself back together.

Then Dorian took a long, shuddering breath.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

The silence of the room was deafening as Jean was let into Kaeya’s apartment. The Cavalry Captain had been waiting expectantly for her. From the couch, Albedo quickly stood to meet her, his ash-blonde hair still dripping wet from having washed off the blood and grime from himself after returning. Both had also changed into fresh clothes by then. 

Jean paused in the doorway for a moment upon seeing Albedo. Though Kaeya had requested for her to meet them there, he supposed it would still be strange to her to see the alchemist there after having just brought him unconscious into the cathedral. Albedo was the first to speak.

“How is he?”

The Grandmaster sighed, her eyes dark and baggy from exhaustion. Kaeya knew she must be stretching herself to her limit. He only hoped that the hardworking woman would take it as a sign to rest for a couple days.

“He’s… stable. All of his wounds have healed, but given how long his heart was stopped for…” She trailed off, leaving Albedo to finish the sentence for her. 

“He might not wake up.”

She nodded solemnly. “Yes. The sisters will be monitoring him closely, but they are concerned that he may never make a full recovery. They also said that they found an assortment of scars all over him, including what looked to be burn marks on his hands and feet. They appeared to be from old injuries, ones that I have never seen on you before, Chief Albedo. As of now I have not informed anyone of the full situation, including Captain Eula, but I expect a thorough explanation from the both of you.” Her eyes were fixed firmly on both of them. It was clear there would be no room for excuses or dishonesty. “So tell me, who is he?”

Dorian found himself staring into a golden sky mottled with swirling clouds as a pair of birds darted above him. The air was pleasantly warm, a gentle wind rustling the soft bed of green grass and flowers that he was laying on. The only sounds he could hear were that of the birds, the breeze, and distant waves splashing against an unseen shore. 

Dorian wasn’t sure how he got there, or where ‘there’ even was. The last thing he could remember was…

Alarmed, he sat up quickly, putting a hand to his throat. The surface was smooth and undamaged however, and when he withdrew his hand it came back unbloodied. Behind him there was a soft chuffing sound, causing him to whirl around to face the noise. His heart skipped a beat at what he saw.

“D-Durin?”

The dragon rumbled contentedly, bending his neck down towards Dorian. “Hello little one. I missed you.”

Dorian could feel the tears starting to build behind his eyes as he ran to the dragon, pressing himself to Durin’s snout with open arms in a makeshift hug. “I missed you too. I missed you so much.” As he embraced the other, he noticed how much smaller Durin was to him now. He could almost wrap his arms around the very tip of the dragon’s snout, and could hear what Durin was saying without his ears hurting. That was not to say that the dragon was small. Far from it. But now he was closer in size to the depictions Dorian had seen of Dvalin, rather than being nearly the size of an entire city. 

“You… you look smaller than before?”

Durin ‘hmmed’, looking himself over before turning back to Dorian. “Ah yes, I suppose I do. This is how I best imagine myself to be, I think. I don’t look like how I did when I died, nor do you.”

“Died?” It hadn’t quite dawned on him before that moment that the only reason he would be seeing his elder brother would be if he were dead as well. So the treasure hoarder really did kill him then. He couldn’t help but feel disappointed that his new life had ended so soon. “Oh. I guess I did, didn’t I? At least this place is better than where I was the last time.”

Durin nuzzled him comfortingly, the breath from his large nostrils dispersing a dandelion tuft that was growing below them. “I am, so very sorry, little one.” The dragon’s words carried a deep sorrow that Dorian had never heard in them before. “There should not have been a last time. I never wanted to hurt you, or anyone else. I couldn’t… I wasn’t me anymore. I wish you never had to see me like that.”

“Hey, hey. It’s okay.” Dorian rubbed the dragon’s snout reassuringly as tears began to well up, threatening to spill down his cheeks. “It wasn’t your fault. It’s alright.”

They stayed that way for a while, comforting one another until Dorian drew back, wiping the tears from his eyes, and said. “Well, now that we’re both here, I guess we can finally talk to each other again. And we won’t have to worry about Master will think, heh. I wonder, though, why wasn’t I here before? All I can remember was being lost in… something less than nothingness.”

Durin made a sniffing sound, shaking the sadness from himself like a dog casting water from its fur. “Yes. I have greatly missed our conversations. We were not together before because you had not properly died, but rather were adrift in the ley lines. Through my blood, I am tethered to them as well, though I am not in control of what affects my remains have on the mountain. Even your return was not of my own doing, despite my attempts to do so earlier. All I can do from here is watch.”

“I see.” Dorian thoughtfully plucked another dandelion from the grass before sitting down against Durin’s flank, feeling the gentle warmth radiating from the polished black scales. “Where exactly is ‘here’ anyway? This isn’t quite how I imagined death to be.”

Durin hummed, his head lifting to the sky as if he were thinking, before turning his head to look at the other. “I think this is somewhere on the border of life and death. I cannot pass further. My bindings to the living realm keep me from leaving this place. Due to our connection, you are likely in the same position.”

“Fascinating.” Dorian blew on the dandelion puff, watching as the seedlings were carried gently away by the wind. The sight of it reminded him of something, causing a small grin to appear. “Hey Durin, guess who I was able to meet up there.”

The dragon cocked his head. “I’m sure you’ve met lots of people. Tell me who?”

“Guess first, then I’ll tell you.”

Durin huffed. “You know I don’t do well with guessing games, but fine. Hmm.” The end of his tail twitched slowly like a cat’s. “Our brother? I saw that the two of you met.”

Dorian shook his head. “Nope... Well- yes actually. That’s not who I was thinking of though.”

“Who was it then?

“Lord Barbatos. Admittedly I was avoiding him at the time and the experience was terrifying, but I met him nonetheless.”

Durin practically leapt to his feet, nearly sending Dorian sprawling onto the grass. “You met Barbatos? What was he like? What did he say?”

“Er-” How to tell someone that their lifelong idol is a penniless drunkard… “He is… interesting. He is rather fond of dandelion wine and hard ciders.” A little too much. “From the outside he seems somewhat childlike, but given what I’ve learned about him before, it is hard to tell if he is putting on an act, or if he is just genuinely silly. He lives in the city as a bard named Venti now. No one seems to know who he really is though. Or most people don’t anyway. I’ve personally only directly interacted with him once.”

“Oh?” Durin bent his head low, leaning a bit too close to Dorian. “What was that like?”

Dorian scratched his head. “Ah, well, he sort of snuck up on me when I had dozed off underneath the big oak tree in Windrise. He knew I wasn’t Albedo. I was worried he was going to kill me or kick me out of Mondstadt after… uh- what I did. He didn’t though. He acted pretty friendly actually, though I don’t think he was too thrilled about the incident with the fellflower. I got a thinly veiled warning about that.”

Durin sighed wistfully as he laid back down again. “Ah, how very exciting. I wish I had a chance to meet him before my corruption. Dvalin too. Is he alive? I… wounded him, I think, and I’ve never sensed him on the mountain.”

“I’ve not seen Dvalin personally, but from what Albedo and Kaeya told me, he is still alive. He was poisoned and angry until recently when a traveler cleansed him.”

Durin bobbed his head. “Ah, yes I know of the Traveler. He has purified some of the corruption on the mountain too. He seems like he has a kind heart.”

“So… you can really watch Dragonspine? Through the ley lines?” Dorian had to admit he was rather curious as to how that would work. The dragon puffed out his chest and rumbled happily. 

“I can indeed, to some degree at least. How else would I get my entertainment for all these years?” He gave Dorian a playful nudge. “I must say I was pleasantly surprised to see you return. You’ve come so far. I am very proud of you, little one.”

Dorian pressed his forehead to Durin’s snout. “Thank you.” 

Above them a couple finches darted across the sky towards a tree not far away. A memory came to him, one that had been hidden by their master before. His face curled into a mischievous grin. “Say Durin, there’s a lot of open sky here. I do recall being promised that once we were both in the overworld, you would take me flying.”

Durin puffed a small trail of smoke from his nostrils. “So I did. Though I must point out that we are not, in fact, in the overworld. A shame, really. I suppose it was never meant to be.” He lifted his snout dramatically and put a claw to his own chest. Dorian elbowed him roughly, though the action probably hurt him more than it hurt the dragon.

“Oh shush. You and your theatrics. From that I gather you’re almost as bad as Fischl.”

Durin gave a lurching growl of laughter. “Says the one pretending to be his brother for almost a year.”

“Hey! That is an entirely different situation. And I’ll have you know I make an excellent impersonation of him. I ought to get an award for my admirable acting skills.”

Durin bobbed his head. “Indeed. I am honored to be in the presence of such a renowned thespian as yourself. Very well. I shall allow you to rest in my talons as I carry us into the winds.” 

The dragon got to his feet once again, his massive wings unfurling like a cloak of night that swallowed up the sun. Dorian stood back a few steps, marveling at the sight of them. He had never seen Durin’s wings fully outstretched like that. The cave where the dragon was kept in Rhinedottir’s laboratory was not wide enough to allow it. Here, though, there were no stone walls to inhibit him. Durin beckoned his brother as he turned over one taloned hand, which Dorian cautiously climbed onto. Though the dragon’s black talons were long and sharp, he was careful not to scratch the other as he wrapped them around him and rose into the air. Dorian could feel the reverberating thud of each wingbeat as Durin climbed higher and higher, the ground quickly receding below them until he couldn’t even make out the flowers from the grass. Still they ascended, reaching the clouds and passing through them. He blinked away the cool condensation, unable to see past the thick haze until they breached a few moments later. 

Dorian gasped at the view now laying before them. It was a land stretched out like a living map. The place where they had been was a cliff overlooking a dark sea, while forests of trees and stone extended into the distance, mist weaving between them. Everything was bathed in golden light. It was as if they were set into a dream. So this was what it was like to fly. It was beautiful.

“Durin!” He called out, “This is amazing!”

Durin tilted his head slightly to glance at Dorian. “Isn’t it? Ah, how I wish I could’ve seen Teyvat this way.” The dragon let out a loud huff. “I will admit this place has its charms however.” Suddenly a mischievous look crossed Durin’s face. Dorian instinctively held on tighter to the dragon’s talon. 

“Dorian, want to do something cool?”

“Uhh…” In theory the answer was yes, but considering the expression the dragon had at that moment, he was rethinking that choice. “Sure.”

Taking this as his queue, Durin tucked in one wing, immediately sending them into a spiral. Dorian clutched at his brother as they spun dizzyingly. Then Durin tucked the other wing, and they plummeted at speeds Dorian had never experienced before. Just as they passed through the cloud once more, Durin’s wings flared, pulling them out the dive and proceeding to maneuver around a field of invisible obstacles. He twisted and turned, corkscrewing, diving, and looping through the air with ease. The dragon was practically radiating joy. For Dorian the experience was something between terrifying and exhilarating. By the time they returned to the ground near the cliff’s edge, he was too dizzy and shaky to stand, instead rolling onto his back and laughing breathlessly.

“That was… insane… in a good way.”

Durin chuffed happily. “I’m glad you liked it.”

The breeze began to pick up then, pulling more insistently at him than earlier. Durin noticed it too, his reptilian eyes flicking up to the sky for a moment.  “You friends are trying to bring you back.”

Dorian’s eyes widened as the wind tousled his ash-blonde hair. Around him the dandelion puffs were being gathered into the swift, swirling breeze. He rose to his feet. “Bring me back? As in back to life? Is it not a bit too late for that now? Kaeya and Albedo aren’t healers.

Durin ‘hmmed’, his tail swishing. “The anemo-wielding one is. Lady Jean. She is strong enough to succeed I think, but she needs a spark.”

Dorian frowned. Jean was there trying to save him? Surely she would have learned he wasn’t Albedo by now. “A spark? A spark of what?”

“Life.” Durin rumbled. “I might be able to provide that.”

He blinked, unsure of what to say. Was it really possible to be brought back to life a second time? If it was… that would leave Durin alone again.

“If you are able to return, little one, you must promise me something.”

The dragon’s red gaze felt like it was boring into Dorian. He could not move away. “Promise you what?”

“You must promise to me that you will never touch my heart under any circumstance. You or Albedo. Its effects may poison or madden other creatures, but it would corrupt the both of you. No matter what, you cannot let that happen. Death would be a better fate. Do you understand?” Dorian nodded. “It was a miracle you spent so long in such proximity to it without touching it. Heed my warning though. If you ever find yourself drawn towards it for any reason, do not trust yourself. I could not bear to see you or our brother go through what I did. I would rather die a second time.

Dorian was taken aback by the change in the dragon’s tone. He sounded almost… angry ,  though this anger was not directed at him. It was not something he had ever seen in Durin before. “Yes, I promise.”

Seeing Dorian’s expression, Durin let out a sigh, his countenance softening again. “I’m sorry, I did not mean to sound so harsh. It is just very important.”

“It’s alright, I understand.”

“That is good. I would ask another thing of you. Say hello to our brother for me, would you? And if you can, tell Lord Barbatos I’m sorry for what happened. Dvalin too if you ever meet him.”

Dorian reached out to hug the dragon’s snout, not wanting to leave him so soon. “I will.” He promised softly. Durin rumbled contentedly, nuzzling into the other’s embrace. 

“I will miss you, little one. Do not grieve for me, though. I am happy enough here. You should enjoy life for all that you can. Go and see the world for me. When we meet again, you can tell me all about it.”

Tears began to spill down Dorian’s cheeks as he tightened his hold. “Can’t I stay with you a little longer?”

Durin withdrew from him, his crimson eyes looking over Dorian lovingly, as if he were wanting to engrave this last sight of him in his memory. “I’m sorry, but you cannot. If I don’t send you away now, it will be too late. It might be already. I will put you on the path, but the rest will be up to you. Keep moving forward and don’t stop. Remember that.”

Before Dorian could ask what he meant by that, Durin extended his neck until the very tip of his snout pressed against the dragonbone amulet resting on Dorian’s chest. He gasped as the wind suddenly struck him like a hammer, making his lungs burn and his limbs weak. His vision grew blurry. He felt like he was dying again. Durin’s wings extended outward. 

“Goodbye, little one, and I’m sorry. I don’t think this will be pleasant for you. I believe in you though. Remember to keep moving. You’ll make it out.”

Then the dragon thrust his mighty wings. The sudden gust blew him backwards for the winds to catch him, throwing him off the side of the cliff. Then he fell. Down down down until he met the inky waters below. He expected to feel the painful slap of the collision. The sudden chill of icy liquid soaking his clothes and biting into him. But instead he was surrounded by warmth and softness, dragging him deeper and deeper until the surface disappeared and the comforting darkness was all that was left...

...

...

...

Darkness.

Viscous, tangible black. He was laying belly-down in a shallow pool of it. It clung to him like tar, but felt cozy like a warm blanket. He couldn’t remember how long he was there for. It felt like he’d been sleeping. He was comfortable there. He wanted to go back to sleep, to be wrapped in the darkness forever, but there was something nagging him. A thought. No, an instinct. Run it said. Do not stay still. Keep moving forward. He didn’t want to listen to it. He wanted to stay.

The nagging grew stronger. He couldn’t stay there. He needed to move. If he didn’t, he would never leave. It was very important that he leave this place. Why was that? He couldn’t remember. He just knew. The ground sucked at him as he pulled himself from it. The darkness oozed around him, but ahead he saw a light. It was a doorway. He needed to reach it.  

As he took a step, a thick glob of black fell onto his shoulder, dripping down him slowly. Then there was another. They were heavy, too heavy. He wanted to lay down, but he willed himself forward. Keep moving. Don’t stop.

The sludge below him grew deeper the further he went. It pulled at his legs like a thousand slurping hands begging him to stay. It was difficult to keep going. He was tired, and the darkness was so comfortable. Suddenly he tripped and fell into it. It came up to his arms and belly, pulling him down. He sank into it. It was warm, and comforting. He was so tired…

...

Awareness returned as the murk surrounded him further. No. He needed to move. He couldn’t stay there. He needed to reach the door. It was harder to pull himself up again this time. More of the black was dripping onto him from above. He needed to move.  

The closer he came to the door, the more he realized how badly he needed to reach it. But the darkness did not want him to leave. He struggled against it, tripping over and over. Every time he did it became harder to get back up. It kept seeping from above too, weighing him down. The blobs grew larger. He was covered in them. They oozed over his head and shoulders, catching him as he advanced and pushing him down. The door was so close now. With its light he could see the gloom. He was surrounded by it on all sides but forward. It was closing in on him. Don't stop moving.

Another blob of the viscous substance dripped onto him, obscuring his eyes. He tripped again, becoming engulfed almost entirely in a soft warmth. There was too much of it. He tried to pull himself up but he couldn’t. It was too heavy, so he dragged himself instead, clawing at the darkness on his hands and knees. He pulled himself inch by inch, growing ever tireder. His strength was fading. He had to keep going. Keep going forward and don’t stop.

He was so close. So close . He could hardly move now though. The murk was pooling on and around him. It oozed over his face and he could not see. He could only reach out towards the light. Time was running out. Please, he thought in desperation. I cannot stay here. He did not know what drove him to keep pressing forward. Where the source of his will laid, but whatever it might be, he clung onto it like a lifeline. His fingertips reached the door. It burned him, and he wanted to retreat, but he had to go through it. With the weight of an unending sea of black pressing down on him, he clawed at the doorway, summoning every ounce of strength he had just to pull himself forward centimeter by centimeter. He was going to make it. The burning grew hotter as light pierced the dark, growing ever brighter until the black was utterly consumed.

...

His eyes fluttered open.

The early morning sun was shining through Kaeya’s kitchen window, illuminating the stovetop he was about to start up, when there was suddenly a knock at the door. Upon opening it, he was met with Jean standing in front of him. 

“Grandmaster Jean, what a pleasant surprise. What brings you to my humble abode? Couldn’t wait to see me?”

“Good morning, Kaeya. May I speak to you?” 

Ah. No title. Kaeya noted. She must be there under a personal setting then. He wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing. Judging by the weary look on her face, it was probably the latter. “Of course, come in. I was just about to make breakfast. Do you want anything?”

She put a hand up dismissively. “No, no. Thank you. I’m here to talk about Dorian. It’s been three weeks, Kaeya, and he’s shown no signs of waking up. I understand you are wanting to keep your arrangement, and I agreed to let it stand for the time being, but we cannot have Albedo hiding out indefinitely. You know that Knights are still in need of our Chief Alchemist, and Klee has been worried sick.”

Kaeya sighed, leaning up against the kitchen counter as the sun caught the feathers of his cape, giving the look that they were touched by flame. He was all too aware of the situation, and it had been weighing heavily on him every time he went to check on Dorian. “I know. I had hoped he would have woken up by now. Can’t we give it another week?”

“One more week, and that is the most we can afford. In the meantime, it needs to be discussed with Albedo how this will be broken to the Knights and the citizens of Mond if he doesn’t wake in that time.”

“I understand. Thank you, Jean.” He walked her to the door, but just as he reached for the handle there was another knock from the other side. Now who could that be? Opening it once again, he looked down to see one of the sisters from the cathedral, her face pink as she panted for breath. 

“Sister Marie, can I help you with something?”

The nun nodded, straightening herself out as her breathing steadied. “My apologies, I saw that Grandmaster Jean was coming here and was hoping to speak to the both of you before you left. It’s Chief Albedo. He’s awake.”

“Right now?” Kaeya could feel his heart beating faster. Marie nodded.

“Yes, but-”

He didn’t hear the rest of what she had to say as he dashed through the doorway and headed up towards the cathedral. He quickly offered his apologies upon nearly running into a couple of nurses, and decided to slow his pace as he neared the hospital wing, entering the room where Dorian had been settled. He had visited this room nearly a dozen times already, but unlike the others, this time Dorian was sitting up in the bed, awake and looking wide-eyed at the several nurses gathered around him. Kaeya grinned.

“Albedo! Finally decided to join us again, ey? You had us all worried, you know.”

Dorian blinked up at him with those teal-blue eyes, and Kaeya realized there was something off about them. Before he could put much thought into it however, Dorian frowned and said, “I’m really sorry, but who are you?”

Chapter Text

Dorian woke to the sight of a white stone ceiling high above him, and warm sunlight shining onto his face. At first the brightness caused him to squint, his eyes watering, but after a minute or two they adjusted to the light, and he was able to look around. He was in a small room occupied by several beds with white linens, and walls that were inlaid with large windows, giving the space a peaceful feel. Pushing himself up onto his elbows, he could tell that his arms felt weaker than they should. His head was hurting too, and there was a strange tension in it. Like something was being held back. He didn’t know what it was, but he had the feeling he wanted to fight against it. 

Before he could further ponder the situation, a woman came through the door to the room. Her clothes were mostly white, and she had a matching headdress. He wanted to ask her where he was, but the moment she saw him she made a small noise in surprise and hurried back through the door. How odd. He wondered if she hadn’t known he was in there before. He hoped he hadn’t scared her if that was the case. A few minutes later the woman returned with three others wearing similar garb. They all gathered around him excitedly, speaking to him in words that he could not understand at first. As he listened however, the gibberish sounds coming from them slowly began to unravel into words, though their meaning was still largely foreign to him.

“Chief Albedo, can you hear me?” The woman asking the question was beginning to look concerned. It was clear she was speaking to him specifically, but she had called him ‘Chief Albedo’, which… didn’t sound right. He wasn’t going to argue with it though, at least not for the moment. He had more pressing questions.

“Me? Yes, I can hear you. Would you kindly tell me where I am? Also why I am here?”

“Of course.” Another of the women said, her tone sounding almost apologetic. “You are in the Church of Favonius. You’ve been in a coma the last three weeks. Do you remember anything that happened after you were kidnapped?”

“Uh…” He furrowed his brow. He had no memory of such an event, or any other event for that matter. Before having woken up, he was not aware of anything at all. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember that. Or anything before that, either. Including who I am. I apologize. That’s probably very inconvenient for you.”

The women exchanged worried glances, any excitement that they had shown before vanishing at his words. One of them put a hand on his leg. “It’s alright dear, there’s no need to apologize. We’ll send someone to fetch Grandmaster Jean. In the meantime, we are going to give you a little exam, is that alright?”

He nodded. “Yes, that’s fine.”

The women proceeded to bring in an odd assortment of tools which they gently used on him, though he wasn’t sure the purpose of them. They were asking him a series of questions as well, both in relation to whatever examinations they were doing, and also about what he could remember. It was while they were doing so that a man suddenly burst into the room. His clothes were much more extravagant than the ladies’, and he wore an eyepatch over one eye, the other of which seemed to sparkle upon seeing him, a wide grin crossing the man’s face. He spread his arms a little before saying cheerily. “Albedo! Finally decided to join us again, ey? You had us all worried, you know.”

Dorian frowned up at him. This one seemed familiar in a distant sort of way. He was fairly certain he’d met the man before, but beyond that he had no recollection of him. “I’m really sorry, but who are you?”

The man’s smile wavered. “Come now Albedo, it’s hardly the time for jokes like that.”

At that moment one of the women, a younger individual with curled pigtails, intervened, standing in front of the man with her hands clasped. “Captain Kaeya, I’m afraid it’s not a joke. It would seem that Chief Albedo has lost his memory entirely. He didn’t even know his own name until we told him. 

There was that name again. They insisted it was his but it didn’t feel right. It was a name he recognized, yes, but something about them calling him that made him feel almost guilty. As if it were a stolen name. The more he thought about it however, the more his head began to hurt. 

He watched with growing dismay as the man’s face fell with the news of his missing memory, just like the women's had. He’d only just woken up and already he was disappointing everyone he met.

“So you don’t remember me at all?” The man asked. He had a distinct accent, Dorian noted. One that felt comforting to hear. He was almost certain now that he knew the other, but it felt like whatever memories he had of him were buried in mud, leaving him to blindly reach in and try to pull them out. 

“Well… I know that I know you. You are familiar to me. Aside from that though, no, I don’t remember you. I’m sorry.”

For a fleeting moment Dorian thought he saw the man deflate, but then his confident smile returned and he said smoothly, “Albedo, you wound me. And here I thought I was unforgettable. Ah- Grandmaster Jean.” 

The man stepped out of the doorway as yet another woman entered the room, though she was dressed very differently than the others. Dorian felt unnerved by the amount of people now staring at him, none of them looking happy. Part of him wished he could go back to sleep or slip away, but that would probably only upset them more. As the others discussed him among themselves, he gripped the edge of the blankets, feeling increasingly uneasy. Thankfully the blonde woman dressed in the dark blue tailcoat seemed to notice his distress.

“Sisters, might Kaeya and I speak with him alone? I think all the attention is overwhelming him. Chief Albedo is not one for crowds, as you know.”

“Oh! Of course, I should have noticed sooner.” The girls with the pigtails gave a nod and quickly ushered the other women away. Once they had gone, the remaining two turned their attention back to him. This woman seemed familiar to him as well, but just as with the man, he did not know any more than that. She gave him a concerned look.

“I suppose it is safe to assume you do not remember me either?”

“I do not. I think… I think I have memories of the both of you, but I can’t access them right now. Just the feeling that I know you, and I have the impression that I am fond of both of you. It might help if you reintroduce yourselves.”

“Of course.” The woman put a hand to her chest. “I’m Acting Grandmaster, Jean Gunnhildr, and he is Kaeya Alberich, Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius.”

Dorian ‘hmmed’. Those names did seem to click. The Knights of Favonius sounded familiar as well. “Who am I then? Everyone is calling me ‘Chief Albedo’ but that doesn’t feel right. I definitely recognise the name but it’s not clicking to me like your names are.”

“About that-” Kaeya chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. “You aren’t actually Albedo. That’s your twin brother. Only he, myself, and recently Jean know about that though. You are Dorian.”

Dorian rolled the name around in his mind, and with it a series of scenes played rapidly in his brain, bouncing off one another dizzyingly.

He sat on a rough stone floor, the colossal head of a dragon laying next to him. Warmth radiated from its black scales. “What should I call you, little one?”

“Mother already told you my name. It’s Subject Two.”

Kaeya groaned, running his hands through his hair as he arched back slightly. “Fine, count me in. I’m not going to go around calling you ‘Subject Two’ though, so you can start by telling us your actual name.”

The dragon wrinkled its snout and snorted out a puff of acrid smoke. “I refuse to use such a name. It does not suit a living thing, least of all my little brother. If our mother won’t give you a proper name, we’ll just have to make one up for you. It can be between just us two.”

“Earned one?” Kaeya pinched the bridge of his nose. “You don’t have to earn a name. It's a given right to anyone. That can be your first lesson then. You can pick out a name.”

“I… I’m not sure how to do that. It doesn’t feel right to pick out one’s own name.”

The dragon gave him a gentle nudge. “Perhaps I will give you one then, if you like.”

“Perhaps you need suggestions?” Kaeya offered.

He bit his lip, thinking. Would their mother approve of Durin giving him a name? If they kept it just between themselves, perhaps it would be alright. “Hmm. I know Durin is a good name. I like that one a lot.”

The dragon chuffed bemusedly, puffing warm air into his face. “You can’t have my name, silly little thing. How about something similar, like… Dorian, perhaps? That’s a good name too.”

“Hm. Well I’ll just list some off the top of my head, and you can say if any of them feel right to you. Let’s see…” Kaeya began to prattle off a long series of names, some of which he recognised as being of Mondstadtian and Khaenri'ahn origin, while others sounded entirely made up, but none of them seemed to fit. “...Baelan, Jasper, Dorian, Freyr, Kol-”

His gaze quickly lifted. “Wait, I liked that one.”

“Oh! Yeah, Dorian is pretty good. I like that. It fits.”

“Which one?” Kaeya asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Dorian. I like that name.” He let the sound of it roll over his tongue and around his brain, testing it out in his thoughts before speaking it aloud. Yes, that name felt right.

“Dorian it is then.” Durin said proudly. He smiled at the dragon’s approval, and the idea that he had a real name of his own now.

“Well that’s settled then.” Kaeya extended a gloved hand towards him, “A pleasure to meet you, Dorian.”

The tension in his mind strained with the disjointed memories, causing the aching in his head to grow stronger. He put a hand to his forehead. “Dorian? You alright there buddy?”

Mother looked down at him disapprovingly. “I am disappointed in your blatant disregard of my authority, Subject Two. You are mine, and when you have earned a name I will assign one to you. Until then you will keep to your title. This is your first and only warning. If I find you going behind my back and undermining my decisions again, there will be painful consequences. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Dorian, you’re back.” The dragon snaked his head down to better see him. “Did you bring any new books this time?”

“You can’t call me that any more. Mother said so. It’s just Subject Two.”

“Oh.” The dragon’s eyes fell to the ground. “Of course, little one.”

"Dorian?" There was a hand firmly gripping his shoulder. He blinked as his mind came back into focus on the present, wincing a little at the tension in his skull.

“Hey, are you okay?” Jean’s brows were furrowed with concern. He nodded, shaking off the experience. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. I remember my name now I think, though it's a little jumbled up. I have a question though. Why do the others think I am Albedo? Couldn’t you just tell them I’m not?”

“That’s… a bit complicated of an answer.” Kaeya admitted. “Now’s not a good time to get into the details, but to put it simply, you and your brother have been covertly taking turns as being ‘Albedo’, and you don’t want anyone to know about that yet. So for the time being, just play along with it.”

Dorian wrinkled his nose. That answer didn’t exactly sit well with him, but if it was what he wanted while he had his memories, it was probably best not to undermine himself. Especially given that he did not know the full picture yet.

“I see. I will try to keep that in mind. In the meantime, could you tell me what happened before I ended up here? The other ladies wouldn’t really give me much information other than I got kidnapped somehow and have been in a coma. It seemed like they were largely dodging the question.”

Kaeya and Jean glanced at each other, which wasn’t exactly reassuring, before Kaeya said, “Three weeks ago you were kidnapped by treasure hoarders who mistook you for Albedo and were holding you for ransom. The negotiations went badly, and you were… killed, as a result. Jean was able to eventually revive you, but you’ve been in a coma since then. Or rather you were until this morning.”

Dorian blinked, letting the words sink in for a moment. “Ah. Well that doesn’t sound optimal. I’m alive and awake now though, so that's an improvement at least.”

“You seem to be taking this pretty well.” Jean noted. 

Dorian shrugged. If he was being honest, he wasn’t particularly distressed about having lost his memories. If not for the fact that it was upsetting the people around him, it wouldn’t really have bothered him much at all. He knew that it ought to, but somehow he felt completely calm about the situation. If only that tension in his head would go away. Trying to concentrate on recovering any memories only seemed to make it worse.

“Thanks… I think.”

There was a knock on the door, causing all three of them to turn towards it, then the pig-tailed girl’s voice came through the wood. “Jean, may I come in.”

“Yes, Barbara. We were just finishing up speaking with him.”

Dorian would have begged to differ. He still had questions, such as what he was expected to be doing now that he’d woken up, but it would seem that it would have to wait for later. Kaeya spoke up for him, asking the girl when he would be cleared to leave the hospital wing.

“We need to check up on a couple more things.” She answered sweetly. “But aside from his amnesia, we haven’t found anything wrong with him. He’ll likely be cleared by midday.”

Kaeya gave her a nod. “Thank you, Barbara. Albedo, will you be alright if Jean and I leave until you are cleared? There are some things we will need to take care of.”

Finding their babying slightly amusing, Dorian made a face. “I don’t know, I might not survive being away from you both for a couple hours. I’ll try to be strong though. Go on without me.” He waved them away dramatically, eliciting odd looks from the other three. What? Was he not allowed to joke around? 

“Alright then.” Jean said, clearing her throat. “We’ll be back in a few hours.”

Then she and the Cavalry Captain left the room, trading places with a couple of the nurses who had been in there before, ready to subject him to whatever procedures they had planned. He sighed, hoping they’d be satisfied with whatever they found so he could be free to leave.

Upon reaching Favonius Headquarters and shutting the door to Jean’s office behind them, Kaeya sighed loudly, rubbing his face. He knew something was wrong the moment he saw Dorian’s face. The back of his eyes had an innocent, childlike sparkle to them that Dorian normally lacked, and his countenance seemed much lighter. The looks of a person who hasn't experienced how cruel the world can be. He felt the urge to kick something. After all that, having finally woken up when they were starting to think he never would, and he couldn’t remember a damned thing. He kept his calm however, not letting his mask of composure slip.

“Well this has been a complicated development.” Jean said, breaking the silence between them. Kaeya could already tell this latest bump in the road would be taking its toll on her. “We will need to decide how best to inform the other knights of this. Albedo included. Am I correct in assuming you still wish to continue with your agreement with him, despite this?”

Kaeya nodded. “If he can regain his memories, yes. From his reaction to being told his name, and the fact that he could recognize us to some degree, I am hopeful that he will.”

“That being said,” Jean looked down at her desk, her gaze drifting across the numerous circular coffee stains along its surface. A testimony of the last few years spent clinging to the high of caffeine just to get her through the day. “The fact remains that we need our Chief Alchemist back. He can only do so much from behind the scenes.”

“I know, trust me I do.” He chuckled wryly, putting up his veil of cool confidence. “I’ll just have a quick chat with Albedo and see what he thinks. You said you could afford to give us one more week before he would need to return, yes? Well perhaps we can jog Dorian’s memories by then. If not, we’ll just keep him on Dragonspine and work with him there while Albedo resumes making his trips down here with his memories miraculously restored.”

Jean sighed, her eyes closing. “If it were anyone but you Kaeya, I wouldn’t be agreeing to this. As Acting Grandmaster I shouldn’t have done so to begin with. That being said, I trust your judgment, and it would be cruel to bring him to light while he is vulnerable like this, so I will grant you this last favor. I do not enjoy deceiving our fellow knights however. I can only allow you three so much grace before I decide enough is enough.”

“Understood.” He said, giving her a grateful bow. “Thank you. Now if you will excuse me, I need to go inform Albedo about the situation. Perhaps he’ll have some helpful insight to share.”

Jean nodded, tiredly lowering herself into the chair at her desk. “I hope that he does. I will be resting a lot easier once this whole ordeal is settled and over with. You two really know how to cause trouble.”

“Ah, but that’s where half the fun in life comes from. Don’t tell me you’ve never wished you could join us from time to time.” He gave her a little nudge, hoping to lighten the mood. As expected, Jean shook her head and smiled.

“Kaeya, what am I to do with you?”

He gave her a knowing grin, arm spread from his side. “Let me take you to Angel's Share for a well deserved drink?”

“If you can have everything sorted out by the end of the week? Maybe.”

“Oh? I’d best get to it then.”

Chapter Text

Dorian exhaled a breath of relief when the girl, Barbara, gave him the clear to exit the ward. They had spent the whole morning examining, questioning, and testing on him to determine whether he was fit to leave, and though the ladies were all very kind, he was antsy to get out from under their almost suffocating attention. He wanted to go outside and breathe in the fresh air, as well as look at the sights. Though he knew that he’d likely have seen them all before, at that moment they would all be new again, and he was anticipating being able to rediscover them. 

Thankfully his rescuers arrived not long after, or rather one of them did. Kaeya had not returned for him, only Jean. He felt a little disappointed by that for some reason. As if reading his mind, the Grandmaster said helpfully, “I’m afraid the Cavalry Captain is still occupied with the business he was taking care of today. He should be back in the next few hours at the latest. In his absence, I will be taking you to Favonius Headquarters, if that would be amiable to you? I don’t think it would be wise for you to wander about the city just yet.”

Dorian nodded. That made sense. Though he would have liked to explore a little, he supposed that could wait for later. “That is fine with me. Lead the way.”

As Jean led him into the church’s sanctuary, he couldn’t help but gape at the size and grandeur of it. The ceiling hung high above him, held up by pale stone pillars, and the walls were taken up by rows of almost equally tall windows of stained glass, filling the space with the warm, multicolored glow of sunlight which reflected off a polished stone floor. However It was not until they had left the cathedral that Dorian was able to appreciate how grand the building was. It was far larger from the outside, its shape composed of towering spires and smooth arches. More stained glass decorated its front like glimmering flowers and sashes. It looked ancient yet was still in near-pristine condition. Jean watched him with a smile as he stood back to better take in the spectacle.

“This structure is amazing.” He told her. “The architect who designed it must have been incredibly skilled. How old is it?”

“Hm.” Jean cocked her head slightly, looking up at it for a moment. “I’m not sure of the exact age, but it dates back over two thousand years.”

Dorian’s eyes widened. He could never have guessed it would be that ancient. “Really? That’s astounding. Do you know who built it?”

This time Jean shook her head, her ponytail swishing with the motion. “I can’t recall. Lisa would be able to tell you however.”

By then he had caught the notice of several nearby citizens, who began calling out excitedly to other people around them and pointing in his direction before approaching. He shrank back behind Jean as the people crowded towards him, their elated voices overlapping so that it was difficult for him to pick out any one at a time. It was too much, too soon. 

Sensing his discomfort, Jean put a hand up to gain the people’s attention. “Everyone, we understand your excitement, but please give Chief Albedo some space. He is still recovering.” 

Thankfully the people understood and backed off a ways, though they still waved and smiled at him. Hesitantly he returned the gesture. Upon reaching the Favonius Headquarters he was treated to a similar reception. Though the knights did not crowd him, nearly every one of them that they passed expressed their happiness of his return. 

“It seems Albedo is very popular.” He said quietly to Jean once she led him into an office with her name on it and closed the door. 

“He is very beloved by the city, and the knights in particular, yes. I’ve informed all of the knights currently present in the city of your condition, though there are some who are currently out on patrol. Namely Captain Eula and her company.”

Dorian’s ears perked at the name. “Eula? Who’s that? Do I know her?”

“You do. Eula Lawrence is Captain of the Reconnaissance Company, and seems to have become a relatively close friend of yours.”

A close friend? Dorian bit the inside of his lip. “Do you mean a friend of Albedo’s?”

“No, I do mean of yours. As far as I have been informed, you are the one who befriended her and Outrider Amber, rather than Albedo, though they are unaware of this.”

“I see.” He said, wishing that he could meet them. “What were your plans for me now?”

“A good question.” Jean sighed. It was then that he took notice of how tired she looked. He wished he could have extended some of his three weeks of sleeping to her. He certainly didn’t need all of it. “Kaeya had expressed that he wishes to work with you on refamiliarizing yourself with the city, as well as attempting to help you reclaim your memories. He went to Dragonspine to speak with your brother this morning, and likely won’t return for at least a couple hours. I thought that in the meantime, you might like to look around Headquarters. I’ll show you to your- Albedo’s lab that you both like to use. Perhaps you might remember a few things there.”

Dorian allowed himself to be led back down the corridor towards the laboratory when suddenly a red blur appeared through a doorway and barreled into him. Were he in top condition he likely could have withstood the impact, however the weakness in his legs from atrophy did away with that notion, and he toppled to the ground with a painful thud. On top of him was a little girl with pigtails and a puffy red hat. She was clinging onto him as if he were a raft in a river, and it sounded like she was crying. 

“A-Albedooo. I m-missed you so much. I thought y-you would never wake u-up.” Her words were muffled as she buried her face into his shirt, soaking it with tears. “I came to v-visit you lots with K-Kaeya, and d-drew you pictures, but y-you n-never woke up.”

Dorian pushed himself up into a sitting position, then put an arm around the girl reassuringly. He wasn’t entirely sure who the girl was, but she was clearly distraught over what she assumed to be Albedo’s earlier condition. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’m awake now, see? You don’t have to worry about me any more.” 

The girl withdrew from him just enough to look up at his face. Her cheeks and nose were red from crying, and her peach-colored eyes gazed at him with a heartbreaking expression. “B-but Master Jean says y-you don’t rememb-ber me, or Momma, or D-dodoco. Do you not remember m-me?”

Dorian glanced over towards Jean, but she didn’t seem to know what to say either, so he turned back to the sobbing girl. He tried to keep his voice light and reassuring for her. “No, I don’t remember right now. My brain just got all scrambled up. But don’t worry, I’ll remember you again soon. So how about you remind me who you are, hm? That’ll help me.”

The girl sniffled as her breath ‘hic’ed. “I’m Klee, and y-ou’re my big b-brother.”

Oh. Well now he just felt guilty. To think how sad she must be that her older brother couldn’t even remember her. He wished he could simply poof the memories back into his head to make her feel better, but alas that was not how these things worked. At the very least, he was certain he’d seen her before, and cared a lot about her. As he pressed himself, the faint flashes of images entered his mind. Picnics in the sun, playing in the forest. Messy scribbled drawings. Lots of... bombs? And cold slime. “Ah, yes I think I remember that a little. See? You’re already helping out your big brother.”

“I am?”

“Mmhm. You get to be the big sibling right now, do you think you can do that for me?” The girl nodded with a sniffle, her hands clasped together. He gently reached out to wipe the tears from her cheek with his thumb. “You said you liked to draw me pictures, yeah? Could you draw some more for me of things we like to do? You can help me remember that way.”

Klee nodded, her face brightening somewhat. “I can do that. I’ll make you lots of pictures, so you can remember. I’ll bring you seashells too, and crystalflies, and flowers.”

“That’s the spirit! I knew I could count on you.” He pulled the girl in for a hug, tickling her until she erupted into a fit of giggles. Having successfully cheered her up, he gave one final ruff to her hair as he pulled himself back up. She giggled and hugged his legs before darting back to the room she had just exited. 

Brushing himself off, Dorian turned back toward where Jean was still standing. She had a much softer expression than before, as if she was less unsure of him now. He chuckled awkwardly. “Sorry, I got a bit sidetracked. You never mentioned I had a sister as well.”

“Ah, she’s not a blood relative. Her mother essentially adopted Albedo, and so he and Klee have been like siblings since then.”

His gaze lowered somewhat. This Albedo seemed to have a lot going for him. “I see, so not my sister then.” 

Jean looked thoughtful for a moment before replying softly, “I don’t think she would see it that way. I’m certain she would be more than happy to have two older brothers. In any case, you seem to do rather well with her.”

He gave the Headmaster a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his head. “Heh, thanks. I suppose I like children, I think. Klee is sweet anyway. I feel bad for making her cry.” Hoping to change the subject he added, “Shall we keep going?”

The laboratory was only a little ways further down, and upon entering it he was met with table after table of various apparatus, bottles, bookshelves, and cabinets filled with a plethora of ingredients. He did a few circles as he took it all in.

“Woah. This is… a lot of stuff.” He walked up to a device made up of glass tubing with a conical glass bottle placed underneath one end of it. 

Jean sighed. “Yes, Albedo has quite the collection here. I’m sure you’ll want to look around more. Regrettably I cannot stay away from my work much longer, so I will be returning to my office, but please do not hesitate to come find me if you need anything.”

Dorian gave her nod. “I will, thank you so much.” He watched her stride back the way they came before returning his attention to the objects filling the room. They were clearly scientific equipment, but he hadn’t a clue what any of them did. It didn’t take long before the initial wonderment wore off as he continued to look around, and he soon found himself growing bored. There were a number of books on some of the shelves, however all of them were filled almost exclusively with scientific jargon that he was unable to decipher. The only real thing of interest in them were some detailed illustrations of various living organisms. Eventually even those lost their intrigue though, and the tension is his head seemed to strong more the longer he was there. He fought against it, leaving him with a sharp headache. It was decidedly time to leave.

He supposed it wouldn’t hurt to explore the rest of the headquarters. Grandmaster Jean never told him he couldn’t. Thus he ended up wandering the lower floor, feeling as if he were being pulled along a certain path that his body seemed to remember, even if his mind did not. He smiled and nodded to the few knights that passed by, before coming to a stop in front of a door near the front hall. It was the same as all the other doors, but he had the feeling that he would enjoy whatever was behind this one in particular.

Twisting the handle, the door swung silently open to reveal a cozy, yet expansive library. Stepping inside his jaw hung open at the sight of so many books. Hundreds and hundreds of them, some of which looked brand new while others appeared ancient. He could spend a year in that place and still not have read them all. The whole room was filled with the faint yet comforting scent of them. Already the tension seemed to abate, as did his headache. In his awe and excitement over the sight, he almost didn’t notice the woman dressed in purple standing by one of the nearby bookshelves. At the sight of him, her face donned a welcoming smile. 

“Hey there cutie, I was starting to think you’d forgotten about me. I’ve missed our little visits, you know.”

Dorian coughed, “Ah- er, I’m sorry to say I actually have forgotten, though not intentionally I would like to add. I don’t really remember much of anything at the moment.”

The lady laughed, causing the little lantern at the end of her pointed hat to sway back and forth. “My, I suppose that was poor wording on my part. Jean told me about your situation this morning. It really is a shame.”

“I’m really sorry about that.” He said again, but the lady gently waved him off. 

“There’s no need to apologize sweetie, you’ve done nothing wrong. Come here and let me have a look at you.”

Were it almost anyone else, he might have declined, but he felt that he could trust this woman, and so he hesitantly drew closer to her. She gave him a good look-over, her gaze lingering for a moment on his neck, then she had him hold out one of his arms. Feeling somewhat embarrassed he merely looked to the side as she did so. When the lady eventually let go of his arm she ‘tsk’ed at him. “Poor thing. They really did a number on you. You look like you need some real food and a good cup of tea. Wait right here cutie, and I’ll bring you something.”

Dorian put out a hand. “Oh, there’s no need to-” But the lady had already whisked herself off to a side room before he could finish the sentence. Not wanting to move away from where he was standing at her request, he contented himself to look around some more, peering over the banister at a lower level of the library. He would have loved to peruse the shelves for something interesting to read. It felt like he could stay there for days on end. Certainly this was a far more interesting place than the laboratory. A few minutes later the purple lady returned with a tray of what appeared to be two bowls of some sort of soup, a couple teacups with a matching pot, and a plate of little pastel pastries. She brought the platter to a nearby table with some padded armchairs and beckoned him over.

“There we are. Help yourself dear.”

Dorian was wary to start eating in front of her at first, but the smell of the food soon overcame his reservations, and he quickly finished his bowl of soup, sighing with contentment. The tea was excellent as well, a perfectly mellow blend with a mild sweetness that complimented the pastries wonderfully. 

“Thank you.” He said in between sips of his tea. “This was much needed I think. I didn’t realize I was hungry. The tea is very relaxing also.”

The lady, Lisa as she had introduced herself as, let out a small giggle at him. “Polite as ever. You are very welcome dear. We often have little get-togethers like this when you are in the city. You’ve always been one for good conversation, and of course it’s always a pleasure to see that sweet face of yours now and again.”

Dorian felt himself blushing a little. He turned away. He did faintly recall sitting in this chair before with sweet things on his tongue, and brief snippets of conversation he couldn’t quite make out. “Ah, well, thank you. Hopefully I can continue to be. I feel like I’ve been letting a lot of people down today.” 

“Nonsense. We are all happy you are awake.” She said, waving a finger at him.

“Quite so.” Dorian quickly turned at the sound of Kaeya’s voice behind him. “I see you and Miss Lisa are reacquainted?”

“We were just having a bit of lunch, Captain Kaeya. No one thought to give the poor dear some food and good company.”

Dorian lifted his hands, glancing between the two of them. “It’s fine, really.”

Kaeya seemed to dismiss his protests. “Ah, that is an unfortunate oversight. How very generous of you to rectify, Miss Lisa. I had planned on bringing you to Good Hunter, Albedo, but I had to collect a few things of yours from your camp, and I’m afraid the weather was not on my side today.”

Lisa gave the Captain a scrutinizing look for a moment, but it quickly morphed into her usual smile. “Well then, I suppose you’ll want to be stealing him from me? Very well, but Albedo, I do hope you drop by again soon.”

Dorian gave Lisa a short bow as he stood. He certainly planned on returning if he had any say in the matter. He still wanted to browse the extensive collection of books, though he supposed he would also enjoy another lunch with the kindly librarian. “Why of course. I would hate to disappoint you, my lady. Thank you again for the food and tea.”

Lisa gave a sweet laugh. “My, what a gentleman you are being today. You are welcome. See you soon, cutie.”

With that Kaeya ushered him out of the library, unaware of the witch’s knowing gaze behind them.

Chapter Text

Kaeya sucked in a breath as a particularly biting gust of wind battered against him. Of course that day of all days had to be one where a blizzard decided to make its untimely appearance. Not for the first time he wondered why Albedo’s camp had to be placed in such an inconvenient location. He liked snow as much as the next person, perhaps even more so, but he preferred it when it was not being pelted at him as though it had a personal vendetta. Dragonspine snow to regular snow was like Snezhnayan wolves to Wolvendom wolves. They were all wolves, but if he had to choose which to encounter, he would pick those from Wolvendom every time.

By the time he reached the shelter of Albedo’s camp, the ruff of his coat was encrusted in snow and his extremities were numb with cold despite his attempts to cover them. None of that mattered however when he saw Albedo look up in surprise at his unexpected arrival. A wide grin stretched across his face. It had been too long. After the first few days that Dorian had not woken up, Albedo returned to the mountain to avoid suspicion. Kaeya had not been able to see him since then.

“Kaeya, what are-”

Albedo’s words were cut off as Kaeya drew him into his embrace, pressing a kiss to the alchemist’s forehead. Albedo welcomed the gesture, right up until a clump of snow fell from the other’s hair and slid icily down the inside of his coat, causing a shiver to run up his spine. 

“Kaeya, how often must I tell you not to come up here during a blizzard? You are going to get yourself buried in a snow drift one of these days.”

The Cavalry Captain brushed the snow off himself and Albedo’s shoulder. “Ah, such little faith in me, Bedo. I’m hurt, truly. Besides, even if I did by some chance get lost to the weather, I’m certain that, through the sheer power of love, you would find me before I froze to death.”

Albedo simply shook his head in fond exasperation. “I take it that you must be here on urgent matters? An update on Dorian, perhaps?”

Though the tone of Albedo’s voice did not change significantly, Kaeya could tell the other was eager to hear how his brother was faring. They both had been worried for Dorian, but unlike Kaeya, Albedo did not have the opportunity to check on the other’s condition himself.

“I am here regarding Dorian, yes.” Kaeya affirmed. “He woke up this morning, however in doing so, it seems that he has lost his memory almost entirely. He couldn’t even remember who he was. He said he was subconsciously aware that he knew Jean and myself, but didn’t have any actual memories of us.”

Albedo frowned, taking a half-step back. “That is… not ideal. The memory loss is likely a product of the extended oxygen deprivation to his brain. That, or his mind is attempting to protect his psyche against the numerous traumatizing events he’s experienced. If the former is the case, his amnesia will likely be permanent. If it is the latter, then at least partial recovery may be possible. Was there anything else that was notably different about him?”

“His eyes.” Kaeya said immediately. It was something that had continued to bother him since he saw that. “His countenance in general was far lighter from what little I saw of him, but his eyes… they didn’t belong to him. They were much more innocent. He looked as different of a person from himself before as does with you. Subtle, yet unmistakable.”

“Hm.” The alchemist put a hand to his chin, his visage darkening. “That could be attributed to the absence of traumatic memories. It would be worth keeping an eye on however. Anything else of note?”

Kaeya thought for a moment. “Ah, he did say that he remembered his name after we told it to him, though it was ‘jumbled up’ as he put it.”

At this Albedo seemed to brighten somewhat. “That is good. It means his memories likely are buried, rather than lost. If that is true, environmental or situational triggers may allow him to regain them. I would like to see him in person I think, though it would not be wise to bring him up here just yet. I may sneak into the city tonight or tomorrow, depending on how long the blizzard lasts.” He looked out towards the whirling snow outside the cave. “I suppose you intend to head back out there now?”

“I do.”

Albedo sighed and walked towards the back of the cave. “If you insist on sticking to such foolhardy behavior, you will at least be leaving with a parting gift.” He said, grabbing something off the shelf.

Kaeya put his hands on his hips, watching the alchemist with amusement. “And what gift would that be?” A couple vials of warming potion were lightly tossed in his direction, which he caught deftly.

“The sheer power of love.” Albedo said with a slight grin, his sarcasm not lost on the captain. 

“And a kiss for good luck?” Kaeya suggested, bending down a little. Albedo grabbed his nose instead and shook it teasingly.

“If you make it back safely, then perhaps you’ll have earned one.”

“Do you mind telling me why I’m pretending to be my brother now?” Dorian said in between bites of his crab bake. If not for the fact that the question had been bothering him all day, he would’ve happily put all his attention on his food. It tasted absolutely amazing, and gave him this warm comforting feeling when he ate it. True to his word, Kaeya had taken him to the little restaurant nestled in the town square. The owner of the place, Sara, expressed her joy upon seeing that he was awake, and offered the two of them dinner on the house. While her kindness was heartwarming, it also made Dorian feel a little guilty. He was not this Albedo that everyone cared about and was worried for, so to accept their kindness for himself felt like he was taking advantage of them. 

Kaeya seemed to be thinking about his request, sitting across the little wooden table from him at his apartment. The Cavalry Captain had gotten steak skewers for himself, one of which was being twirled idly in his fingers as he contemplated how best to answer Dorian. Finally he said,

“As I said before, it is a complicated matter, and there are some aspects to it that only you would know, so keep that in mind.” Dorian nodded as Kaeya continued, “To start with, your mother made you and your brother about five hundred years ago for some project of hers.”

Dorian put up a hand, to which Kaeya raised an eyebrow and said, “Yes?”

“What do you mean our mother ‘made’ us? Am I not a human?”

Kaeya frowned, as if the idea hadn’t occurred to him. Or perhaps he was expecting Dorian to know the answer to that already. “No, you are a- oh what is the word Albedo uses… a homunculus. That’s right. An artificially created human, essentially.” 

Dorian had follow up questions, but before he could open up his mouth the other put up a hand. “Don’t ask me how or why she did that. That will drag us down a whole other rabbit trail and is something Albedo could better explain. Just know that you were created by your mother and were awake before Albedo was. A series of… unpleasant things happened that I will not be divulging at this time, and the end result was your death, while Albedo lived and stayed with your mother.”

Dorian frowned. He was already beginning to dislike this story. “I thought you said I died to treasure hoarders. Have I died twice now? What kind of poor luck is that?”

Kaeya chuckled. “Ah, I suppose that is pretty unlucky. I hadn’t thought of it like that. But yes, these were two separate deaths. That time you stayed dead until a little over a year ago. After waking up, you eventually found your brother and decided you wanted to take his place. In order to do so, you… committed a few crimes, let’s say. You were caught afterwards by Albedo and myself, but we decided that, since you had not been given a chance to figure out your own identity and experience some freedom for yourself, we would allow you to do so and continue to take turns with your brother as being ‘Albedo’ until the time was right for you to come clean.”

Dorian sat silently for a moment, processing the man’s story. Quite frankly there was little of it that made sense to him, enough so that he wondered if Kaeya was simply making things up. “Why would I try to replace Albedo instead of just… living here? And beyond that, why would I wait to come clean? All this going behind people’s backs just seems entirely unnecessary to me, and I can only see it leading to people being more upset when they find out. Wouldn’t it have made more sense all around just to be honest from the start?”

Kaeya looked to the side, rubbing the back of his head, which only made Dorian feel more uneasy. Clearly this was not something the other wanted to explain, which was not reassuring. “I will admit I cannot entirely explain your reasoning for wanting to replace Albedo over living alongside him. You had reasons, but they are rather complex I think, and were not something you shared much about. As for why you didn’t confess your crimes to begin with, we wanted you to enjoy life a little beforehand in case the Knights come to a verdict to imprison you for your actions.”

Dorian’s spoon fell to the table with a sharp clatter. “Imprison me?!” He said, perhaps a little too loudly. “What in the name of Khaenri’ah did I do ?” Horror crawled across his face. “ Did I hurt someone ?”

Kaeya motioned for him to lower his voice. “Not directly. A few people were hurt, yes, but there were no serious injuries. It was more the nature of crime that was the issue. In any case, you were the one to put a stop to it of your own accord before it went too far.”

Dorian huffed as he retrieved his spoon and returned it to the bowl, using his finger to wipe up the bits of food it had left on the table. “I suppose that is at least a small bit of relief.”

“That’s the spirit.” Kaeya brought his now empty bowl to the sink, giving it a good wash so it could be returned to Good Hunter while Dorian nibbled on a muffin he’d bought for him. By then it was already evening, a coolness settling over the land in absence of the sun’s warm rays. Kaeya determined it would be best to tour the city on the following day, and so Dorian spent the rest of the evening asking questions of Kaeya, as well as being lectured by the other on how best to emulate Albedo’s demeanor. As it would turn out, Dorian was a rather poor actor, particularly for someone he had never met. Or at least couldn’t remember meeting. Eventually Kaeya gave up on the prospect, saying that they would merely explain the personality change as being in tandem with the memory loss. The night ended with Kaeya showing him to Albedo’s apartment, giving him a small tour of it before wishing Dorian a good night.

“I’ll be back in the morning.” He said, a hint of fatigue becoming evident in his voice. “Don’t get into any trouble without me, ey?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it.” Dorian said, subtly ushering the man out the door. “See you tomorrow.” He watched as Kaeya strolled back towards his apartment before inspecting Albedo’s abode more thoroughly. There was a chest exuding cryo energy in the kitchen area, upon which was posted a number of colorful scribblings portraying Kaeya, Klee, and someone else that he presumed was Albedo. These must be some of Klee’s infamous drawings then. Aside from the child’s numerous art pieces, the apartment was sparsely decorated and was immaculately clean, almost to the point of being uncomfortable. As he entered the bathroom area, he stopped suddenly, his eye catching the large mirror. So that was what he looked like. 

Not bad. He thought, though there was something odd on his neck. He remembered Lisa and several others staring at it throughout the day. He leaned closer to see a strange, star-shaped gold marking adorning it, and perhaps just as prominently, a large raised scar that cut straight across it, splitting the star in two. He ran his hand over it, a chill running down his spine as the ghosts of memories, hardly more than unpleasant feelings, flashed through his mind. Looking at his neck made him feel uneasy. He didn’t want them to be there. Neither of the markings. There was a brief moment where… something was pulled from inside him, almost imperceptible, and the star began to disappear. However as soon as it did so, a splitting headache flared painfully inside Dorian’s skull, the tension he had been feeling growing tighter. Crying out, he released whatever he had unintentionally been drawing upon, and the star returned as the headache dulled. Whatever that had been, he did not wish to try it a second time.

There was not much else to look at in the house. Some more scientific equipment and books were tucked away in one of the rooms, but overall the residence was rather understimulating. He peered outside one of the windows. There was certainly more to be explored outside than in the little apartment, even if it was well into the night. The sounds of singing and laughter echoed faintly from somewhere further into the city. He listened for a while, attempting to make out the melody, but eventually even that died down as they crossed the border of late night to early morning. His only source of amusement retiring, Dorian decided he was done waiting around there. It was not as if he planned on sleeping. Taking the keys Kaeya had given him, Dorian slipped out the front door and locked it, careful to make as little noise as possible, lest he disturb someone’s sleep. 

The night air was rather pleasant, filled as it was with the distant sounds of frogsong and scent of flowers. There was something mystifying about the city at night. Everything was so still and silent compared to the bustle of the daytime traffic. Stepping out into the town square, the only creature awake was a small tabby cat that was perched on a barrel, cleaning itself. As he sat down on the ledge of the fountain, it leapt off its wooden throne and padded towards him before proceeding to rub against his legs. Dorian bent down to pet the friendly creature, eliciting a happy rumbling from it. He was content to stay with it there, listening to the gentle burbling of the fountain as it added to the peaceful atmosphere, until a sudden movement from the rooftops caused the feline to dart from his lap and into an alleyway.

Dorian looked up towards where the movement had been, but saw nothing. He sighed before getting back to his feet to resume his nighttime stroll. He hadn’t gone far however when the back of his neck prickled with the feeling that he was being watched. He scanned his surroundings, but the shadows of the alleys were deep, obscured from the pale moonlight by the tall buildings and walls. Still alert, he was just turning a corner when a voice came from behind him, nearly startling him into a third death.

“It’s unwise to wander around in the city alone at night, Chief Albedo.”

Dorian whirled around, clutching his heart as it raced. “O-oh! Ah, you scared me. I didn’t hear you come up from behind me.”

The man standing before him was tall, and had a crop of flame-red hair with scarlet eyes to match. His arms were crossed, and he had an unamused scowl which seemed to be etched into his face, as if he rarely made any other expression. “Which is precisely why it’s not safe to be out here. Unless you wish to be kidnapped a second time.”

Dorian frowned. He didn’t know who this person was, but thus far he wasn’t terribly fond of him. “Is that a threat?”

“It’s a warning.” The man said flatly. “The city walls aren’t infallible when it comes to keeping out intruders and filth. The Knights are even less so. If you don’t want to preyed upon, you’d do best to stay inside at this time of night. Especially given your current condition.”

“Oh? If that is the case, then why are you out?” Dorian countered, causing the man’s scowl to deepen.

“Hmph. If you must know, I was staying late at the tavern to do an inventory check. I was just leaving when I saw you wandering the promenade.”

“Tavern?” Kaeya hadn’t mentioned anything about a tavern yet. Seeing his puzzlement the man sighed. 

“Yes, Angel’s Share to be precise. I’m surprised Sir Kaeya hasn’t mentioned it to you, considering the sizable amount of time he spends there.” The man sounded irritated about the matter, which Dorian found odd considering that having patronage was usually an integral part of running a business. “Now that I’ve answered your question, would you care to explain why you are out here slinking around? That is not exactly typical behavior of the Chief Alchemist.”

Dorian squinted indignantly at the other. “First off, I was not ‘slinking’. I was taking a moonlit stroll. If anyone was slinking, it was you slinking up behind me and scaring me half to death. Don’t deny it either. You were obviously being quieter than was necessary, and I could feel you watching me beforehand. Secondly, I doubt anyone would perfectly stick to their ‘typical behavior’ when they can’t even remember what said behavior is. Lastly, you are clearly familiar with me and my current situation, but I have no recollection of who you are, so if you would kindly introduce yourself that would be much appreciated.”

The redhead did not dispute his first two statements. Instead he ‘hmm’ed, then held out a gloved hand. “Diluc Ragnvindr, owner of the Dawn Winery and Angel’s Share Tavern.”

“A pleasure to meet you.” Dorian said, shaking the other’s hand. Even from the brief exchange Dorian could tell Diluc had a strong grip. He had no doubt the man was stronger than he looked, and upon noticing the pyro vision swinging from his belt, it only cemented that theory in his mind. A sudden uproar of frightened pigeons caught both of their attention, their gazes snapping a little too alertly towards the noise, though they both relaxed when it was just a cat that appeared on the roof where the pigeons had been roosting. Dorian thought it might have been the same one he was petting earlier, though it was hard to tell from that distance. Diluc’s attention remained turned towards the sky a few moments longer. “Hmph. It’s almost daybreak.” He noted. Sure enough, the dark veil of void and stars was beginning to lighten, a faint pinkish hue just starting to appear to the East. The man sighed deeply, as if resigned to something. 

“I suppose it’s a bit late to head back to the Winery now.” He said, then looking back at Dorian, “If you want, you are welcome to follow me back to the tavern for breakfast. Or don’t. Far be it from me to tell a Knight of Favonius what to do.”

Without waiting for an answer, the pyro user turned and strode away. Dorian watched him go for a moment, still as a statue. Then he made up his mind and followed after.

Chapter Text

The Angel’s Share Tavern was a quaint little building tucked away near the Northern wall of the city. Though it was just as dark and silent as the rest of the city, Dorian could imagine it being quite lively during the day. Diluc inserted a brass key into the handle of the front door, producing a soft click before gently swinging it open. For a moment the interior was hidden by a thick veil of shadow, untouched by the silver moonlight or lantern-glow outside, but then a spark flickered as the pyro-user’s vision glowed brighter. Within a few moments the lanterns placed throughout the building sprung to life, filling the space with a cozy light. A faint, sour-sweet scent of wine was present in the air, though it was not unpleasant. 

“Ah, this is a nice little place. Do you work here? At the bar I mean. Or do you just own the place?”

The red-haired man huffed quietly as he lifted the door to behind the counter and stepped through, grabbing a bottle of dark liquid from one of the shelves. “I work the bar a few nights a week, but mostly my time is spent at the Winery.”

He poured two glasses of the purplish drink and slid one to Dorian before sipping on his own. Dorian sniffed the glass. The drink had a strong, sweet smell to it that he wasn’t so sure about, but upon taking a sip, his reservations vanished. “Mm. This is rather good. What is it?”

“Grape juice.” The man said, his tone sounding slightly less irritated than before. “My drink of choice.”

Dorian could understand why. The flavor was quite prominent, yet completely unfamiliar to him. If he had to guess, he would venture that this was his first time trying the drink, though of course he could be wrong. After all, he hadn’t recognised Diluc at all, yet the pyro user clearly knew him, at least to some degree.

“You caused quite the stir yesterday.” Diluc commented as he refilled their glasses. “Nearly all the patrons were talking about you at one point or other. Particularly the Knights.”

It was difficult to judge whether this was a good or bad thing going off of the man’s tone of voice. He wasn’t offering any eye contact either, instead staring into his glass absently. Was Diluc mad at him? Or was this how he normally acted? “I apologize for any inconvenience that may have caused you. It wasn’t my intention.”

Evidently Diluc found his apology amusing, giving a short shuckle. “Don’t be. If anything, I should be thanking you. I sold more drinks yesterday than I have in awhile. It’s not as if you had much choice in the matter in any case.”

He didn’t bring up any more conversation after that, and in the silence between them, something about the rows of bottles on the shelves caught Dorian’s attention, causing his brow to furrow. Diluc must have caught his gaze, turning to see what he was looking at.

“Is something the matter?”

Dorian shook himself. “Mm? Oh, it’s nothing. It just looked odd to me that many of the bottles don’t seem to have been recently touched if you were doing an inventory of them. I’m not really experienced on the matter though, so I’m sure it’s just a lack of understanding on my part.”

Diluc’s scowl returned. “Hmph. Very perceptive. I have my own methods however. Moving every bottle would lead to a greater risk of breaking some.” He looked at one of the windows, which was beginning to lighten as daybreak swiftly approached. “Stay here while I make up some breakfast upstairs.”

Feeling a bit awkward about the situation and unsure of what to do while Diluc was upstairs, Dorian resigned himself to reading the labels of the various bottles perched upon their shelves in neat little rows. There was a wider variety than Dorian would have thought, and many of the drinks had secondary texts in languages Dorian could not read. He could hear the sounds of movement from above him, and eventually Diluc came back down with a couple simple plates of potatoes and some kind of meat.

“Here.” He said as he unceremoniously put a plate in front of Dorian. He was beginning to wonder if he really seemed so frail that everyone he met was offering him food, or if it was merely a custom for the people in Mondstadt. Either way, a free meal was not something he was going to turn up his nose at. After all, he’d evidently gone three weeks without eating. Or at least without real food. Of course, he could have gone far longer than that without any food at all. His mother already proved… proved what? Where had that thought come from? The pain in his head spiked . He couldn’t remember his mother… master - 

She was snapping her fingers at him to get his attention, but he was so tired. It was too hard to focus. She had allowed him to start sleeping again a little while back but it wasn’t enough. 

“Subject Two, I asked you a question. Are you currently experiencing the sensation of hunger? If so, to what degree?”

He floundered for the words. “Oh… um. I’m sorry, Master, I don’t know. No? I think?”

She tsked at him, shaking her head before she began writing something in her notebook. She always had that book with her. It might as well have been part of her anatomy. She spoke as she wrote the entry.

“Week six, day two. Subject Two’s cognitive functions have degraded significantly since the last assessment, and he reports a lack of appetite, as well as continued chills and fatigue, as is to be expected. Weight loss has reached 16.2%. The continuation of their studies is no longer possible in their current state due to the deprivation of their mental focus. I have determined this experiment has reached its conclusion and am satisfied with its results. Next action, begin the rehabilitation process…”

…

The dragon shuffled forward, sniffing at him gently before withdrawing a safe distance to spare his eardrums. “She gave you food, little one?”

He nodded weakly, but with excitement. “She said she was finally done with that test. I didn’t get to eat a lot yet, she said if I did I’d make myself sick, but I will get some more in a few hours.”

Durin gave a pleased rumble, though his eyes looked sad. “I am very happy for you. Perhaps you won’t be so cold or tired soon.” The dragon curled his clawed forepaw in a way that he could climb into it, soaking up its warmth as he closed his eyes and listened to the dragon’s steady breathing.

“Chief Albedo, are you alright?”

Dorian realized he had a hand to his forehead, teeth bared as the pain continued to shoot around his skull and the tension in it stretched tighter as he resisted its pull. He was certain he did not want to allow it to click into place. 

“Albedo?” The man repeated. He set his hand down, blinking away the pain. “I… yes. I’m fine. I’m just developing a nasty headache. I’m deeply sorry, I don’t think I can eat right now. It seems I have lost my appetite.” He stood from the barstool as Diluc’s scowl turned to a concerned frown. 

“Do you need me to bring you to the cathedral?”

Dorian put up a dismissive hand. “No, no. I think… I will go back to the apartment until Kaeya comes back. Thank you for the juice, and the breakfast.”

The man looked like he wanted to say something, but refrained, allowing Dorian to leave unimpeded. Outside the sky had lightened into a periwinkle dome splashed with hues of yellow and pink to the east. He did not tarry about in the square this time, instead heading immediately to the apartment. Once inside he fell back onto the couch, palms pressed to his eyes. Evidently he had triggered a chain reaction of memories, because more crowded against him in bits and pieces.

It was cold and he was starving. Everything was white and red. He had to go outside while he still had the strength to do so and the weather permitted. He was wracked with violent shivers as his body attempted to keep warm. His hands and feet burned from the contact with the snow as he trudged much farther than he had before.

He crouched by a meager fire, biting into a raw piece of meat as quickly as he was able to before he froze. He couldn’t bring it inside. He wouldn’t let it be tainted with that poison.

The fruits were frozen solid but they were better than the meat. He had found a whole crate of them, and there was shelter too. He could stay there. He wouldn’t be trapped anymore.

He was sitting at the apartment, taking the first bite of actual food bought with stolen money. He had never tasted anything like that before. After months of unseasoned meat and vegetables, it was like heaven.

Lisa brought in a plate of little pastries and tea for them to share while they conversed. The pastries were sweet and light, just like the librarian. He enjoyed both many times until they became a pleasant familiarity.

He and a girl in red were eating kabobs outside the city wall, and again by a mountainside with another woman. They made him feel warm inside because they were showing they cared. He ate with them at Good Hunter, listening in silence as the red girl spoke energetically.

Kaeya was sitting at a fire, a stove, another fire. He was showing Dorian how to make steak. Soup, fish, stew. More and more. He was patient, and Dorian wanted to learn.

A person sharing his face, his brother, offered him spiders. He thought it was a joke. It wasn’t.

There was cake. It was sweet, almost too sweet, but he felt incredibly happy then. He ate it until he almost made himself sick with it.

He was so caught up in the scenes that he did not notice when Kaeya entered the apartment until the other said his name while tapping him gently, causing him to jump. 

“Woah, easy there. It’s just me. Are you doing alright?” 

Dorian blinked a few times, feeling slightly disoriented. “Kaeya? Oh, yes, I was just having flashbacks. I remember you teaching me how to cook now. There was a cake too. And some other memories involving other people.”

Kaeya grinned at him, and Dorian noted the way the man’s eye had more of a crescent shape to it than when he had been smiling while out in the town. It seemed like more of a genuine expression. “That’s great. Do you know what might have triggered them?”

Dorian tilted his head, thinking. “Well, to start, I was walking around last night when-”

His words were cut off as Kaeya said hastily, “You went out by yourself? I’ve not even shown you around the city yet. What if you had gotten lost, or hurt?”

Dorian frowned, both at the interruption and the babying. It had been amusing at first, but it was quickly getting old. “Yes, by myself. I’m not five, Sir Kaeya. I lost my memories, not brain cells. Now, as I was saying, I was walking around when the owner of the Angel’s Share tavern saw me and-”

“ Master Diluc found you?” Somehow the Cavalry Captain sounded even more concerned about that than he had about Dorian wandering around by himself. He huffed, crossing his arms. “That was his name, yes. Is there a problem with him?”

“For you, probably not.” Kaeya admitted. “But I won’t be hearing the end of it anytime soon.”

Ah, so there must be some sort of personal grudge between the two of them. That would better explain the irritation in the other man’s voice when talking about Kaeya’s time spent at the tavern. “You have my condolences. Now, would you like me to continue answering your question, or are you going to keep interrupting me?” 

His arms were crossed, fixing Kaeya with a sharp look. The other mirrored his stance. “You’ve not lost your sass either, it would seem. Fine. I shall keep my mouth shut until you are finished.”

Dorian continued to recount the interaction between himself and Diluc, leading up to when his memories had been triggered. Upon finishing, he waited to hear whatever comments Kaeya had stored up.

“That was rather thoughtful of Master Diluc. He must be feeling rather charitable today. I am curious as to why that instance is what triggered those memories, versus any of the times someone gave you food yesterday.”

Dorian shrugged, unable to give the other a more definitive answer. Thankfully Kaeya did not press the matter, instead offering to show him around the city then, to which Dorian politely declined. “I think I’d rather rest for a bit, actually. I don’t think I could handle a lot of people right now while my head feels all jumbled up. Perhaps a bit later today? I’m sure you have knightly duties that would need to be done anyways, yes? You could do some of them while I rest a bit, then come back sometime around midday for lunch. Would that work?”

Kaeya chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re starting to sound like Grandmaster Jean. Alright then, you have a deal. I will be back around noon. No wandering off while I’m gone, or I’ll think you’re trying to avoid me.”

“Ah, you caught me. And here I thought going into a coma would’ve worked. I’ll just have to keep fending you off until I can think of something better.”

~ ~ ~

Dorian hadn’t exactly slept while Kaeya was gone, it was too soon for that, but much of his time was spent with his eyes shut, mentally sorting through the images that had flashed through his thoughts, attempting to piece them together. Eventually his attention had turned to the goings on of the city outside. He opened one of the windows, letting the warm sunlight enter the room, along with the ambience of the bustling city. There was a steady thrum of distant conversations, accompanied by the sounds of children laughing and they ran through the town square, the creaking rattle of wooden hand carts pushed across the stone walkways, and the cooing of pigeons as they searched the ground for tasty morsels dropped by the oblivious humans milling about. By the time Kaeya had returned for him, Dorian was more than ready to venture back out again and see the sights for himself, rather than merely listen to them.

As with the previous day, Kaeya led him to Good Hunter where Sara was busy catering to the influx of knights and civilians visiting during the lunchtime rush. This time however, as they approached the front counter, Dorian heard his name, or rather his brother’s name, being shouted out from a small distance away. Both he and Kaeya turned to see the source of the voice. It was the same girl in red that Dorian had seen in the memories he had recently regained, though he still couldn’t remember who exactly she was. She was running up to them, but instead of slowing to a halt in front of them as Dorian had expected her to do, she ran right into him, wrapping him in a hug. 

“Albedo! You’re finally awake! We were so worried about you!”

From the moment the girl’s arms locked around him, Dorian felt like electricity had been sent through his nerves, a feeling of panic rising in his chest almost instantaneously. His mind’s eye flickered with images too fast to fully take it, but the distressing feelings they carried were all the same.

Hands and metal pressing him against cold steel as needles invaded flesh and bone. Unable to move as his own cries filled his ears. He didn’t want her to do it. Not again. More hands grabbing him, covering his mouth to bring darkness. Rough hands grabbing each of his arms to drag him away. To drag him back. He didn’t want to go back. Anything but that. He needed to run. He needed to escape . 

He pushed away from the girl almost frantically, putting a hand to his chest as he braced himself against a building, his heart pounding with the sudden spike of adrenaline. The girl’s face morphed from happy excitement to confusion and hurt as she took a couple steps back. Guilt quickly replaced the panic as he calmed himself down, and he tried to put a hand out reassuringly.

“I’m sorry, I… I don’t know what happened. I’m sorry.”

To his relief, Kaeya, who for a moment had looked equally shocked as the girl, recovered himself enough to step in. “Apologies, Amber. He is likely still sensitive to physical contact like that after being kidnapped. Also I’m not sure if you are aware of this yet, but he has lost nearly all of his memories.”

Amber? That name struck a chord. He remembered Jean telling him that he had befriended her and Captain Eula. Amber turned towards him worriedly. “Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you like that. Do you really not remember me?”

He looked down at his feet, not willing to meet her gaze. It didn’t look right to see her upset like that. He had the distinct impression of her being a warm, cheerful individual, and he regretted making her feel otherwise. “Not really. I have some memories of you now, though they are very disjointed, like eating skewers outside the wall, and being around you and some other woman outside somewhere. She was taller than you, and had blue hair?

“Ah, you must be talking about Eula!” Evidently he had said the right thing, because Amber’s demeanor bounced back to one of enthusiasm, her eyes lighting up like two red gems in the sunlight. “We have to go see her! She’ll be thrilled to know you’re okay now. Come on!”

She motioned for him to follow as she began to run in the direction of Angel’s Share her rabbit-eared bandana bouncing with each eager step. The tavern appeared to still be closed for the morning when they arrived, but sitting at one of the nearby tables was the same woman he’d seen alongside Amber. She seemed to be watching a finch that was hopping on an adjacent table, picking up stray crumbs with its short beak. No one else was present there, which struck Dorian as being odd. Why would she just be sitting in a back corner of the city by herself? That seemed like it would be rather lonely. 

“Hey Eula, look who I found!”

The other woman’s attention swiftly moved away from the finch, which fluttered off at the sight of their approach. She stood, her eyes honing in on him. Despite the knowledge they were evidently friends, the expression the woman wore looked anything but friendly. In fact, she seemed almost offended at his presence. When he and Kaeya got closer, she folded her arms and scowled at him in a way that could have made Master Diluc proud. 

“You. You dare to show your face after three weeks of slumbering about and leaving the rest of us to worry? And then you have the audacity to forget about us when you finally wake? Hmph . You have much to answer for, Chief Albedo. There will be a reckoning for this, mark my words.”

“Uh…” Dorian wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Perhaps he had misjudged the situation. What could be done to fix it though? 

“Oh don’t mind her.” Amber reassured him, “She’s always like this. She was actually really relieved to hear you woke up when we got back this morning. You should have seen her earlier. For the first week and a half after you were rescued she spent nearly the whole time scouting the border to Liyue in case the treasure hoarders came back.”

Amber playfully nudged Eula’s arm, which the woman promptly put to her hips, her chin held up in a snobbish manner, though Dorian caught the pink dusting her cheeks. “I was merely performing my duties as Captain of The Reconnaissance Company.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I at least have a couple memories of you.” He offered. Despite Amber’s claim that Eula was always like this, he couldn’t help but feel that she was genuinely upset about it, though perhaps not in an angry way like she was portraying. “I remember us being friends, I think, and eating together. You brought me… skewers? Right? We were by a mountain.”

Eula looked away from him as her shoulders tensed. “Your memory must be mistaken. We are naught but colleagues. I gave you food because you forget to feed yourself, and it would be irresponsible to allow a fellow Knight to fall of hunger on the road. I am still owed recompense for that.”

Kaeya chuckled from behind Dorian, evidently finding Eula’s statement amusing. “Is that so? I don’t recall you ever buying food for me ahead of time. Particularly not on an excursion during one of your days off just to help with a project.”

The pink on the other Captain’s face grew brighter. “Hmph, the insolence of such a remark. Make no mistake, Captain Alberich, I will be having my revenge for that too.”

“My, we’re on last name terms are we now? Well then, Captain Lawrence, I shall have to put this latest affront on my ever growing tab of offenses in need of reconciling.” Kaeya’s eye twinkled mischievously, causing Eula to huff with frustration at him.  

As Dorian listened, he couldn’t help but notice the familiarity in the conversation. Hearing Eula speak of taking her revenge was reminding him of something. He tapped his fingers, trying to remember what it was. He wanted to give her something. Yes, that sounded right. When they were by the mountain. What was it he wanted to give her though? It felt important. He noticed the cryo vision pinned on her chest. Cryo… cryo… flower? No, a mistflower. Mistflower powder. Yes! That was it. He couldn’t remember why he wanted to give some to her, but he felt that memory was very recent. “Captain Eula?”

The woman released her stance of indignation to look down at him. “Speak. What is it?”

“Am I correct in thinking I owe you mistflower powder? I would like to remedy that, if that is the case.”

Eula seemed to be taken aback by the question, while Kaeya donned an expression that Dorian couldn’t quite place. Had he said something wrong? After a few moments of uncomfortable silence between the four of them, Eula said stiffly,

“You had mentioned wanting to bring me some as a means of recompense when we met the day before your capture. It was hardly important though. I do not know why that of all things is what you would remember.” Kaeya’s playful facade seemed to crack over so slightly, only for a moment, but it was just enough for Eula to notice it. “Do you know something of this, Sir Kaeya?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” He said smoothly. “This is the first I’m hearing of it.”

A tension seemed to grow between the two Captains, but Dorian found his attention being drawn away as his mind continued following the thread of memories. There was ice. Lots of ice and snow. Of cryo. They had helped him look for something. Something with cryo. A flower? Not mistflowers… whopperflowers? Cryo whopperflowers, several of them. He could feel the pain in his skull returning more intensely the further down the thread he went, but he couldn’t make it stop. He had needed the whopperflowers for something. There was another one. A bigger one. He had to help them fight it, or they would die. It was his fault. He had made the bigger one somehow, using the cryo ones they had helped him collect. But why? What possible reason would he have to…

The pieces clicked together, and a hand flew to his mouth as utter revulsion filled his gut like poison. 

He had created it to kill them.

Chapter Text

Dorian’s sudden change in demeanor did not go unnoticed by the other three. He felt ill. Evidently he looked the part, too. Amber put out a hand but he backed away from it slightly. “Albedo? What’s wrong? You look pale.”

“Nothing.” He said, trying to sound calm. “I’m fine. I just remembered something, that’s all. Sir Kaeya, could we speak for a moment?”

The Cavalry Captain shot the other two a look before turning his gaze back to Dorian. “Of course.”

Dorian all but dragged Kaeya away towards the man’s apartment, barely acknowledging Amber and Eula’s surprised farewells in his hurry. It was only once they were safely inside, the door clicking shut behind them, that Dorian let what remained of his composure fall. He whirled around on the other. “Kaeya, you didn’t tell me I tried to murder people! I genuinely tried to kill those two women! They were- are my friends, Kaeya, and I tried to kill them. I tried to kill you! And- oh stars… a child . I tried to murder a child. OUhh, I feel sick.” He collapsed backward onto Kaeya’s couch, face buried in his hands.

“Come now, Dorian. It wasn’t as bad as you think.”

Despite the soothing tone in which they were spoken, Kaeya’s words were far from reassuring. If anything, he was beginning to question the other’s character.  “How is it not as bad as I think? Please explain that, because I’m having a hard time believing it.”

“For one thing,” The man answered cooly, “You have already admitted to Albedo and myself that the plan had disgusted you, and you regretted it from the beginning. Additionally, I would remind you that it was you who put an end to it of your own accord before there were any serious damages.”

Dorian threw his hands up. “That still doesn’t change the fact that I did it. This is… this is really horrible. What kind of person does that?” He held his face again, shaking it, then stood abruptly. “I should turn myself in.”

Evidently this was the wrong thing to say. Alarm briefly crossed the Captain’s face as he quickly stepped in front of Dorian, blocking his path to the door with his hands held out in front of him. From behind, his cape fluttered with the swift movement, like a bird ruffling its wings to keep from being displaced by the wind. “Now now, let’s not be making such drastic decisions on the fly. For your own sake, I insist you at least wait until your memories return. You don’t quite have the whole picture yet, do you? If you still wish to turn yourself in right away after that, I will make no attempt to stop you, but for now it would be wise to wait. Besides, it’s not like you intend to try again, do you?”

Dorian was frozen with indecision. It made sense that he ought to wait, but at the same time, he knew what he had done now, regardless of the reason or eventual outcome. He stared into Kaeya’s glittering eye, and found he could not help but trust it. Sighing deeply, he ran a hand through his hair in self-inflicted exasperation. “Fine. I’ll wait. It doesn’t sit easily with me though.”

He watched as Kaeya visibly relaxed, his arms falling back to his side as his smile returned. “Ah, I knew you’d still be sensible. Come, let’s think of more pleasant things. Perhaps a walk outside the walls would do you some good.”

Dorian didn’t particularly feel like doing anything in that moment, however he also wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of sitting around feeling haunted by his past self’s egregious breach of moral code. There was no undoing the actions he had already committed, no matter how badly he wanted to, and he had the feeling that isolating himself would not prove to be conducive in regaining his memories, so he allowed himself to be swept along by the Captain’s whims.

As he was soon to discover, Kaeya was correct in his claim that being outside the walls would be good for him. His troubled thoughts were temporarily cast aside as he was greeted by the scenery. The breeze was livelier there, unimpeded by stone walls and towering homes. It was fresher, too. As Kaeya led him Eastward, the sounds of the bustling town square were replaced by the gentle rustling of greenery and the songs of numerous bird species. Dorian counted each one he saw, cataloging them in his mind. When something yellow flitted past his periphery, he stopped, turning quickly towards it. It was a small bird the color of daffodils perched on the branch of a nearby tree, calling out into the late afternoon air. Its song was musical, almost as if it were singing just for him. Dorian wanted to reach out for it, but he remained utterly still lest he scare it away. He could feel Kaeya’s gaze move from the bird to himself, but he paid it no mind. He had admired all the birds they’d seen thus far. They were symbols of freedom to him, able to travel wherever they pleased. But this one… this one sent a pang of longing into him, and oddly enough, a feeling of hope also. 

“Odd.” Kaeya said softly once the bird had flown away. “I don’t usually see canaries in the wild. It must have been someone's pet that escaped.”

Somehow he found that thought comforting. 

Not long after, they arrived at the site of a truly massive tree. Dorian was awestruck by it, looking up from its base towards the boughs that stretched high above. There must have been a hundred birds in and around it, their songs intertwining to become a complex melody accompanied by the burbling of the nearby river. For a moment Dorian simply closed his eyes, listening to the nature around him, but soon his intrigue got the better of him. He peppered the Cavalry Captain with questions about the tree, most of which the man did not know the answers to. He greatly desired to climb the great oak, but ultimately decided against such a venture. It was growing late, and he had the feeling that climbing trees was not the sort of behavior befitting the person he was supposed to be emulating.

When they returned to the city, Dorian felt his unease returning. It no longer felt quite as inviting as it had the previous day, but he tried to push those thoughts away for the time being. He was just about to ask Kaeya about whether they would be stopping by Good Hunter, having missed lunch earlier in the day, when the Captain stiffened suddenly, his azure eye following a certain individual as he walked in the direction of Angel’s Share. An odd light shone that eye of his, almost malicious but not quite. He turned to Dorian.

“Say, how would you like to go to the tavern with me? It looks like I have some business to attend to.”

~ ~ ~

Dorian should have declined. Or rather, he should have been firmer with it. He knew he should have. He’d already spent the morning there, and he was not especially interested in getting between whatever feud Kaeya and Master Diluc had. But once again, he found himself at the mercy of the man’s wiles, and thus had successfully been coerced into being brought along, like the lamb following the wolf from a story he did not remember reading. Only, Kaeya was not like a wolf. He was more like a fox. It was easy to forget such a charming, regal creature was still a predator underneath. And so, Dorian found himself seated at a table on the first floor of Angel’s Share, alongside Kaeya’s two drinking buddies. He couldn’t say for sure that he’d met any of them before, but being next to them was beginning to make him highly uncomfortable. The woman, Rosaria, seemed to be a shrewd woman with a chilly disposition. She watched him with an expression like she suspected him of stealing her grandmother’s purse, and much like the case with Diluc, he couldn’t quite tell whether he had done something to offend her, or if she was always like that. She wasn’t much of a talker either, it would seem, much in contrast to Kaeya’s other friend. Venti was… an interesting fellow. He had been taking full advantage of Kaeya’s offer to pay for their drinks for the night, and thus far had gone through several bottles of wine all on his own. He quickly proved to be quite the chatterbox, and seemed fond of reciting verses, reminding Dorian a little of the birds they had seen, albeit a lot more inebriated. 

“Hehehe, Albedo, you should join us more often. We almost never see you in town. How are we supposed to get to know you better before you two get married if you never visit? Hehe.”

Kaeya, who had largely been ignoring the conversation in favor of spying on the man they’d followed in there, nearly spat out his drink. His cheeks flushed even pinker than the alcohol was already making them as he only half-succeeded in recovering himself. Dorian was almost equally embarrassed, suddenly finding the wood grain of the table to be far more interesting to look at than the other people seated around him.

“Come now, Venti, you’ll scare our alchemist away saying things like that. Besides, we were just joking around about that. Nothing to take seriously.”

“That’s not how I remember it.” The bard giggled. Rosaria nodded, adding, “You were quite serious, but then again, you were very drunk. I bet you don’t even know what night we’re talking about.”

Kaeya feigned hurt. “Ah, how cruel you both are, ganging up on me like this. Some thanks I get for buying your drinks tonight. Ignore them, Albedo, they’re just messing around.” The poorly veiled expression of acute embarrassment on Kaeya’s face made Dorian think they weren’t. “Say, why don’t I buy you a drink while you’re here?”

Dorian narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the Captain. “Do I like drinks?”

Kaeya rubbed the back of his head and gave his best attempt at a charming smile past the lingering embarrassment and effects of the liquor. “I wouldn’t know. You’ve never taken me up on an offer to try one. I’ll get you something light and fruity. Just so you can taste it. If you don’t like it, I’m sure Venti would be more than willing to finish it for you.

Venti giggled in response. “Why of course. I’d just be doing my civic duty, hehe.”

“Oh alright.” Dorian huffed. “Only because I am curious.”

He watched as Kaeya got up from the table to order another few drinks, much to the visible displeasure of Diluc. When Kaeya returned, he poured some into a glass and slid it over to Dorian. “Here. I think you’ll like this one.”

Dorian tentatively took a sip, just barely enough to put the taste of it in his mouth. It… wasn’t bad actually. It was almost just like fruit juice, but with a weird tang to it. He took another few sips, much to the delight of the others at the table. 

“See, I knew you’d like it.”

Dorian continued to sip on his drink as the others talked, their mannerisms becoming increasingly exaggerated, or at least in the case of Kaeya and Venti. Rosaria remained as chilly as ever, save for the blush growing on her cheeks. Dorian could feel his own face growing warm, along with the tips of his ears and fingers. It was a heat that radiated out from his center, causing a tingling feeling as it spread. He decided this must be his first time trying it, as he had never felt this sensation before. He had certainly not felt it after finding a glass bottle hidden at the bottom of a fruit crate, and drank some out of curiosity. And he definitely hadn’t drunk the whole bottle because of the way it drove the cold from his bones, filling his entire body with warmth for the first time in over a month. Nor had he woken up in the cave after what he estimated to be days later, feeling like he’d been struck by an avalanche. No, that couldn’t have happened. He would’ve remembered something like that.

He was about three quarters of the way into his drink when he first noticed the room swaying around him, and that the conversation from the others was becoming less and less intelligible. Their words seemed to drift in and out of reality, stretched out and warped until he could no longer understand them. Soon the sounds of the tavern warbled together, reminding him of the brook they had visited in Windrise. Closing his eyes, he could practically feel the sunlight warming his face. He was so, so tired. He wondered if the other would mind if he fell asleep there, in that patch of sunlight underneath the tree. It was probably fine. He felt too heavy to ask…

In hindsight, Kaeya realized he probably should have monitored Albe- no, Dorian’s consumption of the fruity drink he’d offered him. Regrettably, that had not been the case, and Kaeya only noticed something was wrong when he heard the *thunk* of the man’s head hitting the table. 

“Uh, Kaeya? I’think he’s drunk.” Venti slurred. “Aft’r one little drink?”

Kaeya shook his head, though he instantly regretted the motion as he felt his head swim. Perhaps he’d drunk a little too much himself for this particular evening. Surely Dorian couldn’t be drunk though.

“Ah, he’s just tired, I’m sure. Bedo?” He pulled the other back up into his seat and shook him a bit, but Dorian did not look even remotely close to waking. He was as limp as a ragdoll, his normally pale skin looking flush. Somehow, whatever small amount of alcohol Dorian had drunk was enough to knock him out cold.

“My my, I think… we’ve discovered why he never took my offer for a drink before. Hm. I’d better get him home before he falls over again.”

“Aww, so soon?” Venti whined. “Can'tchu buy us one more bottle before you go?”

“Sorry.” He said cooly, “I’m afraid you’ve already drunk your way through my wallet. Perhaps another time.” He put his arms around Dorian, trying to hoist him up but nearly falling backwards in the process. Yeah, he’d definitely had too many drinks for this. From the bar he saw Diluc witness his struggle, striding over with his usual scowl in tow. 

“Captain Kaeya, is there a problem?”

“No, no. Not at all.” He crooned, “Just wanted to get this one home is all. I think he tired himself out. He’s had a long day after all.”

The redhead looked unconvinced, his arms folded. “Well then, by all means. Continue.” He outstretched one hand, invitingly, and knowing damn well that Kaeya would not be able to easily carry a very limp Albedo out of there in his current state.

Kaeya chuckled nervously. “Don’t you have customers to attend to? No need to stand and watch, Master Diluc.”

The man didn’t budge however, instead watching in disappointed silence as Kaeya struggled to lift Dorian enough to carry him out without the both of them toppling over. After a good minute of this, through most of which he could hear Venti and Rosaria trying to hold in their laughter, Diluc huffed and pushed Kaeya aside, picking Dorian up and effortlessly slinging him over his shoulder. Kaeya winced at the attention the spectacle was drawing. 

Albedo is going to kill me.

“Ah, how chivalrous of you Master Diluc. I’ll be sure to add in a generous tip.”

The redhead glowered at him. “ Hmph. Incompetent as always. Were it any other circumstance I’d leave you to drag him home yourself.” Then a little louder, he called out, “Charles, hold down the fort until I get back.”

“Yes sir.”

Diluc carried Dorian out the front door, leaving Kaeya to stagger after him. His brother didn’t say anything to him once outside, simply casting him the occasional withering glance.

“Come now, no need to be so cold, Diluc. You know as well as I how little he drank. Surely you can’t fault me for his state?”

“Hmph.”

Thankfully it was late enough that the shops had already closed, minimizing the number of people to witness the sight of Albedo being slung over the pyro user’s shoulder like a wet sack of potatoes, but minimal was still more than none, and Kaeya knew for a fact he would not be hearing the end of it for a long time. As they approached Albedo’s apartment, it occurred to Kaeya that the real Albedo might have already come down from Dragonspine, and could be hiding out there. He prayed to Barbatos that this wasn't the case. The last thing he needed was for Diluc to see the two of them at the same time. Least of all when Dorian was passed out and he himself was too drunk to quite stand straight. He rushed ahead of Diluc, making as much noise as possible with the keys as he fitted them into the lock. To his relief, Albedo was not present when he opened the door. He watched while Diluc unceremoniously dropped Dorian onto the couch then swiftly turned to leave. “You owe me for this.” He said gruffly, pausing in the doorway. 

“Of course. A favor for a favor, right Master Diluc?”

The man huffed loudly and trudged back towards the tavern. Once he was out of eyesight, Kaeya sighed and leaned against the wall. He was about to rest his eyes when he saw the light of a geo vision coming from the hallway, shortly followed by a very cross alchemist.

“Sir Kaeya, I just watched Master Ragnvindr carry ‘myself’ unconscious through the street to get here, with you trailing after him like an inebriated pup.” His teal eyes bore into Kaeya. “Care to explain?”

Chapter Text

Albedo’s arms were crossed as he cast the Cavalry Captain a scornful glare. He already had a strong hypothesis as to what had transpired based on the evidence presented to him, but he wanted to hear it from Kaeya’s mouth. The other wavered on his feet, clearly being in a state of inebriation. It never pleased him to see Kaeya like this. Alcohol could turn even the smartest, most agile of people into bumbling fools incapable of intelligible speech or movement, and Kaeya was no exception to this. His drinking habits had admittedly improved at Albedo’s behest, but they remained present nonetheless. At Albedo’s question, he chuckled nervously.

“Now now, Bedo. Don’t give me that look. How was I supposed to know you- he is such a lightweight, eh? It’s not as if you’ve given me a point of reference.”

Albedo sighed disappointedly. “You are aware that a person’s muscle and body mass as well as metabolism can affect how their body processes alcohol. The same goes for whether a person has eaten beforehand or not. Take that knowledge and think about it. We both have slow metabolisms and relatively small body mass. This you already know. In addition to this, you should have taken into consideration the fact that being in a coma for so long will have slowed his metabolism further, and if I had to guess, he likely hadn’t eaten much if at all prior to being given the drink.”

Kaeya flashed him an embarrassed smile. “Even that considered, he shouldn’t be this drunk. All he had was a cider.” He looked down at Albedo, his grin morphing into something more mischievous. “I don’t suppose you have any personal experience to know why that would be?”

The Captain’s eye twinkled in the dim light, his expression that of a child who just discovered a person’s embarrassing secret. Albedo looked away. “It was an experiment. One that I will not be repeating.” Then after a moment he added. “It would seem our bodies are deficient in a certain enzyme that helps to metabolize alcohol.”

“Aha, so you have been drunk before.” Kaeya said triumphantly. “What I would give to have seen that.”

Albedo was glad that he hadn’t. While he himself had retained very little memory of the event, the report Sucrose had given him was less than dignifying. Thankfully she was not the type to gossip, thus being a large part of the reason he had chosen her to assist him in that particular experiment.

“Be that as it may, that is not the most pressing matter here. Considering his current state, Dorian will likely be indisposed for a while. I was hoping to speak with him tonight, but I suppose that will have to wait until he has recovered. In the meantime, you would do best to go to sleep. I’m certain The Acting Grandmaster will have more than a few words for you tomorrow, and it would be wise for you to be sober for that.”

Kaeya’s grin only seemed to widen. “Oh? Changing the subject are we? It was that bad, ay?” 

The alchemist glowered up at him. “Not so bad as people seeing me blackout drunk and hoisted over your brother’s shoulder like a sack of wheat, Captain Kaeya.”

The pink tinge of embarrassment returned to Kaeya’s face. “Ah, perhaps you were right. I really should be headed to bed. I don’t suppose you’ll be joining me tonight?”

“I will not.”

Kaeya clutched at his heart dramatically. “Ah, you’ve wounded me again, Bedo. I’m not sure I’ll recover this time.”

Albedo couldn’t help the hint of a smile gracing the corners of his mouth. He was beyond cross with Kaeya, but it would be a lie to say that he hadn’t missed him over the last three weeks, mischief and all. “Good night, Kaeya.”

“Good night, my love.”

 The first thing to drag Dorian out of his sleep was a pounding headache, as if the ones he’d been suffering since he’d woken from his coma weren’t bad enough. Then he became aware that his entire body ached, feeling as if Samson had trampled him several times over. Samson? The image of a very large horse came to mind before dissolving from the hammering in his skull. As his consciousness pulled itself further awake, he tried to open his eyes, only to immediately squeeze them shut as the light of day mercilessly assaulted his retinas. He groaned, pressing his palms against them. 

“Good morning.” came a voice from somewhere nearby. It sounded identical to his own. “Or should I say good afternoon.”

Dorian braved the blinding light again to see who the speaker was, pushing himself up slightly with his arms. The man looked identical to himself. It was… uncanny. “A-Albedo?” He winced as the words came out. His mouth and throat were painfully dry. He needed water.

Albedo must have read his mind, because a moment later the other set a cup of tea on the stand next to him. “Yes, I am he. How are you feeling?”

Dorian gratefully accepted the drink, sipping at the tea with his eyes closed. He probably should have had more of a reaction to seeing his double, but at the moment his priority was to not feel like he was dying for a third time. “I think I was poisoned.” He mumbled in between sips. 

“Hm. In a technical sense, yes, you were.”

Dorian grunted, making no attempt to further the conversation. Albedo waited in silence as he drank the tea before sitting up fully and rubbing his temples. The other must have put something in the brew, because his headache was quickly lessening. 

“You knew my name.” Albedo said after he opened his eyes again, still squinting a little. “Was that out of memory, or deduction based on what you’ve been told?”

Dorian looked over at Albedo again. Conflicting feelings wormed their way into his brain and made the tension he had felt become tighter. On the one hand, he thought that he genuinely did like this person. There was something else however. Something like… resentment, and fear. It coiled into the pit of his stomach and filled him with unease. Thinking about it only served to bring back the sharp stabbing headache. “Both, I think. I was told about you by Kaeya and Jean, but I’ve seen small flashes of you in some of my memories.”

Albedo seemed intrigued by his answer. “Kaeya had informed you were regaining some of your memories already. Would you mind telling you the details of that? Which memories you have recovered, and the events that triggered your recall?”

“None of them are very clear memories. Mostly bits and pieces of them.” He told Albedo the extent of what he had recovered, and how. As he reached the part of his attempted murder however, he faltered. Albedo didn’t seem to be bothered by it, or perhaps he simply hadn’t noticed. He was scrawling something neatly on the tablet he carried, his attention seemingly devoted entirely to it. Dorian wasn’t sure that he was even listening. As he finished though, Albedo jotted down a few more things, looking intently over what he had written before his gaze rose back to Dorian. 

“Is that the whole of it?”

“It is.”

Albedo hmmed, tapping his pencil to the tablet. “I am seeing a pattern in the memories you are recovering, and how they are affecting you, but I have a few more questions.”

Dorian gave a small huff, feeling like he was back in the hospital wing being questioned by all the nurses surrounding him. “Ask away I suppose.”

“Since you woke up, aside from the people, what things or places have intrigued you most?”

Dorian thought for a moment. It was not a question he had been expecting the other to ask of him. What had intrigued him the most? There were a lot of things he’d found interesting, but he wasn’t sure he could choose a favorite between them. “I’m not sure. The architecture of the cathedral was beautiful. I was hoping to ask Miss Lisa about it’s history when I have the chance to. Jean said it had been around for over two thousand years, which I find to be fascinating. The large tree outside the city was magnificent as well, and Kaeya said there are ancient ruins around which I’d like to see. I suppose I am most intrigued by those things. Also the library. I didn’t get to look around there much yesterday. Or the day before yesterday I suppose it was. I think I’d like to try and spend more time there today.”

“Fascinating.” Albedo said, looking down at his notes again. “And what of the laboratory? I’m certain Jean showed it to you.”

Dorian wrinkled his nose. “Eh, it was a little cool at first, but there wasn’t really anything to do there. I don’t know how most of the tools and things work, and all of the books were full of sciency stuff I couldn’t understand. Plus something about it made my head hurt the longer I was in there.”

Albedo took his words into consideration for a moment. “Based on what you have told me, I have a hypothesis regarding your amnesia. I believe Kaeya already informed you that you are a synthetic human, yes?” Dorian nodded. “Well, when you were first created, your personality was different than the one we are familiar with, due to our mother tampering with your mind. From what I can tell, it seems that you may have reverted to your original state. As such, your mind is likely trying to protect you from memories that are integral to your other personality, but is not fully capable of doing so, thus the discomfort when those memories attempt to resurface.”

Dorian suddenly felt sick. “So… does that mean if I regain all my memories, my current personality will be gone?” He didn’t like the idea of that. If a person’s personality was what made them… them , then wouldn’t a change in that essentially be the same as dying?

Albedo shook his head. “No, I don’t think that would be possible. It seems likely that any alterations our mother had done to you have been undone. The memories and personality accompanying them are still yours however. If I were to make an educated guess, when your memory is fully restored, you will likely be someplace in between your two personalities. I would not fret over it too much though. Based on Kaeya’s and your own descriptions, your former self was not especially different from the one you are currently exhibiting. The primary difference lies in your interests. The Dorian we are familiar with has a much stronger interest in alchemy and the art of Khemia, for example.”

Dorian felt a shiver run down his spine at that word. Khemia . The tension in his skull strained against him. He shook his head. “I… see. What if the memories don’t all come back?”

“I don’t find that outcome likely.” The other said flatly. “Based on the cascading effect you described, it’s only a matter of time before the rest are triggered into recollection. The process could be painful and drawn out however, depending on how long it takes for those environmental triggers to be met. The sooner you are able to achieve total recall, the less strenuous it will be on your mind. If I were to run a few experiments, I could likely-”

“ No! ” The word came so quickly it surprised even himself. Albedo shut his mouth, giving him a quizzical, if not concerned look. “No experiments, please.”

Albedo nodded understandably. “Of course. I apologize, I should have anticipated that suggestion might cause you distress. In that case, we should seek out potential triggers. I think visiting Dragonspine would prove useful in that regard. If you are not opposed to it, we could leave as soon as tomorrow.”

Dorian picked at a loose thread on the blanket. One of the few things that seemed out of place in Albedo’s pristine apartment. He was becoming less and less thrilled about this idea of getting his memories back, but he was also tired of being caught in the center of it. If he was going to pick up of some of the pieces, he might as well have the whole puzzle. Besides, the sooner he had his memories back, the sooner he could apologize to Eula, Amber, and the others…

Chapter Text

Dorian had left the apartment swiftly upon concluding his conversation with Albedo. Not that he particularly wanted to leave the comfort of the bed, but he felt the need to get away from the alchemist. Albedo had all too readily jumped to the idea of experimenting on him, and during the entirety of their conversation, he felt like some test subject in a scientific project, being questioned for data collection. He knew that Albedo was just trying to gather information to better understand the situation, but regardless, it gave him an uneasy feeling. 

That being said, he did at least have a reference to go off of now as to how the others were expecting him to act. As much as he hated continuing to deceive them, Albedo had told him it would be best for him to continue being the one in public and gradually alter his behavior so as to avoid suspicion. When Dorian asked Albedo why he couldn’t just be the one to act, the other simply answered,

“I’m afraid that acting outside of my normal behavior is beyond my area of expertise.”

Much help he was. Dorian shook his head. “What a mess.” he mumbled to himself as he slunk away towards the Favonius Headquarters. The sun was already high in the sky, a testimony to just how long he’d been knocked out for, and he still felt… gross, for lack of a better word. This would be the last time he let Kaeya pick out a drink for him, of that he would make certain.

He managed to make his way to the Headquarters without drawing undue attention, and breathed a sigh of relief once he was inside. There was entirely too much going on in the last three days, and he just wanted to escape from it all, if only for the afternoon. No memories, no people crowding him, no questions. Just the peace of somewhere quiet and without many people, and there was no better place he could think of than the library. He headed straight for the door upon entering the building, knocking softly on the smooth wood before opening it and stepping inside. Unlike before, he did not see Lisa at the front desk area. In fact, upon looking around, he didn’t see anyone else in the room either. For the time being at least, he was completely alone.

Perfect.

He browsed the upstairs for a little while, picking out a few books that seemed interesting, then carried them downstairs to be set down on one of the tables before doing the same at the lower level. He lingered in the history section, scanning through the various titles. There were a few that seemed especially intriguing, such as Unsolved Histories: Discovering The Mysterious Ruins and Artifacts of Teyvat.

Next to the history sections appeared to be a collection of books in another script, most of them revolving around the nation of Khaenri’ah. Dorian recognised the name of that place. Somehow he knew that was where he was from, despite having no memory of it. It seemed to be entirely separate from Teyvat, judging by the titles of many of the books. Two in particular caught his eyes, and he gently pulled them off the shelf, blowing off the built up layers of dust before flipping through the pages of them. The first book was called Legends From Below , while the second was A Khaenri’ahn’s Guide To The Seven Nations . The latter was written by a Khaenri’ahn scholar who studied Teyvat’s history and spent four years exploring the seven nations. Charcoal illustrations were scattered throughout the pages, and there was a large appendix at the back supplying additional notes and information. Seeing as how Dorian could not remember much about Teyvat or Khaenri’ah, he decided that this book might be the best choice of reading material to start out with. According to the book, there was a gate to Khaenri’ah in the desert of Sumeru, and once at the surface a person could see all the way to Celestia if they knew where and what to look for. It then went on to say that, unlike Khaenri’ah, each of the seven nations was ruled over by an archon. The anemo archon of Mondstadt was Barbatos. He was among the oldest of the seven, second only to Morax, the geo archon of Liyue. Barbatos was largely absent from his nation however, and had not been seen for several hundred years.

Settling into a cross-legged seated position with his back against the wall, Dorian quickly became immersed in the pages. The illustrations were incredibly detailed, and despite being lacking in color, he could almost imagine what it would be like to see those places in person. The artist responsible for the drawings was the author’s friend and traveling companion, according to the book. 

His journey through the nations went uninterrupted for several hours, only coming to a pause when the sound of a person speaking caught his attention. The voice was hushed, though not quite a whisper, and it sounded like it belonged to a child. The words being spoken were foreign to him, but something about them was vaguely familiar. Quietly he peeked out from the corner he’d been sitting in, and noticed a small girl standing in front of one of the bookshelves. She had a book in hand, and seemed to be reading aloud from it, each sentence carefully spoken as though she herself was not fluent in whatever language that was. The phrases or sentences she was reciting were made up of simple sounds, none more than one or two syllables. He stepped out from the bookshelves and took a few steps closer to the girl. 

“Excuse me, miss?” The girl startled, nearly dropping the book she was holding. Dorian put out a hand. “Oh, apologies! I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

Recovering herself, the girl looked up at him. “Ah, that’s alright. You were so quiet, I didn’t realize anyone else was in here. If only all the visitors here were like that.” She gave an exasperated huff, as if noisy patrons were a common problem there. “You’re Chief Alchemist Albedo, right?”

No, I’m not him. “Indeed. Might I ask who you are?” He did his best to make his voice sound even like Albedo’s.

“My name is Ella Musk. I’m a scholar of Hillichurlian Linguistics.”

Dorian couldn’t remember where or what Hiliichurl was, but he decided not to let that be known to the girl. Instead he nodded towards the book she was holding. “Is that what you are reading about?”

“Yep! Hilichurlian Ballad Selection Volume Two . I’ve read it a dozen times before, but it never hurts to brush up on my grammar. I specialize in applied grammar for vernacular Hillichurlian. What about you? I see that you are also a consumer of the literary arts?”

Dorian held up the book he’d been reading for her to see. “Yes. I'm currently reading A Khaenri’ahn’s Guide To The Seven Nations . This other one is Legends From Below . It’s about the legends and folklore from Khaenri’ah, and how they might relate to real figures or historical events. It seems like a fascinating read, if you are interested in that subject.”

Ella’s eyes grew wide. “You can read those?”

He hesitated, her look of surprise making him wary. “Yes? Can you not?”

The girl shook her head. “I don’t think anyone around here can, except maybe Miss Lisa. Where did you learn to read Khaenri’ahn? Can you speak it too?”

Dorian frowned, realizing he must have made a mistake of some kind. The language came as naturally to him as the common, but Ella’s reaction made it seem like that should not be the case. He would have to ask Kaeya or Albedo about it later.

“I’m… not sure. I just woke up from a coma a few days ago, so my memories are a bit jumbled as of now.” Thankfully he had such an excuse at the ready. Now to change the subject. “Tell me more about these Hillichurlian linguistics though. I’m quite interested.”

He felt a hum of satisfaction when the girl’s attention switched instantaneously to the new topic. “Really?” She said excitedly. “Most people just think I’m weird for wanting to learn to speak with Hillichurls.”

“If they have a spoken language, what would be strange about wanting to learn it?”

The girl’s eyes seemed to sparkle. “Exactly my thoughts. I believe that if we can learn to effectively communicate with the Hillichurls in their own language, not only will we be able to learn more about them, but also be able to reduce confrontations between them and the citizens of Teyvat.”

Dorian still wasn’t sure what a Hillichurl was, but the girl’s logic seemed sound. Communication was of great importance for any kind of interaction. He nodded to her. “I am inclined to agree.”

Ella donned a satisfactory smile. “It’s nice to find a kindred spirit. Your assistant Sucrose is the only other person I’ve met around here with an interest in Hillichurls, but we have different methodologies. Her interests lie with deceased Hillichurls, while I prefer to study living ones.” Dorian’s attention snagged on the name the girl had mentioned. Sucrose? Like many others, the name was familiar, but it lacked a face or memories to go with it. 

Ella looked at her book and sighed, thumbing the edge of the binding absently. “Unfortunately my research has hit a roadblock. I need some field work to test out my theories with the Hillichurls face to face, but I can’t do so myself. While I try to find friendlier Hillichurls to work with, a lot of times they will become agitated or even aggressive if mistakes are made in the words spoken to them. Given how simple their language is, a misspoken word could make an entire phrase mean something entirely different, and often offensive it would seem. Unfortunately when that happens, I have no way of defending myself from them should they decide to attack, so I have to rely on more capable people. It’s almost impossible to find anyone willing to approach them, though.”

“Hm.” Dorian put a hand to his chin. “That is a dilemma. I may be able to help at some time in the future, though I can make no promises as of now.”

“Really? That would be amazing! To think I might be assisted by the Knights’ Chief Alchemist himself. That would be an honor.” She looked up at him with an almost reverent expression, then quickly turned and pulled out another book from the shelf, handing it to him. “If you were wanting to start learning Hillichurlian yourself, I would recommend starting with this book.”

He accepted the book from her graciously. It was the first volume to the one she had been reading from. “Thank you. I shall give it a read.”

The two of them turned at the sound of the library door opening, accompanied by a set of footsteps. Shortly following was the sight of the Head Librarian peeking down from the upstairs railing above them. She gave them a warm smile and a soft giggle. 

“Oh there you are cutie. I thought you might be in here. Captain Kaeya is looking for you. Ah, and I see you’ve made a new friend.”

Ella nodded. “I didn’t know Chief Albedo would be interested in Hillichurls too. He even said he might help me with field work sometime!”

“Did he now? What a kind offer.” Lisa’s verdant eyes drifted to the books Dorian was holding. “Were you wanting to borrow those, dear?”

He blinked. “As in bring them outside of the library? Is that allowed?”

His question elicited another giggle from the librarian, the lantern at the end of her hat swaying. “Why of course. So long as they are returned before the designated date. Otherwise I’ll have to go hunt you down for them, and that is a rather tiresome affair.”

Dorian wasn’t entirely sure if she was joking or not about that last part, but he decided he wouldn’t be testing the theory. “In that case, yes, I would like to borrow these. What would the return date be?”

“Two weeks from today.” She said sweetly. “But you can always borrow them again if you need more time to read them. Just bring them to my desk when you are ready to check them out.”

“I will, thank you.” He bid Ella goodbye before carrying the small collection of books he’d picked out to her desk, being sure to set them down lightly so as not to damage any. Lisa raised her eyebrows at the number of them set before her. “I hope this isn’t too many.” He said sheepishly.

“Not to worry, cutie. You can borrow as many as you please. Just be sure not to lose any.” She went through each book, writing down the titles and date in a large tome. She paused when she reached the two Khaenri’ahn books, and for a moment he wondered if he should have just left them, but then she added them to the list without comment. Once she was finished, she handed the books back to him with a smile. 

“There you are, dear. Enjoy.”

Chapter Text

It was early the next morning when he and Kaeya left for the mountain. He’d read everything he could about it from the Khaenri’ahn book he had borrowed (for which he’d received a long lecture from Kaeya and Albedo the previous evening). According to the author, the mountain was called Vindagnyr, though locally it seemed to more commonly be known as Dragonspine. It had once been a lush, green mountain which held the prosperous kingdom of Sal Vindagnyr, until a nail fell from Celestia which shrouded the mountain in an eternal winter. Not long after that, the kingdom collapsed and was abandoned, leaving only ancient relics and crumbling stone ruins as a testament to their fate. The prospect of seeing these ruins in person was almost enough to make him forget his trepidation over the purpose of their excursion. Almost, but not quite. 

Kaeya leaned against the open doorway of Albedo’s apartment, his arms folded in a relaxed manner. “Ready to go?”

Dorian shook his head, a small grin forming on his lips. “I think I might need some more time. I just have so many things to pack. I’m not sure I’ll even be able to carry it all.” He shouldered his singular bag of possessions, being the books he was borrowing. 

Kaeya raised an eyebrow as he stood upright. “Is that so? My, we might even have to borrow Samson for the day.”

Dorian tapped a finger against the bag strap, his gaze growing distant as he sifted through the small flashes of memories he’d recovered. Nothing quite fit, though he had the impression Samson was some sort of equine. “That’s the name of a horse, right?”

Kaeya’s grin widened. “It is. Good job remembering that. You’ll get to see him once we reach the stable. Brandywine too.”

Dorian almost asked who Brandywine was, but given that he’d be meeting them shortly, he decided not pester Kaeya about it.

~ ~ ~

Oh. Dorian stood back a few paces from the feisty mare as she tossed her head and pawed at the ground with a front hoof. Judging by the way she was staring at her, ear pinned back, he had the distinct feeling that she greatly disliked him. Loathed him, even. Just being around her was making him feel uneasy, and if he had to guess, this was not his first time encountering this particular horse. By comparison, the much larger one, Samson, was far more pleasant. Even if he did nearly scare Dorian half to death by reaching his giant head out to nibble at him as they walked past.

“Come now, girl. I thought we were over this already.” Kaeya had a firm hold on the reins and was patting the horse’s neck reassuringly. “He's a friend, remember?”

Evidently she did not. Dorian backed away a little further, shying from Samson as well as the other horse reached out for him again. “Perhaps we could go on foot?” He pleaded. “She clearly doesn’t like me, and I have a strong inclination that I’m not a fan of riding her.”

Kaeya seemed to contemplate the suggestion. “We could, but it would take considerably longer.”

“I’m okay with that.” He said hurriedly. “Better a couple extra hours of walking than getting trampled or kicked.”

Kaeya sighed, but thankfully relented, leading Brandywine back into her stall while shaking his head. “Tsk. I just don’t understand. You’re the only one she acts like this around.”

“Mm.” Dorian decided he didn’t want to unpack that. Luckily for the two of them, the weather conditions were good for traveling, and Dorian found himself enjoying the slower pace. It allowed him to better take in the scenery without worrying about sitting atop an angry animal that was ready to throw him off at a moment’s notice. They passed the remnants of several ruins along the way, though Kaeya insisted they not stop to explore them. “Unless you’d like to be caught on the mountain after dark. In which case, by all means.”

He gave a disgruntled huff in response and continued towards the towering peaks of stone and ice. As they got closer, he could see the crown of mist that encircled the mountain’s crest, and suspended above it, the celestial nail. The sight of it sent a shiver of excitement up his spine. 

As they continued to walk, a sudden thought struck Dorian. It hadn’t even occurred to him before that moment, but now it seemed like a glaringly obvious thing to wonder about. He turned to the other and asked, “Kaeya, where exactly do I live?”

Kaeya paused for a moment, the question catching him off guard. “You live on Dragonspine.”

“I do? In a cabin or something?” He tried to envision something like that, but nothing about that mental image was familiar.

“In a cave, actually.” The other said nonchalantly, as if it were perfectly normal. Dorian frowned and wrinkled his nose. “I live in a cave? What, like some kind of mountain troll?”

Kaeya smiled. “Yes, just like a troll. And it’s where you stash away all of the children you catch outside after dark so you can eat them. That’s why you’re so short too.”

“Hey! I’m not that short!” He said indignantly. Kaeya’s sly grin only widened at his protest. “I’m sorry, did you say something? Let me bend down so I can hear you better.”

Dorian lightly shoved him away. “Well at least I won’t be mistaken for a flag-pole like you and your frilly cape.”

At this Kaeya gasped and put a hand to his chest. “So cruel. My cape is iconic, I’ll have you know.”

“And iconically difficult to clean, I’m sure.” He countered, looking the feathered ruff up and down. 

This time Kaeya was the one to cross his arms, staring Dorian down with his azure eye. “How funny you should mention that. This cape is in fact a replica of my original one, which I was forced to burn on account of it being irrevocably coated in slime condensate. I and nearly half the Knights had spent several days knee-deep in slimes for days because a certain someone decided to release slime attractant in the forest just so they could play Chief Alchemist. My ruined cape aside, do you have any idea how long it takes to wash that much slime out of one’s hair? I was in the shower for hours after that.”

Dorian let out a nervous chuckle. “Eheh. I have no recollection of this. You must be thinking of someone else. Say, would you look at that …”

~ ~ ~

The air around Vindagnyr was far colder than that of its surroundings. Dorian was shocked at how quickly the temperature dropped upon crossing the river, and he began to regret not having warmer clothes. Upon reaching the slope of the mountain, white snow crunched beneath his boots. In an act of childlike curiosity, he slipped off one glove to touch it, but quickly recoiled as he felt a phantom burning against his skin to match the scarring on his hand. Frostburn. So that is what had caused them. Kaeya watched him silently as he quickly returned the glove to its rightful place. 

“Did your master do that?” He asked softly once Dorian stood back up.

“Master?”

“Your mother I mean.”

Dorian shivered, his gaze still fixed on the snow. Then pain in his head began to return, and that strange tension with it. “I… don’t know. I don’t think so. Why would my mother do this?”

Kaeya looked away from him. “She is not a good person.” was all he said in reply. Dorian felt something cold inside. The fact that Kaeya had so quickly jumped to the conclusion that his mother had done this did not sit well. What else might she have done? He remembered Albedo mentioning that she had tampered with his mind… 

Pain suddenly spiked in his skull, and he placed a hand against it, grimacing. Kaeya cast him a worried glance. “Are you alright?”

“Not particularly.” He said with a wince. He wavered on his feet. “Ah, I just need to think of something else. Distract me, maybe.”

“Hm.” Kaeya tapped his foot a couple times. “During the first time I brought you with me to the city, I had a few drinks too many and mistook you for Albedo when you dragged me back to my apartment. That next morning you tried to help me with being hungover and made me coffee, only you didn’t realize you were supposed to put the grounds in a filter rather than the water directly. The resulting drink was… very gritty.”

Dorian gave a small snort of amusement despite the pain, and wished he could remember that incident. “Hey, the effort was there. What else?”

“Last year I rode on the dragon Dvalin, and was subsequently marooned on a cluster of islands with Diluc, Albedo, and a few others. Klee included. Albedo purposely ditched Diluc and I to give us ‘bonding time’, but Diluc was being a grump the whole time as usual, and by some miracle he was the only one who made it back without a tan. The whole thing ended up being a rather elaborate adventure set up by Klee’s mother, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.”

“Why would you and Diluc need bonding time?” He knew the two of them didn’t seem to get along much, but it struck him as odd that his brother would deem them as needing to bond. Was it normal for bartenders to form relations with their patrons like that? That didn’t seem right.

“He’s my brother.” Kaeya admitted. “We had a falling out a few years ago, and while we’ve reconciled since then… well, it’s not quite the same as before.”

Dorian looked Kaeya over, frowning. “Really? You two look nothing alike.”

Kaeya chuckled. “Haha, we’ve heard that a lot. I was adopted into his family when I was little.”

“Ah, I see.” He rubbed his forehead with his palm. “I think I’m okay to keep walking now. Let’s just keep talking about pleasant things.”

Albedo was waiting for them not much farther ahead, having tucked himself away in a small stone alcove. Dorian wondered how he hadn’t frozen over in the time it took them to reach there. Or why he had decided to wait for them there rather than at his camp, wherever that was. Kaeya seemed to have been surprised as well.

“Bedo, I thought you were going to wait for us at the camp?”

“That was my original intent, yes.” He said evenly. “However I realized that it may be prudent that I accompany you both as a precaution.”

“A precaution for what, exactly?”

Kaeya gave him a friendly nudge. “Ah. He probably wants to make sure you don’t gobble up any children on the way.”

Albedo crossed his arms and fixed Kaeya with the same disgruntled expression a mother might show to a troublesome child. “Kaeya, that was hardly appropriate.”

Dorian mirrored Albedo’s stance. “Yeah. Besides, I only snatch children after dark, remember.” He shared a moment’s glance with Kaeya before the two of them looked back at Albedo, who appeared miffed by the turn of conversation. This was the breaking point for Kaeya, who began to laugh aloud. 

Albedo shook his head in exasperation. “To answer your question Dorian, there are a few things on the way to my camp that might trigger… unpleasant memories, which could in turn cause many others to surface, of which we cannot fully predict how you will respond. If you were to go into a panic or become unresponsive while on the path, it would pose a safety risk both to yourself and Kaeya. With two of us here, that risk is lessened.”

Dorian felt his nervousness return. “ Oh joy. Way to instill confidence there. I feel much better about this whole thing now.”

“If it will help distract you from the present situation,” Albedo said, “we will be passing by several ruins on the way to my camp.”

As it would turn out, the ruins served as an excellent distraction. He recognised them from the illustrations in his book, though they seemed more worn down since the illustrations were made, causing him to wonder how long ago the book was written. If not for the sharp chill in the air, he might have insisted they dally a little while so he could take a better look at them. As it was, though, he was beginning to understand why Kaeya had been adamant that they not be traversing the mountain at night. It seemed dangerous enough just during the day, and he could only imagine how much colder it might get once the sun retreated below the horizon, stealing its warmth with it. Not that much of the sun could be seen to begin with. What had started as sunny weather quickly turned into thick clouds and snow-laced mists that obscured much of their view. He wasn’t sure what sort of things Albedo anticipated might trigger his memories, but at this rate he wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t even see them at all.

After a few more hours of walking, they reached a long wooden bridge suspended over a sharp drop. The structure looked brand new, and when he leaned over the edge, he could just make out what appeared to be the splintered remains of a previous one. He took a tentative step back, which did not go unnoticed by the Cavalry Captain.

“It’s perfectly safe, I promise.”

True to Kaeya’s word, the bridge felt sturdy beneath his feet, and upon turning the bend beyond it, he found himself facing a cave that pressed deep into the stone, its cavity filled with all sorts of shelves and tables, most of which housed a wide assortment of apparatus and materials. It was almost identical to what Dorian had seen in the laboratory at the Favonius Headquarters, if not even more well-equipped.

“Woah. People weren’t exaggerating when they said you like alchemy.” He made a cursory glance around the space, taking it all in. “Why have a fully furnished laboratory all the way up here on the mountain when you could work at the one in the city?”

“I enjoy the isolation.” Albedo answered as he began bringing some of the apparatus to life. “Here I don’t have to worry about my work being interrupted or tampered with. I also find pleasure in the scenery here, though it’s difficult to see at the moment. When the weather clears you’ll understand what I mean.”

Dorian raised an eyebrow. “Does the weather ever clear up here? I was under the impression that it’s always like this.”

“Near the peak it maintains a perpetual storm, yes, but down here the weather fluctuates. Especially now that the celestial nail has been made whole again. Sometimes it will even be clear enough for the sun to shine through.”

“Never when I’m in a hurry, though.” Kaeya commented morosely as he began to light a fire beneath a hanging kettle. “I swear the weather turns sour just to spite me.”

“It’s just a coincidence, love, I assure you.”

Dorian held his bag of books close to him as he watched the other two tend to whatever tasks they had assigned themselves, moving as if by habit. He began to wonder just how much time they spent up here. Not wanting to simply stand there awkwardly, he cleared his throat before asking, “Is there anything I can help with?”

Kaeya glanced up from the kindling that was stubbornly resisting his attempts to light it. “I’ll be brewing us some tea once I can get this fire going, and afterwards I’ll start on making dinner, if you’d like to aid me with that.”

“You should look around in the meantime.” Albedo added. “There might be some things here that could trigger your memories. If not, we’ll be visiting your dwelling in the morning.”

Dorian hmmed, setting his books on an empty corner of one of the tables before wandering around the cave. He could feel the tension in his mind growing tighter the longer he stayed there, along with the stabbing pain against his skull that accompanied it. As was the case with the laboratory in the headquarters, the sight of the equipment, bottles, and books did nothing to fish out his memories from the dark muck they were buried in. They only made him feel increasingly uneasy. When he got to the bookshelves, he leafed through a few of them. Unlike at the other lab, the majority of these books seemed incredibly old, and many of them appeared to have been written by hand. Another notable difference was that a large number of them were written in Khaenri’a’hn.

It was as he was inspecting these books and scientific journals that something caught his eye. An ancient-looking journal with a faded red leather cover. He picked it up and saw the words neatly inscribed upon the front, 

Progress Log, Primordial Human Project 

Phase Three - Subject Two

The tension snapped.

Kaeya’s head jerked up as he heard a loud crash coming from further in the cave. Immediately he leapt to his feet and saw Dorian braced backwards against one of the tables near the far end, several books and glass beakers having been knocked to the floor. 

“Dorian? What happened?” He rushed to the other’s side, Albedo quickly joining him. The blood seemed to have drained from Dorian’s face and his eyes were wide as they flickered back and forth in small, rapid movements. Kaeya called his name again, but the man was unresponsive. Albedo looked down and picked something up from near Dorian’s feet.

Oh no, he thought as he saw the cover. Albedo tucked it away before returning his attention to Dorian. “I had a feeling that might trigger him. It seems I was correct. I should have hidden it and introduced it in a more controlled manner. Hm. We should try to move him away from this broken glass in case he falls further.”

As Kaeya tried to lift him, he found that the other was gripping the table too tightly for him to dislodge, and his attempts to do so only resulted in Dorian’s grasp tightening against the smooth wood edge. Not wanting to potentially cause Dorian even more distress by trying to yank him free, he and Albedo opted to quickly sweep the books and glass shards away. 

Dorian remained in that state for several minutes before he seemed to come back to the present. He blinked, releasing his hold on the table and slowly lowering himself to his knees. Though his gaze remained distant, it no longer moved to track images unseen by the rest of them. 

“Dorian? Are you back with us?” Kaeya put a hand on his shoulder, and he nodded slowly. It was likely that he was in shock, judging by the state of him, and considering what he may have just remembered, Kaeya wouldn’t blame him. 

“If you can, would you tell me what you saw?” Albedo asked him cautiously.

 “Everything.” The answer was quiet, almost inaudible. 

“Everything? You mean…”

“Everything.” Dorian said again, this time louder. Kaeya felt the other shaking beneath his touch as Dorian put a hand to his face and began… laughing? Not a mirthful sort of laugh, but a manic one that teetered on the edge of crying. “I remember all of it.” His voice wavered. “Every. Single. Moment. I remember you, the knights… my mother … and…” The hand that wasn’t pressed to his mouth grasped blindly for something at his chest. “My pendant. Where is it?” 

There was a hint of panic in the other’s voice, prompting Kaeya to quickly pull the object from where he’d kept it safe in his pocket. “Here. I removed it when you were taken to the cathedral for safekeeping.” He handed the dragonbone necklace to Dorian, who grasped it tightly and held it close. His eyes remained fixed to some unknown point in space. 

“I think… I think I want to be alone right now.”

The other tried to stand up, but Kaeya held him back. “Woah there, you’re not in a good state to go anywhere right now. How about you come sit against the wall here instead.”

“O-oh… okay.”

Dorian didn’t fight as he and Albedo pulled him away to sit down on one of the cots with his back to the stone. He brought his knees up to his check and covered his face with his hands, the pendant still firmly clasped in one of them. His body still trembled and Kaeya could feel that his skin had gone cold. The poor guy was definitely in shock. “Are you going to be alright?” 

“I’m… fine. Yes. I’m okay. I’m fine. I just need to stop thinking.” His voice was muffled by his hands. Kaeya and Albedo shared a wary glance. “We’ll leave you be, then.” The alchemist said. “We will just be over here by the fire.”

Dorian did not leave his spot for the remainder of the evening, though he did accept the tea they later offered to him, sipping on it in silence before putting his head down again. Kaeya couldn’t help but think back to what he’d read from Rhinedottir’s journal. The words ‘catastrophic emotional distress.’ were heavy on his mind. How much more distressing might they be for him to relive them a second time, and all at once? Kaeya didn’t even want to imagine it. 

It was late into the night when he finally decided to turn in, Albedo agreeing to keep an eye out on his brother while he worked. As Kaeya passed where Dorian was crouched, he noted the steady rise and fall of the other’s breath. He’d fallen asleep, it would seem. 

Good. Kaeya thought as he laid down onto his own cot. He considered trying to move Dorian into a more comfortable position, but he didn’t want to risk waking him. Better that he wake up sore in the morning than be stuck sitting there all night with his thoughts. Or at least that’s what Kaeya figured. 

Unfortunately, Dorian’s thoughts came to haunt him nonetheless, trapping him in the land of dreams even as his panicked cries began to echo off the cave walls.

Chapter Text

Dorian woke with a jolt, a hand clutching at his shirt as he gasped for breath, heart nearly pounding out of his chest. It took several minutes before he could shake off the last of the nightmare, blinking in the dim glow of his furnace. He sighed deeply, resting his head back against the stone. It had been almost two weeks since he’d regained his memories, and he had yet to sleep more than a few hours without being dragged into some nightmare or other. For the first few days, every attempt to sleep resulted in him waking up screaming. As such, Kaeya and Albedo refused to let him return to his own cave. Eventually he’d resigned himself to simply pretending until the other two deemed him fit enough to leave. 

However, even outside of their careful observation, he did everything he could to stay awake for as much as possible. He tried only to rest his eyes occasionally, but sometimes he slipped, waking in a panic after what felt like hours of being trapped in his own nightmares. The memories he could stave off to some degree while awake, repressing them enough to function, but only just. When he slept however, it was as if he was there, reliving them in person. Most prevalent of them was that night. The night he had slipped away to see Durin again after their mother had separated them. 

That night would haunt him to the grave and back. The sight of his brother begging him to kill him as he clawed at his own face, his flesh being consumed by corruption until he resembled a living, rotted corpse. His keening that shook the stone until Dorian’s ears bled. The way he seemed to be fighting off another force, one that drove him to strike mindlessly at Dorian before just barely stopping himself. Dorian had fled then, his ears ringing in his head as his feet pounded against the stone. The few guards his mother had posted around her laboratory spotted him shortly after, but it hardly mattered by then. His breathing had become so erratic that his vision had gone dark and he could no longer stay on his feet. He’d screamed and fought as the guards dragged him back, being forced to pin him down on a metal table until he could be sedated. 

This was just one of the many memories that had lay hidden in the depths of his subconscious. He could never have realized just how many had been missing. How many memories of Durin their mother had stolen from him. Each moment had been precious, like treasures in his mind. They were worth the pain of the other memories. The ones involving Gold’s experiments. But be that as it may, those memories assailed him nonetheless, taking advantage of his moments of weakness to fill his thoughts. 

He stood from his cot to leave the warmth of his cave, kneeling down into the snow and pressing it to his face until the biting pain of the cold overwhelmed the pain in his mind and drove away his lingering exhaustion from lack of sleep. He had repeated this for days now. Every time he felt like he was going to fall asleep, he laid down in the sheer cold of the mountain until he felt alert. The effectiveness of this ritual had been satisfactory at first, but with each day he found it working less and less. 

It was fine. He was fine. He'd gone this long before.

"Day seven. Subject is demonstrating increased irritability, hunger, and fatigue. Microsleeps and errors in their studies have become more frequent as cognitive functions continue to decline. Memory and decision-making have become impaired..."

In an attempt to distract himself, he had gone through the books he’d borrowed, reading all eight of them from front to back in the span of a week. All of them were exceptional pieces of literature, the contents of which had been both fascinating and informative. Unfortunately, now the memories of his prior studies had returned, most of their contents were of things he already knew. Having no interest to read them again, and still desperate for something to occupy his attention, he decided to take up learning Hilichurlian. The simple words and phrases were not difficult to remember, but the actual translation of them was difficult to decipher merely going off the limited knowledge in the book. This problem proved to be enough of a challenge to keep him busy for a while, but eventually he became too tired to focus on it. When that happened, he took to walking along the mountain instead. 

"Week one, day four. Extreme fatigue has set in. Subject has begun to show signs of depersonalization, delusions, and sensory illusions. Irritability and stress levels continue to climb, resulting in drastic reduction in cooperation and efficiency in their studies. Frequency of duration of microsleeps have increased, requiring more frequent electro-shocks to maintain consciousness..."

He decided it was time for another such stroll, despite the fact that the sky was only just beginning to lighten for the day. He wouldn’t walk far, not for now at least. Just down to the lake perhaps. He might even try to catch a couple of fish like old times… but then again, maybe not. He still needed to atone for his behavior back then. He’d already made up his mind that he would not return to the city until he was ready to confess, nor did he wish to impersonate his brother any more. What he needed was to plan how he wanted to go about revealing himself. It was something that needed to be done sensitively.

The winds were relatively calm that morning, but large clusters of snow drifted down from the swirling shroud further up the mountain. He blinked them away as they caught on his lashes and pulled his hood up, setting out to traverse the frozen trails and snow and stone.

~ ~ ~

“Archons, Dorian, you look half-dead. Don’t tell me you haven’t slept this whole time? I know you must have missed me profusely, but there was no need to stay up waiting for me.” Kaeya’s words carried their usual teasing manner, but Dorian could tell that underneath the facade he was displeased. Albedo on the other hand had no such reservations in voicing his displeasure.

"Durin has begun to show agitation and distress over Subject Two’s condition. I have decided to separate the two until the experiment has concluded..."

“You had led us to believe you were able to sleep through the night now. I take it this was merely a ploy to convince us to leave?

He wasn’t wrong . Dorian had indeed deceived them with the intent of being left alone. At the time, it had been easy to hide his exhaustion, enough so that Kaeya and Albedo felt comfortable leaving him alone while they visited the city again for a few days to allay the people’s concerns regarding Albedo’s condition. Now however, after a week of them being gone, it was clear that he was not as well as he had led them to believe. 

“I- yes. There’s no point in denying now I suppose. Really I’m fine, though. I can go a while without sleeping. There’s no need to be worrying over me.” He winced inwardly as he noted the slight slurring of his words, despite his attempt to sound more alert than he actually was.

Kaeya sighed, shaking his head. “I hardly think stumbling around in the snow without even paying attention to where you are or who is around you would constitute as being ‘fine’. This isn’t healthy, Dorian. You can’t just go for days on end without sleeping.”

He could, actually. He could go for weeks even.

"Week two, day one. Subject Two’s sense of reality has entirely completely distorted. Delusions and sensory illusions have become extreme as they show signs of full sleep deprivation psychosis. Motor control has also become significantly impaired. Frequency of electro-shocks required to keep the subject awake has increased to every ten to fifteen minutes. I have determined that the subject's functionality has ceased completely. The experiment has reached its conclusion with satisfactory results . Next action, begin the rehabilitation process..."

When Dorian only looked away instead of responding, Kaeya added, “Don’t make me give you the Diluc treatment.”

Dorain’s head whirled back around as he glared blearily at Kaeya. “ You wouldn’t. ”

“Wanna bet?”

He did not, in fact, want to bet. He’d already heard about how Kaeya had laced his brother’s coffee with a sedative when the pyro user had paid them a visit a couple months prior. He did not doubt that Keaya would resort to a similar tactic with him. With a huff, he replied sullenly, “ No. ”

~ ~ ~

He spent the next few weeks going back and forth between his home and Albedo’s camp, helping the other with his experiments despite his lessened interest in them. Kaeya had gone back to the city after the second day, though not without threatening to strap Dorian to a cot if he kept staying up. Thankfully Albedo did not hound him in the same way the Cavalry Captain did, and was more open to compromise. They had eventually come to a halfway solution, where rather than sleep, Dorian found that he could put himself into a deep meditative state. It was not the same as receiving an actual night’s sleep, but in combination with short rests here and there, it was enough to keep him functioning without being overwhelmingly tired. The meditations helped him while awake as well, using them to segregate the bad memories to the back of his mind until they became more of a dull ache, rather than an overwhelming cacophony.

One day, as Dorian was adjusting his notes for the warming bottle prototype he had never gotten a chance to finish, he heard the faint sound of boots crunching in the snow, followed by a rapping on the stone of his cave. Albedo must have returned already from the city. It had only been about a day.

“Come on in.” He called out, listening as footsteps grew closer until his brother emerged from around the corner with what appeared to be a letter in his hands.”You weren’t gone long. Did something happen?”

“I received an important letter.” Albedo held out the piece of paper for Dorian to take. Looking it over, he saw that it was addressed to Albedo’s alias, Calx, and had been sent by… Kamisato Ayato on behalf of the Yashiro Commission? He quickly read through the letter’s contents, his eyebrows raising in interest. “You were invited as a guest artist for the Irodori Festival in Inazuma? That sounds amazing Albedo. I assume you’ve accepted?”

Albedo nodded. “Your assumption is correct. However, I would like for you to join me as well.”

“Me?” Dorian tilted his head questioningly. “Why would you want me to come?”

“I think it would be an opportunity for you to have an enjoyable distraction. You’ve already stated you won’t return to Mondstadt until you reveal yourself, but I think you would benefit from having a change in scenery. Also, I intend to bring Klee along. There will be periods of time that I cannot watch her however, and I thought you might be able to help in this regard, while also getting to enjoy spending time with Klee.”

“Oh, I see how it is. You just want a babysitter. Tsk. For shame Albedo, using me like that.”

“I mean it, Dorian. I truly do want you to come with us. I’ve already sent a correspondence inquiring as to whether Klee might be permitted to come as a dependent, along with one other to be a joint caretaker for her during our time there.”

Dorian folded his arms “You already sent them correspondence? What if I were to say no?”

“ Are you saying no?” Albedo’s teal-blue eyes bore into him. 

“No… I suppose I’m not. Assuming I do go, though, I’ll be wearing a disguise of my own. I do not want to trade places at any point during the trip. I’m done with that.”

“I expected as much.” Albedo said knowingly. “You’ve already expressed that you didn’t wish to impersonate me any more, so I took that into consideration when making the request that you and Klee accompany me.”

Dorian bit the inside of his cheek, thinking the matter over in his head. Getting to visit Inazuma would be fun, but there were inherent risks as well. Still… “Oh, alright. I admit I’ve been wanting to visit there for some time now. I suppose I might as well do so now. Stars knows I may not get another chance to.”

Albedo smiled at him in that subtle way he always did. “Excellent. I anticipated that would be your response. Assuming my request is accepted, we will be embarking at Dornman’s Port in three weeks from tomorrow.”

“I guess that’ll be something to look forward to then. I’ve never been on a ship before. It’ll be an interesting experience though, I’m sure.”

~ ~ ~

Three weeks later.

Dorian gripped the railing of the ship as they pulled into the port at Ritou, fighting back the urge to heave what little contents remained in his stomach. It had not been long into their voyage from Dornman’s Port that he discovered he did not handle the rocking of a ship well, and he’d ended up feeling seasick the entire way there. He wasn’t the only one however, two of the bards who were also coming from Mondstadt had become horribly seasick as well, the three of them suffering in solidarity while the rest of the ship’s occupants went about their business. 

By the time the gangplank had been lowered to the dock, Dorian thought he might cry with relief upon reaching solid ground, lowering himself to lay down with his back against the wood of the pier. Oh sweet relief. He didn’t care if people stared, he would not move from that spot until he no longer felt the ground swaying nauseatingly beneath him. From the ship he heard Klee’s voice call out to him,

“Mister Gray, are you okay?”

He lifted one arm into the air with a thumb up. “ Mm hm. ”

Somewhere further down the dock, some of the other occupants of the ship could be heard speaking to someone, though Dorian was too nauseous to pay attention to who or what was being said. That is until he heard Klee shout excitedly, “Mr Honorary Knight! Paimon!” followed by the soft knocking of her little feet running down the pier. He felt a small stab of fear at the mention of them, but reminded himself that they should have no reason to be suspicious of him. He had used khemia to alter his facial structure slightly, similarly to what he had done with spying on the Knights as one of their own, and his attire was inconspicuous, being a simple outfit of soft greys and muted red highlights. His hair, which he had let grow out, was put up in a high ponytail. 

He listened as his brother and Klee spoke with the two outlanders, being content to be ignored until Paimon eventually took notice of him.

“What’s up with that guy?”

“Ah, I’m afraid my friend became rather seasick during our voyage.” Albedo said with the slightest hint of amusement. “I’m sure he’ll recover shortly.”

Dorian groaned slightly, but managed to force himself back to his feet. “Ugh, I think I can manage now.”

“So you’re a friend of Albedo’s huh? It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Aether held out a hand for him to shake.

“And you as well.” He said, taking Aether’s hand. “You must be the infamous traveler I’ve heard so much about. And their floating companion too, I see.”

The little fairy creature put her hand and her hips. “Paimon’s name is Paimon. Who are you anyway? We’ve never seen you around Mondstadt, and Albedo never mentioned you before.”

Not much tact with that one, was there? Albedo folded his arms at the comment and gave Paimon an disapproving look. “Oh, am I not allowed to have social ties without informing you?”

Paimon’s face went pink as she waved her hands out in front of her. “Wait, that’s not what Paimon meant. Paimon just meant… uh, you… er…” Evidently lost for words, she huffed and stomped her foot in the air. “Oh, you know what Paimon meant.”

Dorian couldn’t help but give a small chuckle at the fairy’s indignation. “You can call me Gray. Albedo and I met on account of our mutual interest in alchemy.” He rehearsed the background he and Albedo had decided to use for the purpose of the trip. It was not entirely untruthful, and Klee at the very least had bought it easily. She jumped up and down with an enviable amount of energy given the fact that she had not slept at all during the entirety of their voyage.

“Mister Gray came so he can play with me while Albedo is painting!” She proclaimed enthusiastically. 

“That’s right.” He ruffled her hat, causing her to giggle. It was nice to interact with her as himself, rather than as Albedo, even if visually he was presenting himself as a different person. Soon, though, he would be able to fully introduce himself to her. Well, assuming he didn’t get locked up or banished and be unable to see her he supposed. If that did end up being the case, then at least he would have this time with her. 

The girl was giddy with excitement as they entered Ritou, which was decorated with lanterns, ribbons, stands, and more for the festival. Red maple leaves were scattered around the island as well, drifting lazily from the large tree in the town center. Though not nearly as large, it reminded him a little of the great tree in Windrise. Klee darted around with each new exciting thing to catch her eye, reminding him of a cicin. “Wow! It’s so beautiful here! So many things I’ve never seen before!”

After narrowly avoiding taking someone’s knees out in her elation, Albedo frowned and called out to her, “Slow down, Klee. Please be careful not to bump into others.”

“Oh dear.” Dorian sighed, shaking his head. “I'll go wrangle her.” He left Albedo to continue talking with the traveler while he made his way to where Klee had flitted off to. She was at a shop with some ornate glazed pottery on display. Being much shorter than the counter, she had opted to hop in place in an attempt to see into the shop better.

“Here, let me help you with that Klee. You don’t want to accidentally knock something over.”

He decided the optimal placement for the girl was atop his shoulders. That way she could see around better, while also preventing any potential destruction she might leave in her wake. When they passed by one of the other shops, Klee gasped and pointed. “What are those?”

“Mm?” He followed her gaze. “Ah, those are paper cranes. They are made using a technique called origami.” After having received confirmation that Klee and himself would be joining Albedo for the festival, Dorian had taken it upon himself to learn as much about the nation as he could. Among his readings, he had come across their practice of folding paper into various animals and other shapes, and had even learned how to make a few. “If you’d like, Klee, I can show you how to make them.”

“Wow! Really! Yes please, hehe.”

Albedo was still discussing something about the editorial director he was supposed to be working with when Dorian made his way back to them, setting Klee down. He stifled a yawn as fatigue crept up on him, taking the place of the seasickness he’d felt earlier. When Albedo saw the two of them, Klee’s almost manic energy in contrast with Dorian’s half-veiled exhaustion, he put his hands on his hips. “Klee, you haven’t slept for a while now. Please stay at our residence in the International Trade Association and get some rest. We will be back soon.”

“Okey-dokey. Don’t worry Albedo, I’ll be on my best behavior.” She waved cheerily at him as he, the traveler, and Paimon left for the Outlander’s Affairs Agency to look for his editor. Dorian watched them go before giving Klee a short pat on the head.

“Alright, let’s get you to a nap then. I’ll fetch some origami paper that we can practice with after you wake up.”

Klee did not argue with his proposition, though it took a little while for her to settle down. Once she’d finally fallen asleep, he used the opportunity to go back to the shop with the paper cranes and bought a small stack of origami papers using some of the money Albedo had given him beforehand. While he could have made the papers on his own with khemia, he didn’t want to risk attracting the electro archon’s attention by mistake. He didn’t know whether she would be able to sense something like that or not, but he had no intention of testing the theory. 

It wasn’t long after he returned that Klee was already up and ready to continue with the day. Knowing that she’d only garnered a minimal amount of rest, and that the real festivities wouldn’t happen until the festival had officially begun, he managed to coerce the girl into partaking in less strenuous activities for the time being. They focused their time on their origami, walking around the square while explaining what the different things were, eating a simple dinner of fish with rice from a food stand, and ending the day with some drawings of what she saw.  He could tell the last couple of days had finally caught up with her by the time he tucked her into bed that night. It hadn’t taken long before her soft, rhythmic breathing could be heard rising from the covers. He smiled at the sight of her hugging her Dodoco toy closely. Such a precious little thing she was, even if she was more than a handful.

Making his way to the room reserved for him and Albedo, he noted that the other’s bags remained packed, including his painting supplies. He wondered if the editorial director still hadn’t arrived, and if that was the case, what Albedo planned to do for his paintings. He ventured out to look for where his brother and the traveler had wandered off to, asking around until eventually he found them walking back towards the International Trade Association. However when he saw them, he noticed they were being accompanied by a new individual.

Barbatos??

What in Teyvat was the anemo archon of all people doing there? Nerves prickling with unease, he tried slipping away before they noticed him, but by then it was too late. 

“Oh, Gray, I was just going to come find you.” At Albedo’s words, the other three’s attention all landed on him, causing him to wince inwardly. “I apologize, I hadn’t realized the business of looking for Mr. Hirayama would take such a lengthy detour. How did the day with Klee go?”

“It went well. I just put her to bed maybe a half hour ago. She had a good time today I think.” He glanced over at Venti for a moment before returning his gaze to Albedo. “So, who’s your new friend here?”

Venti laughed, waving an arm at him. “Hey, don’t be a stranger. We’ve already met.”

“W-we have?” This could be bad, he thought worriedly. He could see Albedo’s gaze flick over towards Venti as well. 

Venti gave a mock pout. “Aw, don’t you remember? It was at the Windrise tree, hehe.”

Whelp. That settled it, Barbatos could tell who he was off the bat. Figures. He could only hope that the bard would not do anything detrimental with that information. “Ah, yes, now I recall it. What a surprise to see you, all the way out here in Inazuma. I didn’t notice you on the ship with the other bards.”

Venti gave him a sheepish grin. “Hehe, about that… why don’t you join us for drinks, and we can relay to you this most intriguing turn of events we’ve had.”

Dorian coughed. “Drinks? I uh- am not one to drink alcohol I’m afraid.”

“That’s okay.” Paimon floated a little closer, “Most places won’t let Aether drink alcohol anyway, so we’re going somewhere with regular drinks too.”

Aether put his hands to his hips and gave the fairy a deadpan glare. Meanwhile Venti merely laughed and said, “Hahaha, not to worry my friend. I’m sure Albedo shares a similar sentiment.”

The bard’s tone made it obvious to the two brothers what he was referring to. Dorian did his best to tamp down his embarrassment before it presented itself unbidden on his face, and he didn’t doubt that Albedo was having a similar experience. Thankfully, Venti seemed content to keep the incident as an inside joke.

Despite his initial wariness, the outing ended up being rather enjoyable. Dorian had eventually accepted that Venti had no intention of causing him trouble or harm, after which he became much more relaxed. They stayed out until it was well into the night, though Venti was the only one to return intoxicated. Aether had been far more sparing with his own saké, while Albedo and Dorian chose to drink tea instead. He could feel the warm drink contributing to his drowsiness, and retreated to one corner of his and Albedo’s room once they’d returned, sitting cross-legged on the wooden floor. Closing his eyes, he slowed down his breathing, focusing his mind on a single imaginary space. It had been over two days since he’d gotten a chance to meditate, and the strain of going without rest that long had taken its toll on him. He would have to be careful during the next few days not to overextend himself, especially with Klee added to the equation. He wished there was a way to siphon some of her abundance of energy to give to himself.

~ ~ ~

Over the next couple of days, Dorian kept Klee entertained while Albedo worked on his paintings and went on his own little adventures with his growing groups of companions. On the first day of the festival, he and Klee remained in Ritou, enjoying the various sights and activities available to them. Unfortunately, after the initial excitement wore off, Klee quickly became bored. Fancy novels weren’t exactly her cup of tea, so for the following days he took her a little ways onto the mainland. This was with express permission from the Kanjou Commission, of course. He didn’t need criminal charges in two nations.

Klee had a great time exploring, though he was careful to keep her away from danger. She did things such as playing in some of the waterfalls, collecting shells from the beach, visiting Konda village, and hunting for onikabuto, which were far larger in person than Dorian had anticipated. One of her favorite things seemed to be the seelies. They were much faster and moved more erratically than the ones in Mondstadt, making them rather entertaining to chase. He did his best to conserve his energy where he could, but keeping up with the girl was taking a lot out of him, and by the end of the third day, he was dead tired.

“Dorian.” Albedo pulled him aside after having tucked Klee in for the night. “Don’t worry about Klee tomorrow. I’ve arranged with Aether and Paimon to watch her until the afternoon, and I’ll be spending time with her afterwards.”

“Are you sure?”

Albedo nodded. “Yes, this was meant to be a vacation for you too. You should have a chance to relax and enjoy some time to yourself.”

That did sound nice he supposed. Not that he hadn’t enjoyed spending time with Klee. “Alright then, thank you.”

That morning he left the International Trade Association just after dawn, enjoying the quiet of the early day. Though the weather there never got as cool as it did during the night time in Mondstadt, the air was still freshest in the morning, smelling of dew and sakura petals. He loved the way the early rays of sun lit up the red leaves of the maple tree, making them glow as if set ablaze from within. He followed the path out of Ritou, watching as crabs scuttled across the small stretch of sand and seawater that separated Ritou from the rest of Narukami island. He had already gone this same way with Klee, but this time the world was quiet and undisturbed. 

A group of foxes sat around a shrine along the path, watching him with amber eyes. He gave them a wide berth, not wanting to disturb them. A little ways further was a lone tree rooted above a sea cliff. Small purple flowers grew along its base, and the rustling of its leaves accompanied the sound of the waves lapping at the shore below. It was a peaceful spot indeed. Deciding to take a break there, he sat down with his back resting against its trunk and closed his eyes. The morning sun felt warmth against his face. It was almost enough to send him to sleep, but he didn’t let himself drift that far. Instead he contented himself to merely relax and enjoy the moment. 

Perhaps an hour or so had passed when suddenly he felt a pressure against his legs. Opening his eyes, he saw that a fluffy black cat had made itself home on his lap. It blinked up at him with deep orange eyes, then laid its head down against his arm.

“Oh, well hello there.” He rubbed the cat’s head with his free hand, eliciting a happy chirrup sound from it, followed by a steady rumbling. Its fur was incredibly soft. As he moved down to rub its chin, it twisted its body so that its belly was showing. He knew this could be a trap, as he had discovered on previous occasions with the cats around Mondstadt, but when he stroked the cat’s underside, it did not attempt to bite or claw him. “Good kitty.” He let his eyes drift close again as he continued stroking the cat, the vibrations from it making him feel even more relaxed than before…

~ ~ ~

bszzt

bszzzzt

Dorian was woken suddenly from the sleep he didn’t remember slipping into, confusion swirling around him as his brain took several moments to catch up on where he was. In the grass beside him he heard a furious buzzing sound of an alarming volume. The cat that had been on his lap earlier had caught something. Some kind of insect by the sound of it. He leaned over to get a better look, and was met with an onikabuto. It was a medium sized one, but its carapace was a shade of vibrant red. Intrigued, he picked to beetle up, earning him a disgruntled yowl from the cat for stealing its plaything. Upon closer inspection, the beetle’s unique coloration seemed to have been painted onto it. Odd. He continued to inspect the beetle, finding the letters A I painted into the underside. 

“Oh, you must belong to someone. Huh.”

He supposed painting it was one surefire way to tell it apart from other beetles. What to do with it though? He didn’t want to release it back into the wild. Someone was probably looking for it. He didn’t particularly want to keep holding it either, though. Its large armored legs were grasping uncomfortably against his skin as it attempted to climb up his arm. 

“Hm.”

Looking at the tree, he had an idea. It involved using khemia however. Perhaps just a little wouldn’t hurt. He was actively using it to alter his appearance after all. Grabbing a small branch, he infused it with khemia, watching as the wood shaped itself into a small cage. Once it was finished, he placed the beetle inside and shut the trap.

“There. No running off for you. And no antagonizing it either.” He gave the cat a stern look, but it didn’t seem to care. Just then he began to hear shouting in the distance. There were multiple voices, but one was significantly louder than the rest. 

“Scorching Specter! Where are you buddy? Come to Itto!”

Dorian looked at the beetle, then back at the source of the shouting. They were a small group of men, accompanied by a much larger man with long red horns. He was one shouting the loudest. 

“Shorching Specter! Come on, the brawl is in half an hour!”

He wondered if the beetle was what he was looking for. The name certainly matched the color. He wandered over towards the group, the black cat following close behind.

“Excuse me?” He called out, waving one hand in the air to attract their attention, while holding up the caged beetle in the other. “You wouldn’t happen to be looking for a red onikabuto, would you?”

The man’s head snapped in his direction so quickly that Dorian was certain he must have popped a vertebra or two.

“Scorching Specter? You found him! HAHAHA!” The man rushed towards him, and before Dorian could react, wrapped him in a bone-crunching hug. Dorian went stiff until the man put him down and clapped him roughly on the back, causing him to stagger forward. 

“Hahaha! Boy, you’ve done a guy a solid. I was starting to think we’d never find him!”

“ You’re welcome. ” He wheezed, trying to recover the breath that had just been squeezed out of him. 

“Come on gang. Now that my champion onikabuto has made its return, we can head back to the beetle brawl extravaganza!”

“The beetle what ?” 

“The beetle brawl extravaganza!” He repeated loudly. “It’s the biggest beetle fighting championship this side of Inazuma. And by that, uh- I mean it’s the only beetling fighting championship.” 

Huh. There hadn’t been any mention of beetle fights in his research on the nation. He wondered if perhaps it was something specific to whatever race this man was. The guy looked like he might be some kind of yokai, but Dorian couldn’t be certain.

“Ah, so you have the beetles fight each other. I see now.”

“Yup!” The man stood with his hands proudly on his hips. “Feast your eyes, little guy, for you are looking at Arataki “Beetle Gladiator” Itto, the greatest onikabuto battler in all Teyvat. Hey, and since you helped to find Scorching Specter, how about you come along and see what he can really do?”

Dorian hmmed. On the one hand, this Arataki Itto was a rather… well… boisterous individual, it would seem. Tagging along with him would likely prove to be the exact opposite of relaxing. However, he also was curious to see what a beetle fight looked like, and he had already been resting for a good few hours that morning, so surely it couldn’t hurt. “Uh, sure. Why not.”

Itto laughed. “Excellente! Just follow me compadre.”

Dorian wasn’t sure what he had been expecting of the beetle fights, but a bunch of children crouched along a tiny arena with painted onikabuto… wasn’t quite it. To Itto’s credit, there were at least a couple other adults there who had also brought garishly painted onikabuto, but for the most part it seemed to be a childrens’ activity. An activity which, despite Itto’s self-proclaimed mastery over, he couldn’t seem to win. It was a bit sad, honestly. The goal of the fights was fairly straightforward; a person’s beetle had to flip over the opponent’s to win. So outcome of each fight was almost entire dependent on the beetles themselves. Itto’s beetle was strong, but it was also slow, and was often flipped before it had a chance to take offensive action. After the man’s eight loss in a row, Dorian asked if he could inspect the insect.

“I mean, sure. I think you’ll find he’s in tippy top shape though. He’s uh, he’s just warming up. Gotta wait until their guard is down, then BAM! Sweet sweet victory. It’s that right little buddy.” He tickled the beetle under its chin, to which it responded by using its large pokey leg to slowly push his finger away. 

Upon looking it over, Dorian found that physically there was nothing wrong with the beetle. Or at least from what he could tell. He knew from his studies that onikabuto fed largely off of electro energy though, and this beetle seemed to possess much weaker traces of that energy than the other ones he’d handled earlier with Klee. Handing Scorching Specter back to Itto, he said, “I think the issue is that it's lethargic due to a deficiency in electro energy. You could probably replenish it by placing it somewhere with a high concentration of electro energy, or by feeding it concentrate from electro slimes. I’m not an expert on the matter though, so don’t quote me on it.”

The man’s eyes grew wide. “Oh yeahhhh. I think I’ve seen other people feeding their beetles slime too. Take over the next round for me would ya? I’m gonna go catch me a slime haha! Come on boys!”

“W-wait, I don’t-” Itto and his gang hurried off before he could finish the sentence, leaving him with Scorching Specter, as well as the black cat who emerged from the nearby grass as soon as the man left. It chirruped and butted its head against his arm, then arched its back as it rubbed its side against him. He gently ruffed the fur on its head before shooing it slightly as it began to bat at the beetle again. 

“Next up, Scorching Specter versus Electropocalypse! Ready your beetles!”

Electropocalypse? Really? He honestly felt sorry for whatever poor beetle had been named that. Upon actually seeing the thing, he felt even more sorry for it. Its owner was a very young boy, and had messily painted his beetle a hodgepodge of blues and purples. It was a small specimen too, giving Dorian the impression that the kid might have just picked up the nearest onikabuto he could find and and hastily painted it before coming to the competition. Unsurprisingly, Itto’s beetle won its first fight of the day that round, earning him another rib-bruising clap to the back once Itto returned. 

It would turn out that his theory about Scorching Specter’s deficiency in electro energy was correct. After being fed the slime condensate, it began to perk back up, and even managed to win a few more battles. 

“Haha! Well whaddya know! That actually worked! His fighting spirit is stronger than ever hahaha! I guess I owe you two things now. If you ever need a favor, just give me a shout, and the Arataki Gang will be at your service.”

Dorian waved dismissively at him. “It’s fine, really. I had some entertainment for the day, so we’ll just call it even. I should be heading back to Ritou, anyhow. It’s getting late.”

“Okay compadre, if you say so. You sure you don’t want an escort? Some people out here like to pick on the little guys, but they know better than to mess with Arataki “The One and Oni” Itto and his gang.”

I’m not that little, he thought saltily. “I think I can manage, but thanks for the offer.”

“Haha, no problemo, buddy. See ya around!”

~ ~ ~

Dorian gave a tired sigh as he laid his back down on the bed in his and Albedo’s room. It had been a long walk back from Konda village, and he was ready to rest his eyes for a few minutes before leaving again to find himself dinner. There was a soft thump to his side where the black cat had just jumped onto the bed. Despite his efforts to shoo it back to wherever it had come from, the feline remained glued to his side. Eventually he just gave up and let it follow him all the way back to Ritou. Now it was climbing onto his chest and began kneading him with its front paws while purring contently. The feeling was nice, right up until he felt the claws digging into his skin.

“Ow ow!” He detached the offending talons from his shirt and attempted to maneuver the cat into another position that would not result in holes getting poked into him. It squirmed in his grasp for a moment, then settled down again, this time curled up in a fluffy ball with its head tucked under his chin.

“Mm. That’s better.” He said sleepily to it, stroking its fur as its happy rumbling reverberated from its chest into his own.

“Albedo, we’re gonna go back to see the fireworks tomorrow, right?” Klee’s emphatic voice filled the room with more volume than was necessary, having not been adjusting from speaking in an outdoor setting.

“Yes, we will. Try to be quiet though. I think Mister Gray is resting, and we don’t want to disturb him.”

Klee’s peach-colored eyes widened a little, then she whispered, “Oh, okay. I’ll be quiet. Dodoco will be quiet too.”

“That’s good. Thank you, Klee. Now go get ready for bed.”

The girl giggled quietly, her feet padding against the wood as she hurried to her room. She was still rather energetic despite the long day she’d had. He hoped it wouldn’t take her too long to fall asleep, especially if she was going to be staying up late the following day so they could see Yoimiya’s fireworks. Those two had gotten along quite well. Perhaps even a little too well, given their affinity to fire and blowing things up, albeit in different ways.

After Klee had settled in, Albedo peeked into his and Dorian’s room to see if his brother was there. He’d seen Dorian walking towards the Trade Association much earlier in the evening, but the other hadn’t come out since then, or at least not that he had seen. Upon opening the sliding door, he saw Dorian laying on one of the beds with his legs still hanging down. He seemed to actually be sleeping rather than just meditating, and peacefully at that. What was more surprising was the fluffy black thing on his chest. Albedo couldn’t tell what it was at first, until it lifted its head and blinked at him with startlingly orange eyes. A cat. Dorian’s hands were buried in its long black fur, as if he’d fallen asleep while petting it. Albedo smiled.

“A good night to you too, then.”

“Hurry! Hurry! Miss Yoimiya is gonna start the fireworks soon!”

It was just after sundown the following evening, and with the Irodori Festival officially at a close, Yoimiya was free to set off her fireworks. Evidently the lady had been hard at work making some for all of them to enjoy after Klee’s visit the previous day. Dorian was rather excited to see them as well, having never seen fireworks before. His exhaustion from the past couple months had lessened greatly since the previous night. It was the first time since he’d regained his memories that he slept through the whole night. Or almost, anyway. Twice he had been sucked into his nightmares, but he was quickly woken from them by the feeling of the cat’s claws as it began to knead him and vigorously rub his face. Then it curled up and purred until he could fall asleep again. The next morning, Albedo asked where it had come from. 

“I’m not sure. It just sort of showed up on my lap yesterday and has been following me around since then. I’ve decided to call it Negredo, since its fur and eyes remind me a lot of Durin.”

It was a bittersweet realization that he had come to, but he decided to use it for the best. Negredo had stayed by his side all the next day too. At one point while he was admiring Albedo’s final painting, it had even jumped onto his shoulders to lay across them, which was where it was perched that evening as they walked all the way to the meeting place at Amakane island. There were nine of them in total. Himself, Albedo, Klee, Venti, Aether and Paimon, as well three others he hadn’t known before. Xingqiu, Kazuha, and Ayaka. The latter six had cooperated with Albedo in coming up with inspiration for his paintings, and had evidently solved a mystery together involving Kazuha’s clan. They all seemed to be rather kind individuals, and though Dorian wasn’t as familiar with most of them as Albedo was, he enjoyed their company just the same.

When Yoimiya arrived, she carried with her what must have been a couple dozen fireworks at least. She was practically bubbling with excitement to match Klee’s, and after setting the fireworks up, she let Klee be the one to light the fuses. The first one rocketed into the sky with a shrill cry, followed by silence for just a moment, then color and light burst into the air, lighting up the land and sea around them for the briefest of moments. Then more followed, each a different shape or combination of colors. He marveled at each of them, gaze transfixed to the sky. It was perhaps one of the most beautiful sights he’d ever seen. He clutched the dragonbone pendant around his neck, wondering if in some way, Durin would be able to enjoy them too. As they continued to blossom against the darkness of the night, Dorian found himself leaning just a little to the side, his shoulder meeting Albedo’s. 

“Thank you for bringing me here.” He whispered to the other. Albedo leaned against him as well, meeting him in the middle.

“Thank you for coming.”

The two of them stayed like that until the show concluded, the light of the final firework fading into the night, thus marking the end of their final day in the nation of eternity.

Chapter Text

If anyone were to ask Dorian, he would say that the early morning is always the best time of the day. Just after dawn when the sun is new, the air is at its freshest, and the word begins to wake. He took in a deep breath before exhaling, a puff of mist forming in front of him before dissipating. The crunch of his boots in the snow accompanied him as he walked the mountain, his mind deep in thought. He’d managed to earn a little more sleep since their return from Inazuma, allowing him to muster the focus he needed for the problem at hand… How to turn himself in? It was a simple thing in theory, but he wanted to do it in a way that would be the least distressing for the people he cared about. He shouldn’t just waltz into the city out of the blue and start announcing, ‘Oh hey, funny story, I’ve been deceiving you all for months pretending to be my brother. Also, I was the one who created the monster who tried to kill a few of you a little while back. No hard feelings though, right?’

No, he’d need to break it to them a bit more… delicately. He turned his head to look at the cat laying across his shoulders, giving the feline a gentle scratching underneath its chin. “What about you, huh? Got any bright ideas?” 

Negredo answered by rubbing his cheek against Dorian’s hand and starting to purr. He hadn’t truly intended on keeping the cat, feeling it wouldn’t be fair to take it away from its home in Inazuma. Negredo had followed him onto the ship with as much confidence as if he’d owned the vessel though, so who was Dorian to turn him away? He’d worried a little about how Negredo would handle the cold of Dragonspine after living in such a warm climate, but the cat didn’t seem to be particularly bothered by it. Though, whenever they went outside, Negredo would hop onto his shoulders so as to avoid walking in the snow. This was understandable, of course. Dorian had experienced his own fair share of walking barefoot around the mountain, and it was not an experience worth repeating. 

He continued his aimless wanderings, running countless variations in his mind of what he could do and say, and how the others might respond to it. Eula was the one he was most concerned about, because he knew she would likely be the one who’d be hurt the most. She and Amber were among the few individuals he’d befriended of his own accord, rather than as a continuation of Albedo’s already established connections. Amber he could imagine being more understanding towards him and willing to forgive, but Eula… well, she was certain to take the betrayal more strongly. 

He slowed his pace as he arrived at a small ruin, idly making his way atop one of the crumbling walls. He had a good view of the surrounding mountainside from there, one that allowed him to spot a small lady in Liyuen attire wandering Northwards not too far away. This was the second time he’d come across someone from Liyue just randomly popping up on the mountain alone, the first being a short man with a spooky mask at his hip and an intricate tattoo covering his right arm. The man had seemed unfazed by the cold environment, but the strangest thing was what Dorian had seen him doing. He’d been sitting knees-down in the snow and was eating it. Picking up handfuls of it that he compacted into spheres before taking bites out of them. After finishing off a few, he’d stood and then vanished into thin air. The sight of it was… strange, to say the least.

In contrast to the previous visitor, this woman did seem to be affected by the cold, judging by the fact that he could see her shivering all the way from where he was. He leapt down from the wall, wincing slightly as Negredo sunk his claws into his shoulder to keep from being thrown off. 

“Hey! Hey Lady!” He cupped his hands so as to be heard above the winds. “Stay there a moment!” The lady stopped to turn towards him, allowing him to catch up with her. Despite the fact that she looked extremely cold, she seemed to be fully alert and active. “Tsk, you’re freezing. Here-” Much to Negredo’s discontent, Dorian removed his cloak and wrapped it around her before pulling out the prototype warming bottle. He’d improved it enough to be functional, though it still could use some work. Twisting the cap to the radiant setting, the artificial seelie inside emerged to float in place between them. It quickly warmed them before fading again, the bottle cap automatically closing back to the passive setting before the core could deplete itself entirely. 

The woman ahhed as the color seemed to return to her. “Yoh, that’s much better. Are you a knight coming to rescue me? Hehe.”

Dorian crossed his arms and frowned at her. “Miss, what in Teyvat are you doing out here all on your own? Don’t you know how dangerous it is? People die up here from the cold, especially when wandering this far from the paths where the warming stations are. You’re very lucky I found you.”

“Aw, worried for me?” Her eyes sparkled mischievously. They were rather interesting ones, the pupils resembling flowers to match the blossoms adorning her ornate hat. “Relax, I would’ve gone back before I froze. I would hate to cross over before my time. What about you? You seem to be out here by yourself too.”

“Yes, well, I happen to live here and know how to get around safely, so I get a free pass. What are you doing out here anyway?”

The woman looked aghast. “You live here? Ay-yai-yai. But to answer your question, I’m trying to go over there.” She pointed to where Durin’s ribs towered in the distance. “Something isn’t right about this place. The border between life and death is unstable here, and the source is that way.”

Dorian hmmed. She must have been sensing the tainted ley lines, which he found intriguing. Most people were oblivious to it. “That is the final resting place of Durin. He was afflicted with corruption, and when he died his blood tainted the ley lines. His heart is still there, but it’s dangerous and not worth seeing. You should just head back.”

She shook her head determinedly. “I’m afraid I couldn’t leave it in good conscience, not without at least investigating first. This sort of thing was once part of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor’s job.”

“Funeral parlor…?” He scratched the back of his head in bewilderment. A funeral parlor seemed like the last place someone as eccentric as her would be affiliated with.

She nodded with a proud smile adorning her face. “Mm-hm! I’m Hu Tao, 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.”

“I see…” His eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “Don’t you think it’s a bit late to be holding a funeral for him though? He died five hundred years ago.”

Hu Tao giggled as she shook her head, her pigtails swaying. “No silly, not like that. When the parlor was first founded, its purpose was to fight off the plagues caused by the wrath of fallen gods. This mountain here seems to be under the influence of a similar ailment.”

“Durin wasn’t a god.” Dorian replied firmly. “Nor was he wrathful. He was gentle. The effect his blood has on the mountain is due to the corruption that he was infected with.” He did his best to keep the offense from his tone. It bothered him that she would make such an assumption, though he supposed he shouldn’t blame her for it. Regardless of the cause, the symptoms were likely similar to what she was referring to. He remembered learning about how fallen gods could leave something akin to curses on the lands surrounding them, but he hadn’t gone into the details of it. 

Hu Tao giggled again, as if amused by his statement. “Is that so? What about this corruption then? Where did it come from?”

Dorian opened his mouth, then shut it again. As far as he had been aware, their mother had created it to infect Durin with, though he couldn’t exactly tell the girl that. Her question lit a spark of doubt in him however. Had their mother created it? He realized this assumption was just that. An assumption. It had never occurred to him that she might have acquired it somehow. “I don’t… know.” He said slowly. 

“Ah ha! And there’s the mystery of it. Let’s see if we can solve it.” She bounded away in the direction of the heart, forcing Dorian to run after her. A plaintive meow came from behind him as Negredo tried to navigate the snow. Oops. He paused to pick the cat up before turning back to the woman.

“Hey! Wait up!” How is she so fast?

He grumbled to himself about tourists with a death wish as caught up with her, realizing he was unlikely to deter her from going to the heart without physically carrying her away. “Okay, have it your way. But when we get there, don’t get too close okay? I mean it.”

“Worry not dear client, I know better than to go poking things I shouldn’t. I just want a closer look at the source.”

Client? He thought, wondering for a moment if this was some convoluted scheme to get him killed. He quickly dismissed the idea though. It was likely just part of her… interesting mannerisms. They were already fairly close to Wyrmrest Valley, so it wasn’t too long before the cave holding Durin’s heart came into view, as did his skull. Hu Tao’s gaze flicked towards him as a shiver ran down his spine, his heart rate rising, but if she noticed it, she didn’t say anything. Instead she made her way down into the bottom of the valley, putting a hand on one of the ribs.

“Aiya, it’s even bigger up close.”

Dorian didn’t reply. He was beginning to feel ill, and not in the usual way that he felt when he’d been here in the past. It was a much more visceral feeling, a sickening pulling sensation like gravity battling against intense revulsion that left him dizzy and disoriented. The feeling quickly magnified the closer they drew to the cave, the red taint of the land seemingly worming its way into his mind, until eventually he had to stop. Negredo, who until that point had been nestled contently in his arms, squirmed out of his grasp. The cat meowed insistently at him, pawing at his leg for attention before running off a small ways and looking back at him with those orange eyes. The noise was enough to garner Hu Tao’s attention, the youthful expression she’d worn becoming more serious as she surveyed him.

“Hey Mister, are you alright? You aren’t looking so good.”

He shook his head, the motion increasing his disorientation. “This place doesn’t sit well with me. I won’t go any further, and I advise you to do the same. The heart has an ill effect on people that get too close or are around it for too long.”

Hu Tao seemed to think about it for a few moments, looking towards the cave. The heart could just be made out from where they were standing, its pulsing glow taunting them. “Yes, I think you’re right. I’ve seen enough. Come along. Wangsheng Funeral Parlor appreciates your patronage, but there’s no need for you to hasten the inevitable. Besides, it would be most troublesome to have to carry you all the way down the mountain.”

Dorian scoffed indignantly. “Hey! I’m not dying .”

~ ~ ~

“Well, did you get your answer?” Clean, untainted snow crunched beneath them as they’d put a reasonable distance between themselves and the heart. He was already feeling significantly better, enough so that Negredo seemed satisfied to return to his arms. The cat’s fluffy black tail swished gently from side to side as Dorian absently petted its head. The funeral director on the other hand kept giving him an odd look that he couldn’t quite read.

“Yes and no.” She said far too cheerily given the topic. “I don’t think this corruption is the wrath of a god, but it is of a similar nature I think. By the way, you never gave me your name, dear client. What am I to put on your coffin should you perish along the way, if you’ve never introduced yourself?”

“Oh, right.” For a moment he was uncertain of what his response should be, but then he made up his mind. No more lies or half-truths. “I apologize. My name is Dorian Gray.”

Hu Tao smiled warmly at him. “That’s a nice name. You know Dorian, you should really find someone to exorcize or cleanse that corruption from your system. That’s probably why being near the heart was making you so sick.”

“What?” He stopped walking, taken aback by the sudden statement. “What makes you think that?” The question was genuine. Was it even possible to be corrupted without him noticing? Or did it have to do with how he had been revived?

“My master showed me how to spot the signs.” She said matter-of-factly. “It seems to be mostly stable in your case, but I would advise you to have it removed regardless. You never know when those sorts of things can get worse.”

Dorian tapped a finger idly. “Hm, I’m not sure if that would be possible, but I’ll keep the suggestion in mind. On a different note though, why did you come to Dragonspine in the first place? And on this side of the mountain no less. Did you come from Mondstadt?”

“An astute observation.” She giggled. “I met a certain bard from here while he was visiting my consultant, and we got along so splendidly that he invited me to join him on his way back to Mondstadt. Of course while I was here, I simply had to visit this lovely mountain. I’ve always wanted to see snow up close, but I’ve never made the trip up here before. The Liyue side is a lot less accessible after all. I was only going to walk along the path a little way, but then I felt something amiss and had to investigate.”

Dorian guessed the bard she was referring to was Venti, given that the archon had accompanied  Albedo’s writer friend on the ship back to Liyue rather than with the rest of them to Mondstadt. Something about wanting to visit an old friend of his. Dorian had wondered if the friend in question could be the geo archon Morax, but didn’t dare ask. From what the lady had said though, it must have been someone else. Surely the lord of geo would not be working as a consultant for a funeral parlor. “So your original purpose for visiting was as a tourist then?”

“Mm-hmm! I’ll be heading back early tomorrow morning, but there’s still plenty of daylight left today. Any recommendations for interesting attractions around here?”

“Hm.” There were a number of places on the mountain that would probably be considered ‘interesting’ by her, but many were troublesome to reach, or would not be worth the time necessary to reach them. Not to mention that regardless of where she went, she’d need someone to go with her to ensure she didn’t get lost, and being that he was the only other person around, that someone would have to be him. It certainly wasn’t how he’d planned to spend the day, but it would be a nice break at least. Plus if he didn’t, and Hu Tao ended up getting hurt because he let her wander about on her own, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.

Upon thinking it over, he decided he could take her to Starglow cavern. It was arguably the most beautiful place on Dragonspine, and would take them in the right direction for returning to Mondstadt. It was also rather dangerous though, being a favorite hiding place for hilichurls and monsters, as well as being riddled with spikes of ice that would fall at the slightest provocation. Thus was one of the reasons he didn’t visit the cavern often. 

“Well, If you are willing to deal with potential monsters and falling ice, Starglow cavern would be my best suggestion. It would take all day to reach there and back before it gets dark, but the view is worth it I would say. I’d be willing to take you there, but we’ll need to stop by my home to grab a few things.”

Namely warming potions. He thought ruefully. He’d already handed over the warming bottle for Hu Tao to borrow for a little while, but without both that and his cloak, the bite of the frigid air began nipping painfully at him past his clothes. Thankfully his cave was not too far out of the way, though it was a bit of a rough hike from where they had been. 

When they arrived, Hu Tao put her hands on her hips and shook her head disapprovingly. “Aiya. You don’t even have a real house for yourself? You must really love living close to nature. Or-” She cast him a smirk. “Perhaps you’re a criminal in hiding, OooOO.” She wiggled her fingers at him, to which he just gave an amused huff. Technically she wasn’t wrong on either account, but she didn’t need to know about that second part.

“Hey, don’t judge my choice in living arrangement. It’s not exactly easy to get a building permit up here. Besides, it’s a lot nicer inside.” He’d debated with himself the wisdom in bringing a person he barely knew to his hiding place, but considering that she would be returning to Liyue by the next morning, he decided to take the risk on it. It would likely seem more suspicious to her if he refused to allow her inside, and going to the cavern without supplies was out of the question.

As they entered the main chamber of the cave, Hu Tao whistled. “My, what a cozy space! You were right, it is much nicer in here. Oo, what are all these?” She walked over to where his alchemical apparatus were set up on one of the tables. 

“Mm? Oh, that is equipment for practicing alchemy. Please don’t touch them.” He set Negredo down on the cat’s favorite pillow and began grabbing several items from his shelves, putting them in a satchel. Taking one of the warming potions, he tossed it towards Hu Tao. “Here, catch. That’ll keep you warm for a few hours. I’ll bring a couple extra just in case, but you’ll want to drink one before we leave.”

Taking his own advice, Dorian opened one and emptied its contents, sighing as the liquid chased the cold from his extremities and warmed his core. Evidently trusting that he wasn’t trying to drug or poison her, Hu Tao followed suit. 

“Ahh, that feels nice. It’s like a warm fire, but on the inside.” 

“That’s the idea.” He said as he pulled out a piece of smoked fish and set it in Negredo’s designated food dish. “You stay here buddy.”

The coal-black cat stretched its front half with a yawn before rubbing against his leg affectionately while completely ignoring the food. “Oh fine. But don’t go complaining to me if we have to fight and you end up getting jostled around.” He scooped Negredo up again, allowing him to settle across his shoulders. The cat’s tail swished directly into his face, causing him to have to blow the long fur away from his mouth. Hu Tao giggled at them, reaching up to give Negredo a scratch under the chin. “He’s a sweet little kitty.”

“And spoiled.” Dorian huffed. “He’s helped himself to just about every meal I’ve had since getting him. Anyways, I think I’ve gotten everything. We should head out now if you want to get back in time.”

“Hee-hee, let’s go!”

~ ~ ~

The walk to the cavern was long, but not unpleasant. There was some risk of being seen once they reached the main path, but thankfully people rarely came that way. Not that the mountain had many visitors to begin with. Along the way he discovered that Hu Tao was one for making rhymes and songs, which explained why Venti would have gotten along with her so well. Despite her eccentricities and morbid sense of humor, she was overall a pleasant person, he decided. He could feel her growing excitement the closer they got. Then, finally, they turned around the final corner and emerged into the glittering expanse of Starglow Cavern. Though it was protected from the strong winds outside, the cave was just as bitterly cold. Tiny ice crystals filled the air, twinking in the blue light like diamond dust suspended in time.

Hu Tao gasped at the sight of it, her eyes lighting up with an almost childlike wonder. “Ahh! It’s so beautiful! I’ve never seen anything like this before. Wow. I shall have to compose in loving memory of this place.”

As she stepped towards a cluster of glowing flowers, bending down to pluck one, Dorian heard a familiar crack from above. He glanced up for only a moment before hurriedly yanking Hu Tao backwards just in time to avoid being struck by a large ice spire. The momentum was enough to trip him, causing him to fall onto his back with Hu Tao on top of him. Negredo yowled near his ear, unhappy about having just been thrown from his shoulder.

“Like I said.” He wheezed. “Falling ice spikes. This place practically has a mind of its own, and it doesn’t like visitors.”

Upon getting back to their feet, Hu Tao inspected the offending projectile. “Hm. Perhaps I should expand the business here! Wangsheng Funeral Parlor’s Dragonspine Special. Offering our services to frozen and unfortunate adventurers. I could leave some wooden tiles near the entrance to advertise the offer.”

Dorian chuckled. “Ah, you should. Maybe that would deter inexperienced adventurers from coming up here and having to be rescued time and again.”

The woman placed her hands on hips and grinned. “See, you get it! And people say my ideas are inappropriate.”

“Unorthodox maybe.” He said as he let Negredo climb back onto his shoulder. A small group of hilichurls could be seen further down the cave, their animated chattering with one another echoing through the space. They were closer than Dorian would have liked, but not so much so as to be a problem. “I don’t want to rile up the hilichurls by going much farther, but if you want we can sit by this device and have some food.”

“Oh splendid! I would love to eat while enjoying this marvelous view. And speaking of hilichurls, I have a little song about them. Wanna hear?”

He listened with an amused smile as she sang, wondering what the actual hilichurls would think of it. Probably best not to try it at the moment though, as he preferred to avoid fighting them even under the best of conditions.

Rummaging through his satchel, Dorian pulled out some of the lake trout he’d smoked earlier, along with some bread and cheese. It wasn’t anything extravagant, but it could be eaten cold and was easy to take with him. Hu Tao seemed to like it at the very least, as did Negredo. As per usual, the moment he had been about to take a bite, the cat sat down right in front of him and started pawing at his food.

“Oh now you want some. See what I mean? I can’t have a meal in peace with this one.” He sighed, then tossed a portion of his fish for Negredo to eat. “Fine, take it. You little moocher. ”

Hu Tao giggled at the two of them, offering the cat some of her own fish as well. When they were finished, she sat back and hummed. “Mmm, a simple but delicious lunch. The trout was especially tasty.”

“Thank you. A good friend of mine taught me how to make it.” As he stood and stretched, he looked out towards the entrance to the cave and noted the dark clouds that had begun to form since they’d entered. “We should start heading down now. It looks like there’s going to be a snowstorm soon.”

“Oh? What a bummer.” She sighed. “I was hoping to stay longer.”

“Sorry. It comes with the territory I’m afraid. If you come by again sometime and I’m still around, I’ll take you up to the top of the cavern.”

“Oh-ya? Oh-ya-ya-ya?”

He nodded. “Mm-hm. But please, bring warmer clothes next time.”

~ ~ ~

It was a close call, but he managed to bring Hu Tao to the mountain’s base before the storm hit, and it was a good thing too. Twice she nearly lost her hat to the growing winds, prompting her to hold it the rest of the way. The dusk sky was dark with storm clouds, but he could make out the sight of some adventurers milling about the nearby base camp. 

“This is as far as I go, Miss Hu. It was nice to spend the day with you though. I wish you a safe journey back to Liyue Harbor.”

She gave him a warm grin and waved. “Aw, the same to you. Here, take this. It’s a coupon for a two-for-one special on our highest quality coffins.”

He took the slip of paper and looked at it unenthusiastically “Oh, thanks. It’s what I’ve always wanted.” 

The woman giggled. “Hee-hee, you’re welcome! Oh, and if you ever decide to visit Liyue Harbor, just look for Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and I’ll show you around the sights!”

He chuckled, imagining what Kaeya and Albedo might think if they got roped along as well. It would make for an interesting experience to be sure. “Ah, I may just have to take you up on that.”

Chapter Text

“So you’re ready to go through with this then?” 

Dorian sat opposite Kaeya and Albedo as they drank their afternoon tea. They’d spent the last hour discussing his reveal, and what he would need from them beforehand. At Kaeya’s question, he nodded determinately despite the nervousness that coiled inside him like a wriggling serpent. Albedo, who had been absently painting while participating in the conversation, looked up from his easel and returned the gesture. “Very well. We will inform Jean tomorrow when we return to the city.”

Their meeting adjourned, Dorian finished his last sips of tea before rising to his feet. There were things he needed to arrange in his home should he be unable to return to it for a long time, if ever. He sincerely hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but if it did, he knew it would not be undeserved. As he stepped outside the cave which housed Albedo’s camp, he noticed something felt… off. Like the silent warning that sinks into one’s bones before a storm, long before the sky begins to darken. He stopped and scanned his surroundings but there was no sign of what was causing this feeling to occur. Kaeya glanced over at him.

“Is something wrong?”

Dorian shook his head. “Something doesn’t seem right. I-” His words were cut short as a low rumbling shook the stone beneath his feet, like a sleeping beast beginning to stir from deep within the earth, filling him for a moment with a primal sense of fear. It lasted only a second or two, but judging by the other two’s faces, he wasn’t the only one to have felt it.

Kaeya set his tea down and stood, looking down at the floor. “Well that was unsettling. Albedo, have you ever felt an earthquake here before?”

The alchemist’s expression was dark with thought. “Here? Only once. It was caused by an intense anomaly in the ley lines, and happened around the same time as Dorian’s emergence. Anomalies such as this are not uncommon across Teyvat, but the nature of the ley lines here make the effects of one inherently unpredictable. Depending on the severity of the anomaly, there may be subsequent quakes of varying intensity. It would be prudent to investigate what might be causing the anomaly, as well as monitor its effects on the mountain.”

Unease made itself present along Dorian’s spine. “I would like to start investigating near Wyrmrest valley. If someone is tampering with the ley lines, that would be a likely place for them to do so.”

Kaeya stepped forward. “I’ll accompany you. You don’t have a vision and if there’s trouble it would be better for you to have backup.”

“Then I’ll start my own investigation near the ruins of the entombed city.” Albedo said as he set aside his painting. “We’ll reconvene tonight to discuss our findings, or lack thereof.”

~ ~ ~

The pulse of corrupted veins was stronger than usual when they arrived in Wyrmrest Valley. It was a notable change from when Dorian had visited there with Hu Tao only a few days before. But despite this, there was no indication as to why the anomaly had manifested. There were no signs of recent human activity in the valley beyond his own, nor were there any significant changes in the environment that would facilitate such an anomaly. From the best that he and Kaeya could tell, Durin’s heart was not the source, but was merely being affected by it. Dorian had to admit he was relieved by that fact, though it made being in close proximity to it no less unpleasant, With the heart being aggravated by the ley lines, its sickening effect only grew more potent. 

“You alright?” Kaeya asked him as he retreated from the mouth of the cave, trying not to retch. Like before, he felt disoriented, like he was falling. Most concerning though was the underlying desire to go closer . It felt like gravity had been switched towards it. 

“I will be once we leave.” He said, putting a hand across his temples. “There doesn’t seem to be anything left to investigate here.”

Kaeya put a hand on his shoulder, his eye narrowed with concern. “You didn’t used to be this badly affected from being around here. Is this because of how you died and came back the second time?”

He shrugged. “Probably? I know Durin had something to do with me coming back. I’m not sure what he did though. My memory from when I was dead is hazy at best.”

Kaeya hmmed, not pressing him further. It was just as they were leaving to continue investigating elsewhere that he spotted a set of tracks in the snow. Dorian frowned. They weren’t human. “Kaeya, I think I found a lead.”

The Cavarly Captain followed his gaze. “A lawachurl? On this side of the mountain?”

“My thoughts exactly. It looks like it came from the West and cut through the valley.” He noted the direction that the creature was headed, a path of destruction being left in the distance where it had reached the treeline. “We should follow it to make sure it doesn’t wander too far down. There could be casualties if someone were to run across it.”

Kaeya agreed, leading the way as they began to track down the beast. Though its path was not straight, it continued to make its way further down towards the northern border of the mountain. It quickly became evident that the lawachurl’s behavior was abnormally aggressive. Though lawas are known for being extremely territorial and volatile towards humans, they do not generally go on lengthy rampages through the forest while destroying everything in their path. It was the poor, weathered trees that received the brunt of the damage it would seem. Any that had stood in the lawachurl’s path had been pushed aside, uprooted, or splintered. The same could be said for the Fatui camp they came across. It looked like the lawachurl had taken special care to ensure no part of it remained intact. Judging by the lack of fresh footprints though, its occupants hadn’t been present for at least a couple days. 

As they inspected the ruined camp, a roar echoing off the mountainside drew their attention. It was closeby. They hurried after it, only slowing once they drew near enough to hear the beast’s heavy stomps and the cracking of wood being broken. Even from a distance they could see how agitated it was, moving as if in a frenzy while its entire body radiated powerful cryo energy.

“This ley line anomaly has really done a number on it.” Kaeya whispered as they peered out at it from behind a large rock. “We need to put it down before it hurts someone.”

Neither of them enjoyed killing hilichurls, their consciences heavy with the knowledge of what the creatures used to be. Oftentimes there wasn’t a choice however, and this was one of those times. Unfortunately, lawachurls present a far greater challenge in battle than their smaller, less powerful counterparts.

Dorian sideyed the Captain incredulously. “You want to fight it? Just the two of us? You do realize this is a frostarm lawachurl right? I don’t have a vision to fight with, and yours will be practically useless against it so long as it’s in its enhanced state.”

“Can’t you use your Khemia?” 

Dorian shook his head. “Khemia is not something I can just use in combat like that. There are situations where it can help, but it hardly takes the place of a vision.”

“Well we can’t just leave it to go around terrorizing the mountain either.” Kaeya gestured in the direction of the Fatui camp. “I’ve dealt with them before, but If it comes to it, we can at least draw it far enough away from this area that it doesn’t pose a risk to hurting anyone, then go back to fetch Albedo and some supplies from camp to deal with its cryo shield. What could possibly go wrong?”

Dorian hit him in the arm with a glare. “No, don’t say that. I can tell you are joking, but nothing good has ever succeeded those words.”

“Come now Dorian, have a little faith. If we’re careful and keep our distance, we will be fine.”

Dorian sighed, rubbing his face. He knew it was necessary but… a lawachurl? He had skill in combat, especially if it was one-on-one, but this was an entirely different ordeal. He was suddenly glad he’d left Negredo back at his cave that day. The cat might have become collateral otherwise. “Alright. I’m warning you though, if I get killed again I will haunt you from the grave.”

“Sounds reasonable.” 

The two of them strategized how best to attack it, and Dorian was quickly reminded why Kaeya had earned the rank of Cavalry Captain. For all his sarcastic swagger, no one could deny his skill and precision when it came to combat, both in the midst of the action and in the preparation beforehand. Unfortunately, even the most well thought-out plans can fall apart when one does not know the strength of their enemy, and neither of them were prepared for how enhanced this lawachurl had become. Things went downhill right from the start, when the lawachurl vaulted over them with a single bound, covering nearly twice the distance that it would have normally been able to. 

“Well shit-” Was all Kaeya managed to say as he and Dorian were forced to dive out of the way. Ice erupted around the creature where it landed, its furious roar shaking the ground. Quick to get back on their feet, they both were able to avoid its subsequent attacks, but in doing so they were pushed in the opposite direction they wanted to go. Now that it was so close, Dorian could feel another kind of energy emanating from it. A sickly red aura mingling with cryo, adding to its strength and volatility. The lawachurl roared again and charged at Kaeya with unnatural speed before pounding its fists into the ground, more ice shooting up from the stone like palisades. Again Kaeya dodged, then retaliated, lunging at the lawachurl with his sword drawn. The lawa swung at him, but he ducked out of the way before slashing it across the chest. The creature howled with rage, but its body was unmarred, the steel having glanced off its corruption-enhanced cryo shield without so much as leaving a scratch. 

Kaeya cursed as another barrage of frozen spires burst around him. This time he could not quite move fast enough, the ice grazing his leg enough to draw blood. Before it could make another move against the Captain, Dorian leapt towards it from behind, attempting to plunge his sword into its back. In accordance with Kaeya's earlier suggestion, he’d used Khemia to heat the sword in the hopes of melting through its shield. It gave way only a fraction before the lawachurl turned on him, forcing him to retreat again.

They continued in this way, a deadly tango of cryo and steel as Kaeya and Dorian each fended off their opponent to give the other an opening. Their efforts were becoming increasingly unsuccessful however. The lawachurl was becoming more enraged by their advances, its attacks growing stronger and wider in range, while Kaeya and Dorian tired from the constant maneuvers required to both strike it and avoid its attacks. Kaeya used his vision to counter the lawachurl’s eruptions of ice, the opposing cryo formations shattering on impact, but against the creature itself his vision had no effect. They needed to get rid of that accursed shield. 

As Dorian attacked again, his starsilver blade splintered with an ear-piercing ring as it struck the enemy, the strain of being rapidly heated and cooled over and over having turned it brittle. He froze momentarily in surprise, but it was just long enough for the lawachurl to hit him with a counterattack, sending him careening into a tree. He winced as he felt something in his shoulder crack. He’d definitely be feeling that in the morning. As he struggled to get back upright, the lawachurl closed the gap between them, ready to crush him beneath its fists. He raised his now weaponless hands defensively and shouted “Mi odomu! Mi odomu! Yo nye kundala! Mimi nye ika!”

The lawachurl hesitated, giving him just enough time to roll to the side before it brought its fists down with a booming roar. It seemed even more enraged than it had been before he’d spoken to it, as if offended that he would dare speak in its language.

“Nice going.” Kaeya said as he yanked Dorian clear of another wave of ice. “You’ve insulted it.” They backpedaled as the lawachurl charged them, its massive hands swinging at them. Kaeya sent a heavy blast of cryo directly at its feet, causing it to stumble.

“Right, as if everything was going swimmingly until that point.” Dorian shot back. He looked around for anything he could quickly turn into a weapon, but found nothing more than some branches and a few loose rocks. “Plan B isn’t going to be an option, is it?”

“I’m afraid not.” Kaeya said as he narrowly avoided being skewered. “This big guy’s a lot faster than I anticipated. We’ll just have to get creative.”

Easier said than done. Dorian thought ruefully as he watched the lawachurl continue to assault the Cavalry Captain. Taking advantage of the distraction, he dashed back towards the shattered remains of his sword, collecting the largest pieces and reforming them into a solid blade. Just then he heard Kaeya cry out as he was slammed against a large boulder.

“Kaeya!” Dorian grabbed a nearby stone and hurtled it at the lawachurl’s head, hoping it would draw the creature’s attention away from the other. The projectile bounced harmlessly off of the lawachurl’s horn, but it was enough to pester it into turning towards him. Dorian brandished his weapon, ready to take the beast on long enough for Kaeya to recover himself. Before he even took a step forward however, he heard a voice shout out through the trees.

“ Burn! ”

Suddenly the air in front of Dorian crackled with heat as a huge phoenix roared past him, colliding with the lawachurl and sending it stumbling backwards. Steam rose from the beast in thick coils as its shield began to melt. Then a man in black surged towards it, his greatsword ablaze with red flames. Dorian watched in stunned silence as the man made quick work of what remained of the lawachurl’s shield, its enhanced state draining away and leaving it open for attack. Kaeya swiftly took advantage of the opening, slicing through the back of the creature’s knee. The leg buckled, staggering it enough for the other man to swing at it from above, his fiery greatsword being thrust down through the back of its neck. It let out a strangled cry, trying a moment to dislodge the weapon before slowly going limp and falling forward with a muffled thump. Kaeya began to laugh breathlessly, leaning against the same boulder he’d been thrown against. A small trickle of blood rolled down his forehead. 

“My, what impeccable timing you have, Master Diluc.”

Chapter Text

“My, what impeccable timing you have, Master Diluc.” Kaeya said, the usual swagger in his voice diminished somewhat by his loss for breath. “Though, would it have hurt for you to show up before I got bashed against a rock?”

The pyro user’s gaze drifted momentarily to the Captain’s forehead, causing his already present scowl to deepen. “Maybe as a Knight of Favonious you should have taken better measures to avoid putting yourself in that position to begin with.”

“Come now Diluc, what kind of Knight would I be if I allowed a rogue lawachurl to run rampant so close to the border? You would have done exactly the same thing.”

Diluc hmphed, pulling his greatsword out of the lawachurl’s collar with one swift movement. “ I would have come better prepared. Now how about you explain to me why you were down here with it in the first place, and more importantly, who this is with you?” 

He pointed the weapon in Dorian’s direction, causing the other to stiffen. The weight of the man’s gaze felt like it was pinning him in place, despite his urge to slink away. Kaeya pushed himself off the boulder and stepped between the two of them, his arms spread dismissively. “He’s just a friend. You know what those are, right Diluc? I know you don’t have many, so you might have to dig deep to remember.” 

Diluc glowered at the other, his attention having blessedly moved on from Dorian. “Needling me isn’t going to get you out of the conversation this time, Kaeya.”

Kaeya put a hand over his chest in mock affront. “You insult me. To think you would accuse me, your dear brother, of resorting to such an underhanded tactic. I  was merely answering your question.”

Diluc opened his mouth as if to protest, then looked the other two over and sighed. “We can continue this conversation at the Winery after you both are patched up.”

Dorian took a couple steps back, sensing a trap. If he were to enter the Winery, it would be easy for the man to keep him there until the Knights could come to arrest him, and that was not something he was going to risk at that moment. Not when it would leave Albedo alone while the mountain was unstable, and unaware as to why they weren’t returning. Kaeya seemed to have the same idea.

“No need. We would hate to impede on your undoubtedly busy schedule. We’ll just reconvene another time. This weekend, perhaps? You know where to find me.”

Diluc’s face hardened and he planted his claymore into the ground. “No, we will discuss this today, and you will be coming back with me. If you don’t, I’ll tell Adelinde you refused to have your wounds treated and risked bleeding out on the mountain. She was already worried you might be up here.”

Dorian could see Kaeya’s resolve waver. “That’s a low blow, using Adelinde against me.” He glanced back at Dorian, who offered him a reluctant nod. Kaeya sighed with defeat. “Have it your way, but afterwards we are coming back here and that is non-negotiable. Albedo is expecting to meet back up this evening, and I will not put him in danger of trying to look for us after dark.

“That’s fine.” Diluc said gruffly, dismissing his weapon. “Just don’t think you can go slinking off before we’ve had our discussion. Either of you.”

Kaeya gave the man a mischievous grin. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

~ ~ ~

The head maid had been outside when the three of them arrived at the Winery. She’d immediately began to fuss over them, reprimanding Kaeya for getting himself into trouble like that, and instructing the both of them to sit down inside the main living area of the manor so she could tend to their wounds. Kaeya tried to assure her that it wasn’t that bad, but she wouldn’t hear it. 

“You and your brother are going to worry me to death one of these days.” She chided while dressing the gash on Kaeya’s leg. “Always getting yourselves hurt like this. And bringing your little friend into it too. I expected better of you Master Kaeya.”

Dorian shifted uncomfortably from where he was seated, painfully aware of the pyro user’s silent gaze on them. “It was fine, really.”

“Oh hush.” Adelinde said. Her tone was stern but not unkind. “You have a dislocated shoulder and cuts all over you.”

As if he needed to be reminded. Once the adrenaline of the fight had worn off, the pain in his shoulder decided to make itself known, as did his face where the shrapnel of his sword had slashed him. He was fairly sure there were still bits of metal stuck in him from that, though he wasn’t going to mention it to the maid until she had finished with Kaeya. Thankfully the injury on the Captain’s forehead was minor, and he’d avoided getting a concussion. As with Dorian, he had sustained a small collection of cuts around his body from the ice, but the worst of them had been the initial one on his calf. Once finished, Adeline sat back and inspected her handiwork. 

“Alright, I think my work with you is done, Master Kaeya. I do think you should see a healer for your leg though.”

Kaeya gave her a reassuring, if somewhat sheepish smile. “I’ll be fine, Adelinde. It’s just a cut. Hardly more than an annoyance. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’d better talk with Diluc before his glaring burns a hole through the back of my head.”

Diluc gave a small hmph before following Kaeya into the next room over, his purposeful stride in stark contrast to Kaeya’s loftier gait. Adelinde smiled fondly and shook her head. “Those two.” She said softly. “Always up to something. Even when they were little they were always getting themselves into trouble.”

Dorian chuckled a little. “I am not very familiar with Master Diluc, but knowing Kaeya that doesn’t surprise me.”

He was careful not to move when Adelinde inspected his injured shoulder, his breath hitching as she gently took hold of it. “It’s alright, dear. This will hurt for a moment, but then it will feel much better. Just hold still.”

He closed his eyes as she manipulated his arm, until suddenly he felt it pop back into place, causing him to let out a small hiss in pain. Adelinde patted him on the other shoulder. “There you go. Now, let me see those cuts on your face.”

She took a rag dipped in water and began dabbing his cheek with it, washing off the blood to reveal the extent of the lacerations. Upon finding the splintered fragments of metal, she tsked worriedly. “What happened here?”

Dorian looked to the side. “Oh, I accidentally let my sword get too brittle while I was fighting the lawachurl. My face must have been too close when it shattered.”

“I see. It may take me a little bit to pick all the pieces out.”

The maid worked carefully, being as gentle with him as possible while assuring him he was doing well for keeping still, as well as instructing him that he ought to be more careful. He wondered if this was what it felt like to have a real mother. It was nice.

“You and Master Kaeya seem close.” She said as she finished patching him up. “Are you a relative of Albedo’s?”

“Yes. I’m his brother. We’re twins, technically.”

“Oh?” Adelinde’s expression brightened, as though she had been pleasantly surprised. “I never knew Chief Albedo had a brother.”

Dorian rubbed the back of his neck and smiled wryly. “Ah, well, that’s a bit of a long story. In short, though, he’d only seen me a handful of times when he was still very young, but we were never allowed to interact with each other, and after that I was taken to a place where we had no contact at all. Until just recently that is. So he never really had a reason to mention me.”

Adelinde made a distressed noise. “Oh, you poor dear. I won’t pry you for details, but if you ever want to share them, I’ll be here to listen. Anyone that Master Kaeya sees as family to him is family to me as well.”

Such a sweet woman she was. Dorian had heard Kaeya speak of her on many occasions, and now he was getting a first hand experience as a subject of her gentle kindness. He wondered what his life could have been like if he grew up in a normal home like this, with a mother that loved him and treated him the way Adelinde treated Kaeya and Diluc. The things he would give for that, but it was much too late. He could only enjoy the present moment.

“Thank you. That is- very kind of you to say. I am honored.”

“If you really want to thank me,” Adelinde said, putting away the medical supplies. “you’ll tell your brother to come visit every once in a while. Him and Master Kaeya are becoming quite intimate from what I hear, and I would like a chance to get to know him better.”

Dorian chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do.”

As the two brothers excused themselves to the adjacent room, Kaeya was met with the other’s ever-present frown. Diluc had his arms crossed, and was giving Kaeya a ‘no-nonsense’’ kind of look. “Well?” He asked expectantly. “Out with it. Who is he?”

Kaeya leaned against the wall nonchalantly, not allowing the other to intimidate him. “As I said, he’s a friend.”

Diluc glowered at him, unamused with his brother’s evasive answer. “Don’t toy with me, Kaeya. We both know there’s more to it than that. It’s a bit suspicious that there is suddenly a man who looks nearly identical to Chief Albedo when only last year there was an incident with a ‘fake Albedo’ trying to kill people. And somehow I don’t think it’s a coincidence that since then, you’ve spent notably longer periods of time on Dragonspine than you had prior. So I’ll ask you again. Who is he?”

Kaeya raised an eyebrow. He already knew Diluc was aware that he frequented the mountain, but he wasn’t sure of just how closely his brother was watching his comings and goings. “You’ve been keeping tabs on me, Master Diluc? Worried about my safety are you? Or is it that you still do not trust me?”

Diluc huffed and averted his gaze. “That’s irrelevant. Just answer the question.”

Deflective as always, it would seem. Kaeya exhaled. His brother was one of the last people he wanted to explain this to, given his more… protective nature, so to say. If he perceived Dorian as a threat to Mondstadt, it would be incredibly difficult to earn his cooperation. As such, he needed to get Diluc on his side, which was easier said than done. His best option was to simply be honest with the other. Diluc had become a little too adept at knowing when a person was lying or otherwise withholding the truth from him. Especially when that someone was Kaeya. 

“Dorian is Albedo’s brother.” He admitted.

The pyro user’s eyes narrowed. “Brother? I was under the impression Albedo had no blood siblings.”

“That’s because it hasn’t exactly been public information yet, though we were going to change that within the next few days. Albedo was the only one who knew about him until a few months ago, and he’d never so much as had a conversation with Dorian before their mother decided to dispose of him permanently. Dorian was only recently revived with Durin’s blood, and he’s been in hiding since then.” a

The story followed what Albedo and Dorian had agreed upon to share, keeping as close to the truth as possible without revealing their true nature. “He was by himself for a few months without anyone’s knowledge, and due to their past had intended on replacing Albedo, leading to the incident with the ‘fake Albedo’ as you so eloquently put it.”

Diluc’s expression darkened at Kaeya’s words, and his following words were sharp with suppressed anger. “So that was him, then? He’s dangerous! I heard the reports from that. He nearly killed people, Kaeya. Children included. And you’ve been letting him run free this whole time?”

“Tsk.” Kaeya stood up straighter, “Do you really have such little faith in me, that you would believe I’d allow him to remain hidden without reasonable cause? I would remind you that I care about the safety of Mondstadt just as much as you do, even if we protect it in different ways.”

The sparks in the other’s eyes died down at the rebuke, the words touching a little too close. Or perhaps it was the message laced between them. The silent reminder that he had already proven where his loyalties lie. 

“In any case.” Kaeya continued, “The imposter that had attacked the others wasn’t Dorian. That was a creation of his, and he was the one who ultimately destroyed it after realizing he did not wish to go through with his plans. Notwithstanding that incident, Dorian had proved himself to be an incredibly kind and trustworthy individual. I do not believe he will cause any future harm.” 

“Be that as it may, it does not erase the fact that he attempted to kill innocent people.”

“So we are aware.” Kaeya replied curtly. “It was already arranged that he would turn himself in and accept any punishment given to him when he was ready. And before you argue as to why we waited, do understand that before he was revived, he was treated as little more than a lab rat. We wanted to ensure he at least had a chance to experience life and develop a sense of self before being sentenced. Is that answer satisfactory for you?”

Diluc was silent for a moment, ruminating over the information he’d been given while Kaeya mentally prepared counterarguments for anything the other might say. Then the man gave a loud exhale and said gruffly. “For now.”

Kaeya’s grin returned. “Excellent. I knew you could be reasonable every once in a while.” Diluc made a disgruntled noise. “Now that I’ve answered your questions, why don’t you share with the class your reason for being on Dragonspine? Not that we didn’t appreciate your timely arrival, but you’re hardly the one to go on leisurely strolls in the snow. Or has the Darknight Hero decided to expand his range?”

The shift in Diluc’s demeanor was subtle, but did not go unnoticed. It was the air he had whenever he was involved in something serious. “This morning I received intel that an entire Fatui quad stationed on Dragonspine was found dead two days ago. Evidently they had been slashed and impaled to death with ice. Yesterday another squad had been sent to retrieve the bodies, and has since gone missing. It was far enough out of the ordinary that I decided to investigate.”

Kaeya felt something click into place from Diluc’s statement. “How interesting. Dorian and I came across a recently abandoned Fatui camp while tracking the lawachurl. There was no sign of blood or dead bodies however. The agents must have been killed elsewhere. Likely nearby.”

“About that,” Diluc said, his gaze drifting for just a moment towards Kaeya’s bandaged leg. “I was wondering how you came about fighting a lawachurl all the way down there. I thought they kept to the other side.”

“They do, but there is currently a ley line anomaly affecting the mountain, which had altered its behavior. Surely you felt the earthquake?”

Diluc gave a small nod. “I did, though i’d assumed it was from an avalanche. Knowing that, I wonder if it had been a lawachurl that killed the Fatui squads. The report had stated it was large spires of ice that had impaled them. Somehow I cannot imagine one would be capable of doing so, though, even if it were enhanced by a disruption in the ley lines.”

“Hm.” Kaeya put a hand to his chin, thinking over the facts and comparing them with past knowledge. “I wouldn’t rule it out. The fact that the agents were killed with ice, and that we have already encountered a frostarm lawachurl in this area, would all point in that direction. It couldn’t have been the same one we killed, that one was too weak to be responsible, but if there were a more powerful one…”

His sentence dropped away as the ground began to shake again, a low growl coming from below that sent a chill up his spine. From the window, he saw crystalflies flying up from the vineyard like spooked birds, their luminescent wings glittering in the sunlight as they took to the sky. Dorian suddenly burst in from the other room, his eyes wide. “Did you both feel that? It was way stronger this time. Whatever is causing the anomaly must be getting worse.”

Diluc frowned at the other, giving him a questioning look. “We felt it, yes, but it wasn’t any stronger than the last one. It felt weaker, if anything.”

Dorian shook his head. “That’s because we’re outside of the anomaly's area of effect. If we felt that tremor all the way out here, how strong do you think it must be at the source?”

Kaeya and Diluc shared an uneasy look, neither of them having taken that into account. It made a coil of worry twist around in his gut, knowing that Albedo was up there by himself. Especially with what Diluc had just told him. “Dorian, Diluc has some rather pertinent information for us. Something on the mountain killed the squad of Faui from the camp we found, and presumably the secondary squad that had been sent to recover the first. The agents found dead were slashed and impaled with ice.”

Dorian paled slightly. “A lawachurl couldn’t have done that, could it? Surely not.”

“That’s what we need to find out.” Kaeya said, making his way in the direction of the front door to retrieve his boots. “Given the danger however, I will need to put out an immediate notice to the Adventurer’s Guild that it is presently unsafe to venture near the mountain, and inform Grandmaster Jean about the situation. It’s too late in the day for me to do so and return to the camp afterwards, so you’ll need to go alone to update Albedo, if you are comfortable doing so.”

“I am.” He said, without hesitation. “If it is another lawachurl, I’ll know it’s coming long before it could get to me.”

“And if it’s not?” Diluc asked bluntly. Dorian paused a moment before replying. “Then I’ll play it by ear and hope I don’t get skewered I suppose.”

Kaeya wondered for a moment if it was really the right thing to leave Dorian to go back by himself. The memory was still fresh of Dorian telling him to go ahead while he stayed back to pick mistflowers. Had Kaeya not left him to travel alone, he wouldn’t have been abducted and then killed. Dorian seemed to notice his hesitation and added, “I will be fine. Albedo should still be at the entombed city outskirts for me to meet him there rather than at the camp. That way I won’t be traveling very far up the mountain while I’m on my own.”

“Alright. I’ll trust your judgment on that.” 

Not wasting any time, Kaeya grabbed what few things he’d set aside while Adelinde was tending to him. As he turned to leave, the head maid caught him by the arm, her eyes brimming with concern. 

“Promise me you’ll be careful, Master Kaeya. The same goes both as well.” She said, turning towards the other two.

Kaeya smiled reassuringly at her. “Come now, Adelinde. When have I ever not been careful?”

“Don’t make me answer that.” She retorted, hands moving to her hips. “You still have bandages.”

There was still daylight remaining when the entombed city came into view, peeking out from its alcove among the rocky cliffs. He and Diluc had split ways upon reaching the mountain’s border, the pyro user wanting to continue investigating the area. He hadn’t run into any monsters or hilichurls along the way, which was both a relief and reason for concern. His path had taken him through the open area near Vindagnyr Falls, where under normal circumstances there were almost always at least a couple hilichurls within view. This time however, it had been completely barren, which motivated him to pick up his pace.

Knowing Albedo, his brother would likely stay out to collect as much data as possible before returning to camp, so the likelihood of him still being there was high. That is, unless he found something particularly dangerous and left, which Dorian sincerely hoped was not the case.

Not wanting to attract undue attention from whatever might be nearby, he did not call out, instead opting to look for other’s footprints in the snow. Eventually he found some, following them to an intact portion of the ruins that opened into a small collection of chambers set within the stone. The inside was dark, forcing Dorian’s eyes to adjust before he could see inside. Turning a corner, he found Albedo crouched in one of the chambers, inspecting something. 

“Albedo?”

His brother jumped, nearly losing his balance before righting himself and standing up straight. “Dorian, you scared me.” He said, his voice tenser than usual. “What are you doing here? I thought you and Kaeya were going to inspect Wyrmrest Valley.”

“We did, and we ended up coming across a lawachurl that had passed through there. It was much stronger than they normally are. We had difficulty killing it, but then Kaeya’s brother showed up. He took us back to the Winery and told us that two full Faui squads were killed up here by something with cryo abilities. The agents had been slashed and impaled by ice. Kaeya left to inform Jean and the Adventurer’s Guild about it, while I came to report back to you.”

“I see.” Albedo said, then turned back towards when he had been looking at. “I’ve found evidence that the source of the anomaly is nearby, though I have yet to pinpoint its epicenter. The snow leading up to here had been recently disturbed, so I have been inspecting this place for anything useful.”

Dorian had been about to ask the other what evidence he had come across, when he caught the faint sound of snow crunching as someone, or perhaps some thing, approached them. 

“Stay there.” Dorian whispered to Albedo as he crept towards the open entrance, attempting to peer out while also remaining as hidden as possible. That is, until the owner of the footsteps came into view.

“Kaeya?” The Captain, who had seemingly been following his tracks, looked up at the sound of his voice. “Did something happen?”

“Yes. We need to leave. Is Albedo there?”

Dorian hesitated, the back of his neck prickling at the sense of danger. Kaeya looked wrong. For a moment he couldn’t figure out why, then he realized. This Kaeya had no injuries. The mountain shook again, this time far stronger than before. Stones and dust fell from the ceiling, and further in he heard a crash, followed by a cry of alarm from Albedo. Instantly he turned back towards the inside of the chambers, worried that part of the ceiling might have collapsed onto his brother. But before he could call out, something cold was thrust suddenly through his back. Looking down, he saw a bloodied sword of ice protruding from his abdomen, the heat of his body causing stream to drift up from the weapon. Then a voice said into his ear, “Goodbye, Master.”

A chill of fear rose up his spine, followed by a wave of pain as his body’s natural alarms overrode his shock. The sword was pulled back the way it came, and he collapsed to his knees. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the blade rising to finish him off, but it never landed. A solar isotoma formed beneath the fellflower, then rose, crushing it against the stone above them. Albedo pulled Dorian back behind him, then drew his sword, ready as the isotoma shattered and the imposter fell back to the ground. Albedo struck at its neck, but was stopped as it slammed its palms into the ground, causing ice to erupt from where he was standing. He lept back to avoid the attack, then stumbled as the entire structure began to rumble. They both looked up as more dust and stones fell, their attention so focused on the cracks forming above them, that they did not notice the ones below. Not until the floor began to crumble beneath them. Dorian staggered back to his feet, but there was nowhere to go. The fellflower’s ice was blocking the only exit.

In the end, it didn’t matter, because it was only a moment later that the floor collapsed entirely, taking him and Albedo down with it.

Chapter Text

A heavy darkness surrounded Dorian as his daze wore off. An almost tangible veil that seemed to press against his eyes to render him blind. The air was stale and choked with dust, filled with the deep crackle of rubble settling around him. He could hear water nearby as well, but it was too dark for him to see where it was coming from. He carefully pushed himself up into a sitting position, gasping as pain shot through him from the place where he had been stabbed. By some miracle, it didn’t feel like any major organs had been punctured, but he knew he was still bleeding steadily, even if he couldn’t see it. His whole body was aching from their fall, though he had avoided being crushed by the falling stone… Immediately his thoughts turned to Albedo, worry coiling in him over what injuries the other might have sustained. 

“Albedo?” The word echoed slightly, bouncing off hidden walls. He heard no response. “Albedo?” He called out again, this time a little louder, but still it went without reply. The fact that he couldn’t see the glow of Albedo’s vision worried him even more. He needed a light. Anything that could illuminate the space around him so he could look for his brother. He prayed silently that the other was merely unconscious, rather than dead, buried in the rubble. If only he could see. The thought of his warming bottle came to mind. It glowed. Not by much, but it would be better than to blindly grope around in the darkness. He reached into his coat and pulled out the bottle, thankful that he’d had the foresight to infuse the glass with a far stronger material, else it be easily shattered.

Holding the device out, he twisted the cap to the radiant setting. It would produce a far brighter light that way, but it would only last a couple minutes at best before returning to its normal setting to recharge itself, so he would need to make the most of it. The artificial seelie escaped from its confinement, floating in place in front of Dorian. Its warm light cut through the inky darkness, revealing the small chamber they had fallen into. Much of it was caved in, but the far wall was largely intact still. In front of it there was a small body of water to one side, flowing from beyond the wall through a rusted grate just below its surface. Opposite that side was the bulk of rubble from above, and there among the piles of stone lay Albedo. He was lying face-down, a pool of blood forming like a crown around his head, and his legs were pinned under a large portion of rock. 

Dorian rushed to the other’s side as quickly as his injuries would allow. “Albedo?” He shook his brother gently. “Albedo wake up. Please wake up.” But the alchemist remained still. His heart pounding in his ears, Dorian put two fingers to the other’s neck, checking for a pulse. To his great relief, he found one. His brother needed healing, but at least for the time being he was alive. 

A few seconds later his light source exhausted itself, resuming its faint glow. Dorian set it next to the rocks he needed to move to free Albedo’s legs, but it was too dim after being used to help by much. Silently asking his brother’s forgiveness, he moved the other up just enough to snatch his vision and set it next to the warming bottle. The two light sources combined were just enough for him to make out the different pieces of rock. Ignoring the stabbing pain in his abdomen, he took a deep breath before trying to lift the rock. Immediately his pain doubled, but he pushed through it, desperate to move the offending stone. With great effort, he managed to lift it just enough, using another stone to wedge it open long enough for him to pull Albedo free.The other’s legs looked mangled, the bones having been crushed. Even if by some miracle sent from Celestia someone later found him and healed his wounds, he would likely never be able to walk again. But at least in that scenario, he would still be alive. 

Dorian’s own wound was making him dizzy with pain and blood loss by then. He managed to flip Albedo onto his back before collapsing against the rubble with one knee drawn up, tears of frustration welling in his eyes. This was his fault. The two of them were trapped and dying there, likely never to be found again, while his own creation was loose on the mountain to kill as it pleased. And nobody knew it was there. Who else would it kill, disguised as a friend? Kaeya… oh gods. Kaeya didn’t know. Kaeya, the very person he had designed and programmed the fellflower to kill. Not to mention any other knights he might bring back with him. The fellflower had already killed two squads of Fatui, who had undoubtedly been armed with elemental weapons. How easily the knights armed only with simple weapons would be for it to kill, and he had no way of warning them. How many people were about to die because of him? His mind conjured images of his friends pierced with ice, the snow turned red with their blood as his creation stood over them with that cruel, predatory smile of its. Whose face would it be wearing as it ended them? It shouldn’t have been able to change like that. It was only meant to copy his own appearance. If it had evolved to copy other people as well, what else was it capable of doing now?

He let out a wordless cry of anger and frustration, slamming his fist into the stone so hard he heard something in it crack. This was his fault, and he felt so utterly helpless. It was like a nightmare, but there would be no waking up from this one. He wanted some way, any way at all, that he could fix this. Even if it killed him. Even if it sent him back to that horrible nothingness for the rest of eternity, if it meant saving them all from his mistake.

Dorian didn’t often cry, but he was crying now, the tears leaving hot tracks against his cold skin. He left his warming bottle next to Albedo, knowing the other could have a chance of making it out of there, however slim it might be. Dorian knew there wouldn’t be one for himself. He would bleed out eventually, assuming the cold didn’t get to him first. If he could just heal himself somehow, or Albedo, then perhaps they could find a way out of that place. But he couldn’t. He lacked both the necessary knowledge and skill to mend a person with Khemia, nor did he possess a vision. There was absolutely nothing he could do, but wait in the darkness to die.

Suddenly he felt something land on his knee. Opening his eyes, he saw a little glowing bird made of cryo had perched on him. From it a cold sensation was beginning to wash over him, but it was not unpleasant. In fact, it seemed to be chasing away the pain in his limbs, then the wound in his torso. No, wait… it was doing more than just removing his pain. He put a hand to where the fellflower had stabbed him, only to find that the wound had disappeared completely save for a lingering scar. All his other injuries had been healed too. Een his shivering had lessened. 

Once it had finished with him, the bird flitted away to land on Albedo’s head, filling him with its cryo energy. In the faint light, Dorian could see the other’s injuries being mended, becoming whole and untouched. Then the bird flew a couple feet into the air before dissipating into a small flurry of snowflakes. Albedo made a weak sound, shifting slightly where he lay. Immediately Dorian sat bolt upright, putting a hand to Albedo’s shoulder and shaking it. “Albedo? Are you awake? Are you alright?”

Albedo opened his eyes sluggishly, his brow furrowing in confusion. “I’m… fine. I must have fallen unconscious.” Then his mind seemed to catch up with him as his expression turned to one of alarm. He quickly pushed himself up to look at Dorian. “You’re injured. You need to be putting pressure on it so you don’t bleed out.”

“I’m not anymore, look.” Dorian pulled his shirt up enough for Albedo to see. The alchemist hesitantly put a hand to where the wound had been, but found the skin was unbroken.

“How? Did you do this?” 

Dorian shook his head. “I don’t know. There was a little bird that showed up from nowhere and healed me.”

“A bird?” Albedo asked, sounding even more confused.

“Yes. Made of cryo, I think. It healed you as well. You had a head injured and your legs had been crushed. Are they fine now? Can you move them?”

“I believe so.” Albedo got to his feet, a little clumsily at first, but then he steadied himself, leaning against a rock with one hand to keep balanced as he tested the mobility of both his legs. From Dorian’s perspective, nothing seemed to be wrong with them. When Albedo turned to face him again though, his eyes widened.

“What? What’s wrong? What are you-” As he traced Albedo’s gaze, he suddenly noticed the small glowing thing at his side. He felt frozen in place, then he gingerly reached for the item, picking it up with a gentleness as if he feared he might crush it. The smooth gem seemed to twinkle proudly at him, its symbol of cryo casting a cool light into the darkness. Three metal wings adorned its setting, a declaration of its origin. It was a cryo vision, shining and new. 

It was his.

Celestia had deemed him, of all people, worthy of receiving its highest blessing. A gift that had just saved his and Albedo’s life. One that would give him a second chance to rectify his mistake, once and for all.

Chapter Text

“You were given a vision.” Albedo said, his surprise evident in his voice. “One with a healing ability, it would seem.”

Dorian was still frozen in disbelief that the gem was actually his. He’d always wanted a vision, ever since he’d first learned about them, but he had never expected that he would receive one. Up until he’d seen Albedo’s, he didn’t even believe he could receive one, because surely Celestia would never see fit to claim him. Not as the product of an art they despised, hailing from a nation they sought to destroy. But Albedo had proved him wrong, and now he was experiencing for himself what it felt like to see his ambitions materialized in his hand by Celestia’s power. Shaking himself from his trance, he fastened the object to his belt, its cooling energy flowing through him. It had saved the two of them from death, but there was still a problem at hand.

“We need to find a way out of here. I got a brief look around the room with the light of my seelie, but any exit there may have been is currently blocked with rubble. I did see a grate submerged in the water over there,” He pointed to where he’d seen the pool, though it was beyond their range of vision. “But I don’t know what is on the other side of it.”

“Hm. If that is our only option, we should investigate further.”

They carefully worked their way to the pool, using their visions as a light source. The grate was large enough for a person to pass through the tunnel beyond it, if it were to be removed. It would require said person to completely submerge themself however, and there would not be enough room to turn around once inside. 

“Well, looks like I’ll be going for a swim today.” Dorian said wryly as he looked at the inky liquid. Albedo frowned at him.

“That does not seem like a wise idea. We don’t know how far it goes.”

“Do you have a better one?” Dorian asked, preemptively removing his cape so as to avoid being dragged down by it. Albedo’s silence was answer enough for him. “This is the only potential exit from this room. There’s a current, which means it is actively flowing from somewhere. Wherever it is, it’s bound to have some sort of opening. If it doesn’t, I’ll just swim back and we can try to figure something else out.”

His brother’s mouth was taut. “What if it stretches too far? How do you plan to breathe?”

“It should be possible to use Khemia to create an air pocket in the stone. In any case, I can hold my breath for a generous amount of time.”

“And if that fails?”

“Tell my wife and kids I love them?”

“ Dorian. This is not a joking matter.” Albedo’s arms were folded as he gave Dorian a withering look, the latter of whom raised his hands defensively.

“I know, I know. It’s just my way of coping. I don’t want to do this either, but we need to get out of here. Just… I don’t know. Stay there and don’t die.”

Without giving Albedo a chance to respond, or himself to back out, he stepped into the pool, water rising all the way to his neck. It was an action that he immediately regretted as the icy water made him gasp with shock and almost go under. Stars it was cold. He cursed in Khaenri’ahn, but did not leave. Instead he treaded towards the metal grate, taking a deep breath before diving below the water’s surface. The darkness around him was temporarily dispelled as golden light of Khemia enveloped the metal, undoing the makings of it until a gaping hole had formed. He came back up for breath, filling his lungs with as much air as they could hold, then dove back into the murk.

The tunnel was too narrow to use his arms while swimming, so he was forced to rely solely on the kicking of his legs for propulsion. He kept his vision in one hand, holding it out in front of him in an attempt to use it as a light, but there was not much to see with it. Just stone and water stretching past the light’s reach. With the other hand he half-crawled along the side of the tunnel, though he was unable to get much leverage against the stone’s slimy smooth surface. He had to fight off the panicky, claustrophobic feeling that such a tight underwater space instilled, reminding himself that he was fine and could go back if he needed too. After a short while his lungs began to ache, urging him to breathe, but he kept going until he thought he saw light ahead. It was almost unnoticeable at first, but quickly glowed brighter the closer he got to it, and soon it was accompanied by the sound of rushing water. By then his body was practically screaming at him, feeling like it was on fire. He thought he might have to stop and create an air pocket for himself, when suddenly he came to another grate. He made quick work of the metal, and past it the tunnel opened into another pool. 

Dorian gasped loudly as he broke the water’s surface, his body heaving for breath. He managed to paddle over to the edge of the pool, resting his upper half against the stone surface as he recovered himself. As he did so, he took stock of his surroundings. The light he had seen was coming from strange elemental lamps lining the walls of the large chamber he was in, their glow accompanied by the faint luminescence of the flowers and grass which grew along the old stone surfaces. It looked just like the flora from Starglow Cavern, but how could they have made their way down here? There was a small waterfall which fed into the pool he was in, so perhaps that water led up to the cavern, carrying seeds with it. Plants aside, the chamber itself seemed to be of a similar architecture to the ruins above, but there was something… off , about it. It gave him the same impression as when he looked at one of Albedo’s lifelike drawings of objects. They looked so real, it was like he could reach out and grab them, but there was an almost imperceptible difference that his brain caught onto even when his eyes did not.

Seeking out any potential exits from the chamber, he found that there were two, both appearing dimly lit with the occasional lamp, and in much better condition in comparison to the ruins above. He hoped that at least one of them led to somewhere on the surface. That was something that could be investigated once Albedo joined him however. He sucked in a breath before diving down once again, but this time he had the current to help push him along.

The other chamber seemed even darker than before when he resurfaced, his eyes having adjusted to the light on the other side. Were it not for the glow of Albedo’s vision, he wouldn’t have been able to tell whether his brother was still crouched by the pool or not.

“I take it you found something?”

Dorian swam towards him, leaning against the pool’s edge. The bottom was too deep for him to stand without his head going under, and his limbs were becoming weak from the cold, even with his warming bottle having been returned to his person. While the device could keep cold air at bay, it was not enough to combat the cooling rate of freezing water. Not while in its passive state anyway. “Yes. There’s another ch-chamber on the other-r side.” Despite his efforts against it, the chattering of his teeth caused his voice to stutter. “It’s a long s-swim though. I almost didn’t m-make it.”

“I see. I will follow you, then.”

“Okay.” Dorian pushed himself away from the edge to give Albedo more room. “But j-just t-to warn you, the water is really f-fucking cold.”

~ ~ ~

Both brothers were shivering by the time they left the pool on the other side. Not even Albedo’s potion was strong enough to keep him warm in such frigid waters, though he at least was in better shape than Dorian, who had spent twice as long in it. His fingers had gone completely numb by then, and he’d struggled to pull himself up. So it was to their great relief when they found a warming station in one of the corridors. It did not do much to dry them, but at least it was able to chase away the cold. It burned at first as his body warmed up again, feeling as flames were licking hungrily at him, but soon that turned to a far more pleasant sensation that he was reluctant to remove himself from. They stayed there until their temperatures rose to an acceptable level, then continued forward down the long stone halls.

Throughout the entire time, Dorian could not shake the feeling that something was off about the place. They passed through a number of chambers and corridors, all of which were in varying states of dilapidation. Some of the chambers appeared to be in half-decent condition, while others were crumbling and overgrown with glowing plants. Their layout was… odd. It was far too repetitive, and many of the chambers were unsettlingly barren. After a short while Dorian stopped with a huff, pinching the bridge of his nose. It had become obvious to him by then. “This is a domain, isn’t it? There’s no way anyone would build an underground system like this.”

Albedo hmmm. “That would seem to be the case, yes. I’ve investigated the ruins above ground countless times, but never found any sign of there being such an extensive underground portion of the city.”

Dorian supposed he shouldn’t be surprised, considering the magnitude of the ley line anomaly. It made sense that one should appear in such proximity to where the fellflower had been killed. The source of the anomaly responsible for both was nearby, tucked away in the heart of the domain. Though their master hadn’t seen fit to teach him about the workings of domains, he’d heavily researched the subject while filling in for Albedo. It was a large part of his job as Captain of the Investigation Team, after all. He bit the inside of his cheek, feeling increasingly uneasy. “So in other words, we’re trapped in what is clearly an unstable subspace, and have to hope that we find a way out before it collapses and ejects us to archons knows where on the mountain. Probably inside some deep underground cavern with our luck. And all the while that monster is up there killing whomever it pleases. We need to get out of here before morning when Kaeya returns, likely with the Knights.”

Albedo’s expression was grim, knowing just as well as Dorian how dire the situation was. “We’ll need to keep ourselves warm as well. It seems there are occasional warming stations here, but we cannot count on them continuing to be available further on. My current potion will lose its effect in the next hour or so, and I only have one remaining that wasn’t broken during the fall.”

Dorian cursed. If it came down to it, his warming bottle wouldn’t be enough to keep the both of them warm. At best, it might keep them from dying if they were to take turns with it, but there would only be so much they could do in that state. “So that gives us what… five hours give or take? And there are roughly nine or so hours until daybreak. We can find a way out by then, surely. This domain is only a couple days old, so it can’t be that large.”

“Perhaps, but we should be prepared for the worst. Domains like this are unpredictable.”

Unfortunately, Albedo proved to be right. At first it seemed the tunnels of corridors were endless. A maze of stone that led them deeper and deeper inside. But after a while Dorian began to suspect that they were passing by the same chambers more than once, and so they started marking the path as they went. It was not long after that they came to realize what was happening. The paths themselves did not form physical loops, but rather some of the halls would seamlessly transport them to another area of the maze. Areas that they had already passed through, in most cases. They began to create new types of marks, coordinating which halls transported them to which areas. It was a blessing that the both of them had excellent memory, as it prevented them from accidentally walking down the wrong paths twice. And still they kept getting sent back over and over and over again, until Dorian thought he might go insane. They were at least making some progress, but it was at an agonizingly slow pace. 

To make matters worse, they were not the only ones trapped there. The discovery of new chambers often led to encounters with various monsters, which they had to dispatch before moving on. With every fight, Dorian became increasingly thankful for his new vision.

Albedo’s initial potion had long since run out, and as warming stations became sparse, he was soon forced to take his second one. That had been hours ago it felt like, but it was almost impossible to tell time in that place. It was only after the second potion ran out that they realized just how long they had been stuck down there. By then however, the chambers began to grow warmer little by little, and with the rise in temperature, he began to notice the ambient ley line energy becoming stronger. There was something else, too. Something interlaced with the ley line energy from which the domain was built. At first Dorian couldn’t tell what it was, but puzzlement soon turned to recognition. It was Durin’s power he was sensing. Naturally, a domain formed of ley lines on the mountain would also be affected by the dragon’s blood. It was permeating the entire area, though only now that it was stronger was he able to perceive it. 

Albedo sensed it too, but not right away. They knew they must be getting closer to the domain’s source as the sickly energy around them became more intense, accompanied by the presence of corruption staining what little plants continued to grow that far in. What had been blue flowers and pale grass turned to varying shades of crimson and purple, like rotten flesh. After a while, they could even see the sinew-like fingers of energy being pulled up from the ground. By then Dorian had begun to feel viscerally ill, his stomach and head churning. He forced himself to keep going however. 

Then it happened. As they turned a final corner, they emerged into a massive, ornate chamber. Dorian leaned against the side of the corridor, feeling like he had been struck by a wall as a wave of the sickly energy washed over him. The entire place looked like the inside of a spider’s nest, webs of concentrated energy covering nearly every surface of the room, all coalescing around the thing at the very center. It appeared like a massive cocoon of red-stained ice that reached up towards the ceiling, save for a section near its base where something had broken through it, giving that a clear view of what lay inside. It was a ley line outcrop, only it was much bigger than the ones he usually saw, and it had become so tainted with Durin’s blood that it was now a tangible growth of rot, like a repulsive facsimile of the still-beating heart in what remained of Durin’s chest. 

From beside him, he heard Albedo make a troubled noise, his brow furrowed. “This has been festering here for far longer than a couple days.”

“You don’t say?” Dorian shot back sarcastically, much to Albedo’s distaste. “When do you think this would have happened, then? There haven’t been any other recent incidents with ley line disruptions here. Or at least not that I’ve seen.”

“The last notable fluctuation I recorded was while you were in a coma. It lasted several days, and while I narrowed down its epicenter to being near these ruins, I could not find the exact location of its source. What I find concerning is that the outcrop has not dispersed during that span of time. Based on the evidence, I hypothesize that something has been continually drawing energy from it, preventing it from stabilizing and returning to natural levels. That is until a couple days ago when it suddenly ceased to do so, allowing the outcrop to suddenly release back outward like a long-held breath. Though, judging by the tremors, I suspect it got greedy and siphoned off an exorbitant amount of energy at one time before detaching itself.”

It was an unsettling picture to imagine, leaving Dorian without comment. The tumor pulsed sickeningly ahead of them, like a dying heartbeat as it expelled the corrupted energy that had been drawn up through it for so long, further tainting the area around it. Dorian fought the urge to both embrace it, and run away. Albedo seemed far less affected by its foul influence, even drawing nearer to it to cautiously inspect the surrounding shell of ice before turning back to face Dorian with a grim expression.

“Hypothetically speaking, what would happen if, beginning from the weakened state it died in, your fellflower spent the last three months feeding off Durin’s blood and concentrated ley line energy?”

Dorian felt a cold sense of dread wash over him as realization settled. “I… I don’t know.” He said hesitantly. He didn’t want to know. “But in a worst-case scenario, it could have essentially become an extension of Durin’s heart, and with enough contact, be capable of corrupting either of us.”

The wind of Dragonspine wailed in Eula’s ears as she led Amber and the Acting Grandmaster further up the mountain, the noise making it difficult to pick out the sounds of any potential dangers. Something could be stalking them at any time, and she would not be able to hear it. The blowing of the snow made it difficult to see as well. Their small group had to be especially vigilant, so as not to be taken by surprise by whatever had attacked the Fatui. 

She was also keeping an eye out for Captain Kaeya and Chief Albedo. Kaeya had gone ahead of them after their meeting the previous night, returning to the Dawn Winery with the intention of requesting Master Diluc to collaborate with them in this matter. Eula had scoffed at the idea when Jean presented it. It was well known that the ex-Captain held no fondness for the Knights of Favonius, often ridiculing them openly. He rarely cooperated with them, even on important matters. They were short in number for this mission however, having elected not to bring any other knights until they knew what it was they were facing, and Master Diluc’s pyro vision made him especially well-suited in a fight against cryo-wielding enemies. 

The plan had been to meet with Kaeya that morning outside the Winery, hopefully with his brother in tow. When they got there however, the head maid had informed them that Master Kaeya had already left, with Master Diluc having departed to resume his investigation shortly after. Eula huffed, a white plume appearing briefly in front of her before it was swept away by the wind. The Cavalry Captain was clever, and could usually hold his own, but he was always more reckless when Chief Albedo’s safety was on the line. It was a foolish act for him to have entered the mountain alone, knowing the present danger. She would be certain to reprimand him for it once they caught up with him. 

The man’s tracks could be seen heading up the main path towards Albedo’s camp, and thus far they had remained the only ones present. This came as a relief, since it meant that whatever danger was up there hadn’t gotten to him along the way. It was only once they had reached the camp a few hours later that they realized something was awry. Captain Kaeya was not there, nor was the Chief Alchemist.

“They left already?” Amber stepped deeper into the cave, as if they might be hiding inside somewhere. As was her usual fashion, the Outrider had remained in good spirits on their journey there, despite the danger. It was not that she was unaware of it. She had been just as vigilant as Eula and the Acting Grandmaster. Rather is was just the sort of person she was. Even in dire situations, she somehow managed to stay positive, like fingers of sunlight shining through the clouds on a rainy day, and Eula loved that about her. Now, though, a puzzled expression had taken the place of the smile she was wearing moments before as she searched the cave.

Jean shifted her stance, worried at the revelation. She looked tired, likely because she hadn’t slept much, or at all, the previous night. The Acting Grandmaster had a bad habit of wearing herself thin, especially when she was stressed. Eula had encouraged her to rest with the threat of seeking revenge should she become hurt in a fight on account of not doing so, but it seemed that the other had not heeded her advice. “It wouldn’t be like Captain Kaeya to leave here without good cause. Not when he knows we need to regroup before continuing the mission. Did he at least leave some kind of note saying where they’ve gone?”

“Not that I can find, but maybe the wind could have come in and blown it somewhere.”

Jean and Amber began to look among the various tables, but Eula stayed near the entrance, crouching down to inspect the footprints there. Kaeya’s tracks showed him leaving the cave and continuing along the Western path, though the shape and pattern of the steps indicated that he was running. Albedo’s tracks were absent altogether. It gave Eula a sick feeling in her gut as she was reminded of the last time Albedo had gone missing. If he had got himself hurt again… she shook her head, banishing the thought. If she dwelled on it, it would become a distraction which might jeopardize the efficiency of her performance in the field, and that was not something she would allow. If Albedo was indeed in peril, keeping a clear head would be of greater help to him than pointless worrying. The past was unchangeable, so it was important they take the proper actions to improve the future outcome. She stood, turning back towards the other two. “Based on these footprints, It appears that Albedo never arrived yesterday evening. Kaeya must have realized that and hurried off to find him.”

Jean was silent for a moment, looking troubled. “There are none of Albedo’s tracks at all?”

“None. The snowfall from overnight buried any that were here.”

Amber suddenly let out a startled noise from where she was at the rear of the cave. Eula and Jean both turned, seeing something black quickly appear from underneath one of the shelves. It was a rather large black cat with vibrant orange eyes. Odd. From what Eula understood, Albedo did not particularly like cats. Something about them being unconducive to a lab setting. The animal ran towards one of the tables, yowling loudly as it pawed a paper that had folded over, before picking it up in its mouth and dropping it at Grandmaster Jean’s feet. Eula and Amber joined the other’s side to see what had been hastily written on it.

Albedo and D did not return to camp last night. Last I know, D went to meet Albedo at the Entombed City Outskirts. I cannot afford to wait here. Find me there.

~K.A.

 

Eula’s brow furrowed at the second person mentioned in the short letter. D? Could he be referring to Diluc? The pyro user’s tracks had not been present with Kaeya’s, but the letter’s wording did not match up for it to mean him. She supposed it didn’t matter. What was important was that Albedo and this other person were missing, possibly left exposed to the weather overnight or having been attacked, and Kaeya had gone alone to find them.

“We must make haste to catch up with him.” She said sternly. “Before the snow makes his tracks difficult to follow. There will be vengeance to be had if he gets himself killed out there because he was too imprudent to wait for us to join him.”

The three women did not waste time in following the trail Kaeya had left for them. It quickly had deviated from the main path, taking risky shortcuts for the sake of reaching the ruins as swiftly as possible. Eula tsked under her breath as she saw the skidding of his tracks down a particularly steep section of rock. Reckless . He was going to get himself injured before even reaching them if he continued like that. In several areas they were forced to find a safer way around, costing them precious time, but it would be foolhardy for them to share in Kaeya’s incautious behavior. Better they arrive later than with broken bones. They were roughly halfway to the ruins when Kaeya suddenly appeared ahead of them, heading back towards the way they had come. 

“Sir Kaeya!” Amber ran ahead, bounding lithely through the snow to reach him. “What happened? Did you find Albedo?”

Kaeya watched Eula and Jean approach, his eye lingering on the former, before answering the outrider’s question. “Yes. We need to hurry. One of the ruins collapsed and they are trapped underground. I need help moving the rubble.”

“Show us the way.” Jean said hurriedly. The Captain nodded before doubling back towards the ruins, the rest following closely behind. Eula kept herself between him and the other two, watching the Captain closely as something nagged at her from some deep corner of her mind, a whisper telling her that she had been here before. She had no evidence for it however, so for the time being she would follow and watch, hoping that her intuition was wrong.

Chapter Text

“Do you feel that?” Dorian stopped in place, his head tilted as listened to the space around them. It had already been at least a couple of hours since they’d left the main chamber of the domain, not having found any exits there. In whatever way the fellflower tore through the subspace and escaped, that hole had since resealed itself, leaving the twins to seek out another exit. At Dorian’s question, Albedo mirrored his reaction, carefully taking in what lay unseen. The air felt as though it were rippling, like the surface of a pond that had just been disturbed. It was almost imperceptible when Dorian first noticed it, but the sensation was steadily growing more intense. Albedo’s eyes widened slightly.

“The domain is destabilizing. It is about to collapse.”

As if on cue, the walls around them seemed to warp and fold in on themselves. Dorian's sense of direction spun dizzyingly, throwing him off balance and causing him to fall backwards. Before he could hit the ground, the stone below him suddenly gave way to snow and ice as he was ejected onto the mountainside with Albedo following immediately behind. They had not been left in one of the mountain’s many underground caverns as Dorian had feared, however their point of exit was still not ideal. Both of them began to slide down the sleep incline they had emerged onto, picking up speed as they went, until the ground vanished below them as they were launched off a small drop-off.

Dorian barely had time to even register what had happened before he and Albedo landed at the bottom, the freshly fallen snow helping to cushion the blow as they skidded to a stop. He felt too dazed to move, the ringing in his ears seemingly spreading to the rest of his body. The breath had been driven from lungs, and he couldn’t see. After his brain finally caught up with him, he realized he couldn’t breathe either. He was laying face down in the snow, and something heavy was on top of him. That something was rather bony, too, and was jabbing uncomfortably against part of his ribs.

Albedo, get off of me.

He squirmed underneath his brother, trying to push the other man off of him. His body was still in too much shock to complete the task, but his struggles were enough to prompt Albedo to move. Immediately he rolled over, gasping for breath as his lungs greedily took back the air that had been so abruptly stolen from them. He laid still as his body recovered, eyes staring straight up at the cloud-laden sky. Snow was drifting down at a steady pace, landing on his cheeks which burned from the impact against the snowdrift. After a small while he heard Albedo shuffling next to him, accompanied by a pained grunt. A moment later, his brother’s face entered his field of vision, looking down at him with an arm outstretched.

“Are you alright?”

Dorian mustered the strength to accept Albedo hand, the other helping to hoist him back to his feet. He winced as his body ached with the movement. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I’m going to be sore for a week after this though.”

Now that he was standing, he took a look at their surroundings. At the top of the incline they had emerged from was the Ancient Palace of the Entombed City, its ruins peeking out from the cliff-side. The thick cloud cover and falling snow made it difficult to tell what time it was, but from experience, Dorian would have to guess it was already early to mid-morning, well past when Kaeya would likely have returned. They still needed to warn him and anyone else who might have come with him about the fellflower.

Albedo was still frowning up at the sky, his brow furrowed. “We should head back to my camp immediately. That is the first place Kaeya will have gone to find us. If we are lucky, he will still be there. If he isn’t, it is likely he went to look for us at the Outskirts, which is probably the worst place on the mountain to go at the moment.”

Dorian didn’t like the odds of them being lucky in this case. Knowing Kaeya, it was highly unlikely that the Captain would sit around the cave in the hopes that they would show up. “Yeah, let’s hurry then.”

They waited only long enough for Dorian to activate his warming bottle to its radiant setting, heating them to their core so that they would not freeze before reaching Albedo’s camp. Upon climbing their way up to the main path, they found that a number of people had also headed up the mountain before them, and fairly recently at that, judging by how fresh the footprints were in the snow.

“Kaeya must have brought some of the Knights with him.”

He wasn’t sure whether that was a good or bad thing. On one hand, there would be more people to fight against the fellflower if they encountered it, but on the other hand, that meant more people for it to kill. With that in mind, they redoubled their pace, ignoring the way their lungs began to burn with the cold and exertion after a while. It was just over an hour before they made it to their destination, but not once had they stopped or slowed down. Dorian felt he was going to pass out or throw up after finally crossing the threshold of the cave, sinking to his knees as he panted. Judging by the dark spots in his vision, the former was more likely. Sweat dripped off his face, his whole body feeling like it was on fire. Never before had he run that fast for that long, not even when their master was testing his endurance. Though back then, he didn’t have a good reason to. Their lengthy sprint had saved them over an hour of travel time, and given how recently the others had passed through that way, there was a chance that they could be intercepted. 

Still bracing himself against the floor, Dorian heard a series of urgent meows coming from nearby, and a moment later Negredo was rubbing vigorously against his face. He would have pet the animal, but he required both arms to keep himself from planting his face into the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Albedo was equally incapacitated, slumping so far into one of the chairs that he was close to slipping off of it. Dorian could feel himself cooling rapidly as his body had yet to catch up with the fact that he was no longer running. He waited, shivering, to recover himself enough to stand again so that he could retrieve two warming elixirs from one of the shelves, tossing one to Albedo. It seemed counterintuitive, drinking something to raise his body temperature because his body was trying not to overheat, but the elixir did its job, chasing away his chills. 

“We need to gather some supplies to fight the fellflower with.” Albedo said, pulling himself stiffly back to his feet. “You know how it functions better than myself. What would you advise?”

“Aside from as many warming potions as we can spare… hm.” Dorian thought about it for a moment. He didn’t know how much it had changed from when he had first created it, but there was at least one thing he was certain would still be effective against it. The memory of something he’d seen in one of Albedo’s old journals suddenly came to mind, an experiment deemed to be one of the most catastrophic failures of Albedo’s career as Chief Alchemist. 

The intent had been to create a strong, liquid flame that would continue burning until the honey-like substance it used as fuel was completely exhausted, surviving even if doused in water or snow. Unfortunately the mixture turned out to be highly volatile, inflicting severe burns on himself and destroying nearly half of his laboratory. It was a miracle (and likely by their master’s design) that Albedo had not been left with significant scarring all over his body. After that incident the experiment had been marked as too risky to continue by the Acting Grandmaster, and was abandoned.

Dorian bit the inside of his cheek. “Do you still have the ingredients to make alchemist’s fire?”

“...yes.” Albedo sounded hesitant. “That would be an incredibly risky strategy however. It could likely result in more than just the fellflower being injured by it.”

Dorian crossed his arms, a hellbent look in his eyes. “Well, consider it our Hail Mary.”

Eula never once let Kaeya out of her sight as he led them to Albedo and whoever ‘D’ was. Nothing about his behavior was indicative that something was amiss with him, but her instincts were clamoring at her that something about him was not right, and it wasn’t long before any doubts she had were done away with. It was the same feeling she had with the false Albedo. If she were to pull the other two aside to share her concerns however, it would alert this imposter that she was aware of his deception, likely prompting him to attack them right away. It went against her better nature to allow the enemy to strike first, but there was a chance that he was indeed leading them to Albedo. If Kaeya’s letter was to be believed, then the outskirts was where the alchemist was likely to be. What she didn’t know was whether this Kaeya was the same Kaeya that had written the letter, or if the real Kaeya had been intercepted and replaced afterwards. The answer to that would determine what actions would be most appropriate for the present situation. Suddenly an idea came to mind.

“Captain Kaeya, might I ask who ‘D’ is, that was mentioned in your note to us?”

Kaeya slowed to a stop, turning to look at her with his brow creased in a puzzled expression. She could practically see the cogs turning in his head. He didn’t know. Amber and Grandmaster Jean immediately caught on at his hesitation, which he seemed to take notice of. The charade was up. 

Without warning a sword of cryo materialized in the imposter’s hand before it thrust the weapon directly towards Eula’s chest. She pirouetted out of its range before retaliating, swinging her claymore with a deadly grace. Her opponent was quick however, easily sidestepping her attack while spires of ice erupted at her feet. It only took a moment for Jean and Amber to join her side as the imposter assailed them with a cruel grin. The expression seemed fitting on Kaeya’s face. It was not the first time she had seen him make it, but never had she been on the receiving end.

“You’re quick.” It said coolly. “This should be fun.”

Despite being three to one, it was soon apparent they were fighting a losing battle. Their opponent had the advantage of ranged attacks, keeping out of Eula and Jean’s reach when it didn’t feel like dancing around their weapons, and Amber’s arrows were of little use when it so easily dodged them or shielded itself with ice. She managed to catch it off guard once, firing an arrow into the sky to summon an array of them, which shot down where the imposter had been standing with a burst of steam. When the vapor cleared however, Eula could see the imposter calling forth an array of its own, the surface sparkling as blades of ice formed around it. 

“That was a clever shot, but you’ll have to do better than that.”

Eula pulled Amber behind her while holding up her claymore to shield her face from the frozen barrage that quickly followed. She grit her teeth as the blades cut deep gashes into her, feeling as if the projectiles had been made of flame instead of ice. Beside her, she could hear Jean cry out in pain. The Grandmaster had been able to fend off several by sending out a burst of anemo, but it was not enough to keep the rest at bay. With a grimace she held up her sword, surrounding the three of them in a gentle breeze that healed their wounds almost instantaneously.

Their respite was not long lived as they were forced to dive away from the ice that blossomed violently at their feet. Their opponent was relentless, chasing them down from afar with brutal attacks that became increasingly difficult to evade. The three of them tried to remain in close proximity to each other, but the imposter seemed to purposely be separating them with its attacks, all the while continuing to grin like an iniquitous jackal. Every so often it would let out a quip or snide remark at them in a very Kaeya-like way, which Eula did not find reassuring. Unlike the last time, they did not have Bennet’s pyro-infused sword to help melt through the spires, and the imposter was now actively keeping close quarters with Amber to avoid having any more flaming arrows rained down on it. 

Judging by the prowess in combat it had already demonstrated, Eula knew it could have killed any one of them a number of times, but it seemed to be holding back. Much like a cat, it was playing with its food, taking enjoyment from their struggle before inevitably killing them. Unfortunately for the imposter, it was underestimating her resolve. She would not allow such deceitful scum to harm her partner or the Acting Grandmaster without letting it taste her vengeance. Not while there was still breath in her lungs. She spun lithely past another blast of ice that had been sent in her direction while cutting down another with her claymore. Behind it she found Amber laying on the ground, her red rabbit-eared bandana drooping onto her head to match the blood that trickled from it. She wanted to rush to the other’s side, but doing so would leave her exposed to an attack. She needed to locate the enemy first. 

From the distance she could hear Master Jean call out, “Eula! It’s to your right!” 

She lifted her weapon with not a moment to spare as the imposter’s sword clashed with it. It was far stronger than she anticipated, and the force of their collision sent her skidding backwards in the newly-fallen snow. Before she could have the chance to regain her footing, her opponent’s blade descended on her once more. This time it landed, slicing across her lower arm and wrist. Her claypoint was decorated crimson with her own blood as it fell from her gasp. She clutched at the wound with her other hand while rolling to dodge the imposter’s next attack, but when she looked back up, her opponent had seemingly vanished to reappear behind her.

She dropped down as her opponent swung its blade and spun, kicking its legs out from under it before taking the small knife she kept on her person and thrusting it towards the other’s chest. Blessedly she managed to take it by surprise, cutting a deep gash into its side before it kicked her away with inhuman force, driving her against a rocky ledge. She gasped as she felt the sharp pain of ribs cracking with the impact. The imposter looked at the wound she had inflicted on it with a displeased expression. There was no blood, and the wound seemed to glow faintly with a sickly red light as it mended itself. The sight did not hold the other’s attention for long, though, and after a few moments its gaze returned to her, eye gleaming maliciously. 

She tried to move away as it approached, but her broken ribs would not allow it, threatening to puncture her lungs. Taking advantage of her vulnerability, the Imposter grabbed her by the front of her shirt, lifting her until her feet barely touched the ground, then pressed her roughly against the ledge. 

“Come now, surely you can do better than this.” The mocking tone in Kaeya’s stolen voice was unsettlingly accurate. The more the imposter spoke, the more certain she was that it had already encountered the Cavalry Captain, and that it was now mimicking what it had heard. Even its swordplay had become an imitation of his own, when it was not slinging ice at them. Well, it wasn’t the only one who could take inspiration from Kaeya’s fighting style. She raised her uninjured hand and channeled her vision into it, releasing a burst of cryo directly into its exposed eye. 

Immediately it released her with a strangled sound, clawing at its own face to remove the ice that was now obscuring its vision. Using its distraction to her advantage, she reached for her knife and threw it blade-over-handle. It pierced the imposter through the hand that was raised to its face, embedding itself so deeply that it also cut the other’s cheek. She was pleased to see it was no longer smiling. 

It pulled the knife from its hand with a dissatisfied look before tossing it to the side, a sword of ice taking its place in its grip. It crossed the distance between them in an instant, blade aimed at her heart, but in the same moment another person dove in front of her from the top of the ledge, calling forth a wall of ice like a shield. The imposter’s weapon clashed against it, shattering.

“Albedo?”

The figure was not wearing the same clothes as the alchemist, but he possessed the same ash-blonde hair and short stature. When he turned towards her to take stock of her injuries, she saw that his face was identical as well. Something dark suddenly passed over them, followed by the clash of steel against ice, but the barrier in front of them was too thick for her to see past. A small bird made of cryo appeared in the other’s palm, tilting its head at her before flying over to land on her injured wrist. Instantly the wound began to close with a pleasant cooling sensation. 

“You can call me Dorian. Where’s Kaeya? We didn’t see him with you three.”

Eula realized this must have been the ‘D’ mentioned in Kaeya’s letter. For a moment she wondered who he was, but that was a thought best left for when they were not on the battlefield. “He left a couple hours ahead of us to look for Albedo and yourself.”

The man was left stricken by her words, his demeanor sinking. He hissed a foreign word before turning towards where the others were fighting. “There’s… there’s a chance he’s still alive. We can look for him, but first we need to kill that thing. It is likely a lot stronger than last time, so be careful.”

Both brothers had been profoundly relieved when they finally caught up with the others. The first glimmer of hope had come when they heard the sound of fighting from further down. Dead people cannot pick up a blade, so they knew at least one person was still standing. Upon reaching the end of the cliff, they saw that Jean and Eula were both still alive, though Amber was lying motionless in the snow while Kaeya was missing entirely. The Acting Grandmaster was kneeling next to the former, and looking closely, he could faintly see the green glow of anemo wrapping around the other. That was good. Dead people can’t be healed either. If Amber had already passed, Jean’s magic would not respond to her.

Eula appeared to be in a more dangerous position, the fellflower’s attention having become solely fixed on her. There was no direct way to get down to her from the cliff without jumping off of it, and even then there was a second ledge he would have to drop from. The latter he could likely do without notable harm coming to him, but the former was too far to land on without breaking his legs. Perhaps if he were to create a slope of ice at the base… He was still getting used to his vision though. He had discovered that, using his sword as a medium, he could create a solid barrier of ice which curled inward to shield himself on one side. Creating a slope while actively falling was a stretch though, and if he proved unable to do so, it would leave him incapacitated until he could be healed. The sight of Eula being kicked against the ledge, obscuring her from his view was enough to make his decision for him. He wordlessly tossed the bag of supplies to Albedo before steeling himself to make the jump.

“Dorian, what are you-”

He didn’t let Albedo finish the question before stepping into open air, his stomach lurching at the sudden freefall. Technically speaking he was still sliding, but the cliff face was steep enough that he might as well have been falling. As the ground rushed up towards him, he called upon his new vision, praying it would follow his command as he intended. Just as he was about to hit the bottom, he made a slashing motion with his sword, creating a small blast of cryo that grew, climbing a small ways up the cliff until it resembled a slide. It did not go as far as he had hoped, but it fulfilled its purpose. Dorian winced when he hit it, the impact still being enough to jar his body, but he did not feel anything break. Instead, he was shot forwards across the surface of the ledge like a rock tossed on solid ice. As he was reaching the edge, he saw the flower lunge forward with its sword outstretched, but Dorian was determined for it not to land. He made another slash into thin air as he slid off the edge, colliding with the newly formed barrier at the same time as the other’s sword. 

“Albedo?”

The ringing in his ears made it difficult to hear her, but stars he was relieved that Eula was still in good enough condition to speak. He turned to look at her, taking notice of the long cut across her wrist and arm. Immediately he summoned a cryo bird to heal her as something passed over them. Albedo, likely, judging by the sounds of battle that followed. 

“You can call me Dorian. Where’s Kaeya? We didn’t see him with you three.” The Cavalry Captain’s absence had been set aside in his mind in favor of saving Eula from the immediate threat of death, but now that she was safe, his worry over the other came flooding in. The look in her eyes told him that he wouldn’t like the answer.

“He left a couple hours ahead of us to look for Albedo and yourself.”

He felt his heart drop suffocatingly in his chest. They had been lucky enough to catch the others mid-fight. If Kaeya had already arrived alone two hours prior… the likelihood that he was still alive was slim to none. A Khaenri’ahn curse escaped from his lips, and had to remind himself that now was not the time to shut down. 

“There’s… there’s a chance he’s still alive.” So small of one there might as well be none at all. No, he shouldn’t think like that. He wouldn’t believe Kaeya was gone until he saw it with his own eyes. “We can look for him, but first we need to kill that thing. It is likely a lot stronger than last time, so be careful.”

The two of them slipped out from behind the barrier to be immediately assaulted by a wave of ice, forcing them to dive to the side. He saw Amber was back on her feet, firing pyro arrows at the fellflower, but thus far it was doing well to avoid them, and her barron bunnies were sent flying back with well-placed surges of ice. All of them had visions now, but elementally they were ill-suited to fighting a cryo-based enemy. Eula’s and his own vision were useless as far as inflicting damage went, and Jean’s was only a little better. Albedo’s at least created physical constructs which could harm it, but that would only go so far. What they needed was more firepower, which thankfully was what he and Albedo had brought. 

Before leaving the camp, they had stuffed a sack with any kind of incendiary materials available to them, including the various unsuccessful prototypes for “Mondstadt-proof” bombs that had been designed for Klee. A vial of inactivated alchemist’s fire had been brought as well, though they had encased it in a non-flammable material to keep it safe until they needed it. If they needed it, which for all their sakes he hoped they would not.

After a quick glance around, he found the sack on the ground nearby. Albedo must have left it before attacking. Most of the items in it would not be of use while the fellflower was in its disguised state, being too nimble and too close to the others. As such, they needed to harm it enough to force it into assuming its true form.

Eula was the first to leap back to her feet, rejoining the fray without hesitation. Dorian followed close behind, mentally noting the strength and pattern of their opponent’s attacks. So far as he could tell, it was not demonstrating any significant increase of power from when he had initially created it, but he knew it was likely holding back just by looking at its face. The smug, sadistic expression it wore belonged to a creature that was confident it would win, and was simply toying with its prey for its own amusement. It was no surprise. All whopperflowers love to hunt, even though they do not require food to survive. This was all just a game to it, one that Dorian would not let it win.

As he drew near, intending to strike at the other while it was busy fending off an attack by Jean, its eye flicked towards him, the star-shaped pupil tightening. It pressed Jean away with a fresh eruption of ice that threatened to pierce her, then locked its blade with his own.

“You’re still alive too. That’s good.”

The fellflower’s malicious grin had morphed into something more like anger, or perhaps betrayal. It became distracted momentarily as Eula’s claymore danced dangerously close to its neck, being prompted to bring up a wall of ice between them that was not too unlike Dorian’s own. He struck at the flower again, but much like the real Kaeya, its movements were faster than his. More ice rose quickly from the ground, but rather than a spire it was a block, striking him dead in the chest and sending him flying down the hill towards the ruins. He gasped for breath when he finally slid to a stop, causing the pain in his ribs and collarbone to flare. That attack was personal. Someone was shouting something incoherent from the top of the hill, but as he tried to push himself back to his feet he was suddenly yanked off the ground and thrown against a ruin wall.

The fellflower’s eye stared coldly into his own as it surged toward him, blade in hand. Dorian blocked the attack with his own, pushing the other away. They circled each other, looking for an opening. Or rather Dorian was, and the fellflower was merely playing along. He took advantage of it nonetheless, using the extra few moments to begin heating his sword as he had done while fighting the lawachurl.

“You hurt me.” It said, easily sidestepping Dorian’s next strike and retaliating with one of its own. Dorian tucked into a roll beneath the other’s sword and swung at the other’s legs. It evaded the attack easily. “Why? Did I fail you, master?”

“No. You did exactly as I instructed you to do. I was the one to fail myself by ever making you in the first place. I’m sorry for that.”

It paused, its brows furrowing. That was not the answer it had been expecting. With a huff it shook its head like a horse shaking off flies in the summer. Dorian backpedaled as it swung at him again, its blade striking the stone wall instead. Being made merely of ice, the blade shattered on impact, leaving its owner vulnerable. Before it could summon a new one, Dorian feigned an attack towards its side, allowing it to try moving away before switching his attack. The fellflower hissed in pain when the cherry-red metal sliced deep into its leg, causing it to stumble. As Dorian had hoped, the wound did not begin healing itself on account of the cauterization. He struck again, twice in quick succession. The first caught the other while it was still regaining its footing, slicing across its palm just as another sword was about to form to block the attack. It avoided the second one, but in doing so its injured leg buckled and drove it to one knee. Its eye glittered slightly as it gathered cryo energy, but then its gaze widened as it drifted past where Dorian was standing, and it opted to roll to the side instead.

Dorian turned just in time to see Diluc charging in with his claymore set ablaze, and it was not the fellflower he was aiming for. He barely managed to summon an ice wall before the man descended on him. The ice did little to dampen the blow, and Dorian’s own raised sword was the only thing keeping Diluc’s claymore from cutting his neck. He was forced to hold his sword up with both hands, tears forming as the still-hot metal seared his hand. It was a test of physical strength between them, and Dorian was quickly losing. He tried to move away as the flames of Diluc’s weapon licked at his throat and chest, but he was locked in place. 

“I knew he shouldn’t have trusted you.” He spat, the fire reflecting in his eyes. A moment later he withdrew his weapon before kicking Dorian’s out of his hand, the cooling metal scraping against the ice-encrusted stone. The fellflower watched from the sidelines with silent curiosity as he rolled over and tried to push himself up, only for Diluc to strike him against the head, causing his ears to ring loudly and his vision to waver as his brain fought to keep him conscious. 

“Kaeya, are you alright? How badly did he hurt you?” The pyro user’s voice sounded distant, almost to the point of being inaudible. 

“The sneaky bastard ambushed me when I got here.” The fellflower was going along with it, likely waiting for Diluc to turn his back before attacking. It showed Diluc the cuts he had made on its leg and hand. “He thought he was being clever and gave me these.” 

The other man made a sound not unlike a growl, inspecting the fellflower’s wounds. “Tsk, I warned you not to come back here by yourself. You’re lucky these are already cauterized so you won’t bleed out before getting to a healer.”

Dorian struggled to collect his thoughts enough to speak. “Diluc… that’s not… Kaeya…”

Diluc’s expression was rigid with anger when he looked down at Dorian. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off as the others finally made it down the hill. A blade of ice materialized in the fellflower’s hand the moment the other’s attention was turned, and the man never had the chance to even notice before it drove the weapon into his side. The game was back on.

Diluc gasped in pain and shock, betrayal written on his face as he wordlessly locked eyes with what he thought was his brother. Before it could attack again, one of Amber’s arrow’s whizzed past its head. It ducked behind the remains of a stone pillar, then returned fire, sending clusters of ice to burst from the ground with a spray of stones. Diluc appeared to be frozen as he pressed against his wound, torn between how the enemy looked in contrast to how it was acting. Jean hurried over to them as the other three continued to fend off its attacks, taking stock of their current conditions. No time was wasted as she spoke to Diluc while healing them, quickly bringing the pyro user up to speed so as to avoid any more friendly fire.

“Dorian is not the enemy, Diluc. Despite how it may look, that man is not Kaeya. It is the same monster that attacked the others last Autumn while disguised as Albedo. It is incredibly dangerous, and we need your help.”

“Your vision, in particular.” Dorian added with a cough as Jean helped him up. “It will keep healing itself unless someone hits its core, or if the wound is inflicted by fire. Albedo and I brought weapons that will be effective against it, but not in its current state. We need to hurt it enough that it transforms back into its true state.”

Diluc looked back at the fellflower as it slung ice at Amber, the spires grazing her arm and leg. They needed to rejoin the fight, but Diluc still looked conflicted, his thoughts haunted with past memories. Jean put a hand on his arm. “It isn’t him. The real Kaeya is missing, and until that one is dead, we cannot look for him.”

That final sentence was what finally broke him. Dorian could see the redhead putting the pieces together, his ire rekindling at the realization of what this imposter had likely done. Though they may not admit it just yet, they all knew. Sparks lit in Diluc’s hair as his vision roared to life, coating his claymore in flames once more. The heat of his growing rage practically radiated off of him in waves as he moved in to attack. The fellflower never had a chance of dodging the phoenix that soared towards it, and the walls of ice it summoned were reduced to plumes of steam that shrouded it from view. That did not stop Diluc from advancing. 

Amber shot an arrow ahead of him that split into a swarm of flaming quarrels which descended into the mist. Jean joined Diluc’s side as he charged, using her anemo  clear away the steam. As the fellflower returned to view, Dorian could see that it had been struck by several of the arrows, as well as having been burned by Diluc’s attack. Eula came in from the opposite side, forcing it to leap into the air to dodge both hers and Diluc’s claymores at once. As it was airborne, it called forth another array, sending a barrage of cryo blades towards the group. Dorian grabbed Amber and pulled her close as Albedo pressed his palm against the ground, summoning a giant solar isotoma that spread out above them to block the attack entirely. 

The moment it was over, Diluc continued his assault. Dorian watched in something between awe and terror as the man didn’t bother to dodge the spires of ice being sent in his direction. He hardly even slowed his pace as he cut through them with ease. The look of smug amusement had long since vanished from the fellflower’s face as it warded off attack after attack, its movements hindered by the wounds they had already inflicted on it. Diluc on the other hand continued to escalate in fury until the fellflower was forced to adopt a more defensive strategy to avoid the fiery onslaught while also dodging the rest of them. This was no longer a game it wanted to play.

Its eye took on a red hue, the pupil warping until it became a thin slit. Slamming both palms against the ground, a multilayered ring of crimson ice erupted around it in a large radius, heavily resembling the stone blossoms Albedo created, only these reached much higher, forming a spiked barrier around itself. Then it raised one hand, releasing a pulsing blossom of cryo energy that rose into the air, growing larger by the moment. Dorian’s eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen. It was the one attack Dorian had not allowed it to complete the first time, the one that had become the final straw in his decision to kill it, rather than allow it to complete its mission. It was the most deadly of its attacks in either form, designed to decimate anything caught within its range.

“We need to take cover! Now! Albedo, make another isotoma, and Grandmaster Jean, please make a healing circle if you still can. We are probably going to get hurt by this. Everyone else get as close as you can! You too, Diluc! You won’t get to it in time!”

He could see the pyro user hesitate, but the urging of the others thankfully persuaded him to take shelter rather than attempt to kill the enemy before it could finish building up the attack. Albedo created another isotoma as Dorian pulled as much energy from his vision as he could, surrounding them with ice that swirled with Jean’s own vision. Not a moment later the cryo blossom burst, scattering dozens of small crystals that hung in the air like diamond dust among the falling snow. There was a lone breath of utter silence, then the air sang as each crystal fulminated into a starburst of icey needles the size of jousting poles, each interlocking with the needles of another so that they formed an inescapable tangle of destruction. 

The force was enough to splinter both Dorian’s ice and the solar isotoma, but not before taking the brunt of the damage. Still, they had not come out unscathed. All but Amber and Albedo had been impaled, held in place like butterfly corpses on display until the heat radiating from Diluc melted the ice enough for them to fall to the ground. Immediately Jean’s vision took effect, sealing up wounds they had just received. 

Not even the fellflower had remained entirely unharmed, a consequence that it hadn’t seemed to anticipate. Before it had a chance to free itself from its own snare, Amber took aim with her bow and loosed a single arrow, striking it through the eye. The fellflower made an inhuman cry, clutching at the projectile with one hand while shattering the needles around it with the other. Its chest was heaving as it staggered, face curled with anger. Suddenly the air around it began to waver with a swell of cryo energy and Durin’s corruption. This was it. They’d pushed it to its limit in that form. As Dorian had anticipated, it encased itself in ice before retreating underground. Albedo and Amber helped to pull everyone back to their feet as the mountain rumbled loudly beneath their feet, readying themselves for the moment it re-emerged. 

They didn’t have to wait long before the stone in front of them violently erupted into a crown of ice, from which their enemy ascended back into the light of day. A pointed snout and jagged horns came first, followed by a serpentine neck and body graced with plumes of red and blue leaves. Sharp talons dug furloughs into the snow as it pulled itself free. Its entire body shimmered with the shield created by Durin’s blood, gathered up in the lamp-like fruits that dangled near the leaves on its back. Then with a snarl it opened its jagged maw, embers of corruption spilling out as it released a roar that shook the air. 

This was no flower before them. It was a dragon.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

A collective wave of shock washed over the group as the fellflower resurfaced, a shared moment of stagnation as they could not look away from the beast pulling itself from the stone. The moment ended when its roar shook the very air around them, reminding them of the danger. Most spread out with weapons drawn, readying themselves to continue the battle, but two of their number remained frozen in place.

Of course they were. Of all the shapes the flower could have assumed, it had to be one that both Dorian and Diluc associated with severe trauma. Not that it was an actual dragon. It possessed only two limbs and lacked wings, which technically speaking would classify it as a lindwyrm. However it would seem the semblance was close enough to trigger the both of them.

Diluc’s rage had been replaced with absolute horror, his mouth open as if to shout but the words never leaving his throat. He had the look of a person watching a loved one die horribly and being helpless to stop it. To Albedo’s other side, he could see that Dorian had fallen to the ground and was beginning to hyperventilate, his eyes moving rapidly as they viewed a scene Albedo could only imagine. 

He hurried to his brother’s side, standing between him and the fellflower to block the other’s view. Jean was the one to rush to Diluc’s side to do the same. After some effort on her part, the redhead blinked away the memories keeping him locked in place. Albedo watched as the man’s ire rekindled, blazing hotter than before as his orange flames became scarlet tinged with black. Were it not for the current circumstance, Albedo would have found the change in color to be fascinating. 

Dorian proved more difficult to break free. He called out to the other, but his brother remained unresponsive. Albedo didn’t know what exactly he was seeing, but whatever it was was sending Dorian spiraling deeper into hysteria. He needed to be relocated before either of them were killed for being imobile while out in the open. He only hoped that he could pull Dorian out of his episode quickly afterwards, or else be forced to leave him as he was and pray he wouldn’t be caught in the crossfire of the battle.

###############

A suffocating miasma of smoke and poison burned Dorian’s lung as he was dragged into the chamber, choking his pleas for mercy.

“Master please! Please don’t!”

He had made her angry. He had disappointed her again. She was leaving him. The iron door was closing behind her and she was leaving without him. Locking him inside with… it. The thing that had taken over Durin’s mind and body, rotting him alive. He was hardly recognizable anymore, a blackened skeletal monster that pulsed and glowed from within. A corpse on a puppet’s strings.

Part of him knew this was in the past. It wasn’t really happening, but that part of him was drowning in his senses that were too vivid to push away. He could smell the scent of decay that mingled with the smog of the dragon’s fire, no longer contained in his gut. His golden eyes were no more, replaced with uncomprehending embers that burned with madness and pain. He was swaying back and forth, rubbing his snout manically against the stone walls of the cave as red bile dripped from his mouth like a rabid animal.

“Dorian snap out of it! You need to move.”

Dorian’s eyes burned with tears as he desperately tried to get away. He used Khemia to warp the metal of the door, but then the dragon saw him, and roared. The sound hammered at his ears for a moment before they ruptured, and all that was left was a deafening ringing over muffled silence. He could not hear himself screaming, even when it felt like his throat would tear.

“Dorian, whatever you are seeing, it’s not real. This is not Durin.”

In the back of his mind he felt bitter cold on his skin, and yet the air around him felt scorching hot. A faint cacophony of battle accompanied the ringing in his ear. The dragon remained before him however. He could feel the ground shake with its anger and pain. He could see its black jaws opening to swallow him whole, until the red glow of its maw filled his vision. The dragon’s fire and poisoned saliva burned him as he was thrust into its mouth, and he could hear the snap of its teeth locking together through his whole body.

“Someone cover me, I need to move him away.”

He couldn’t breathe, the air having turned to noxious fumes that caused his lungs to blister. The fleshy walls surrounding him began to constrict as he was dragged downwards. He was distantly aware of someone rubbing his upper arms firmly. 

“I am here. It’s Albedo. If you can hear me at all, I need you to breathe.” 

He wanted to be pulled away. This wasn’t happening. He wasn’t really there, but everything was red and dark and scalding , and he couldn’t break himself free. He tried to nod to whomever was speaking to him. Please keep talking. Please.

“That’s good, just focus on my voice and breathe. You are in Dragonspine, with me. Not Durin, or our mother.”

He could no longer see himself past the red surrounding him, but it felt as if the poisonous sludge now coating him was melting flesh from bone until the nerve endings became too damaged to continue relaying new pain signals to his brain. Still his gurgled screams would not reach his ears, and soon the ringing died too as the all-encompassing red darkened into a fathomless void. He felt dizzy, but the person was still rubbing him, the sensation becoming stronger. His mind told him he no longer had lungs to fill, but he forced himself to do so. 

“Yes, good. Take deep breaths.”

He was trying so hard, fighting against the nothingness that wanted to ensnare him. To fold around him so thickly that all thought and awareness would be stripped of him. The sounds of battle became clearer, reminding him he was still very much in danger. He needed to escape. 

“Keep listening to my voice. Feel this? This is snow.”

###############

Something cold was pressed into his gloved hand. He squeezed it, feeling it crunch and crumble in his grasp. It was real. He was surrounded by it. He felt it falling on his face. There was no void, just mountain and snow. When his eyes came into focus, he saw Albedo crouching in front of him. 

“Are you back?” Dorian nodded, still focusing on regulating his breathing to combat his lightheadedness. A roar filled his ears, but a ruin wall obscured his view of its owner, and he realized that they were now in the same place as the first time they had fought the fellflower. The cruel irony of that was not lost on him.“Good. Sit there until you can stand. I need to retrieve the incendiaries.”

Albedo ducked out from behind the wall, leaving Dorian to collect himself. Now that he was sitting, he began to feel just how exhausted he was. He had been exerting himself almost nonstop since leaving to investigate the tremors the previous afternoon, and it was taking its toll on his body. It was all he could do to force his limbs into pushing him upright, ignoring their protests. He needed to help the others.

Bracing himself, he left the shelter of the ruins to see the others dodging the frozen tide being exhaled from the fellflower’s maw. It swung its neck in a wide arc before snapping its jaws shut again, leaving a crescent barricade of jagged red-tinged ice between it and the others. Amber shot an arrow above it, aiming for one of the fruits hanging from the leaves on its back, but it missed, bouncing harmlessly off its shielded body. From the ground, Diluc’s pyro-infused claymore cut through the ice with ease. The dragon sent a blast of cryo directly towards him, but he countered it with one of his phoenixes, the resulting reaction causing a fresh plume of steam which hid the man until he was leaping at its throat. It was no use. Despite the intensity of his flames, they would not hurt it so long as it retained its shield. Eula, Amber, and Albedo already knew this, but Diluc and Jean were out of the loop, and it would seem the others were too caught up in not dying to relay the message over the ruckus it was causing. Thankfully Eula was on the case. 

As Diluc was sent skidding backwards while dodging another spray of ice, the woman lended her greatsword in cutting through the attack before shouting something at him while pointing towards the energy-storing fruit. Diluc nodded, then he and Eula split ways to attack from either side, while Jean attempted to distract it from the front. Dorian joined her as she charged at it, ready to have to dodge an exhalation of ice. 

Eula and Diluc leapt at the dragon’s sides at the same time, each of their greatswords aimed at a fruit. Simultaneously a rain of Amber’s flaming arrows appeared above the dragon, targeting its back as well. They did not go unseen by the fellflower however. Instead of using its ice to block the attacks, it instead chose to dive back into stone like wenut in the sands of the Sumeru desert. Its long scaly body moved quickly across the ice from hole to hole before disappearing entirely. For a moment Dorian worried it was retreating, but that thought was quickly replaced by his senses screaming at him to run as vibrations traveled up his body. A split second later the ground below him crumbled as the dragon burst from it with open jaws to swallow both him and Jean. As it attempted to shut its jaws around them however, one of Albedo’s isotomas formed beneath them, wedging its mouth open long enough for them to scramble to safety. It took every shred of willpower that Dorian had not to fall into another episode at the sight of the dragon’s glowing maw below him, ready to swallow him whole. 

The fellflower’s snout wrinkled as it bit down harder, shattering the geo construct just in time to release a fresh blast of ice towards where Eula, Diluc, and Amber all stood. Albedo was behind it at the base of the hill, and Dorian saw the faint glint of something catching the light before striking the dragon’s back. The device exploded on impact, shattering one of the fruits. The dragon screeched with surprise, ignoring the others in front of it in favor of turning to see who had thrown the bomb. Albedo rolled to the side to avoid the subsequent torrent of corrupted ice, but he couldn’t move fast enough and was encased against the steep stone incline

“Albedo!” Dorian tried rushing to the other’s side, but was stopped as the dragon pulled itself further from its hole until its entire length was exposed. Now it was armed at two ends, using its head to snap and exhale ice while its tail swung dangerously as it moved, occasionally slamming into the ground to send cryo spires erupting around it. No longer anchored to the ground, its movements were fluid yet volatile, making it even more difficult to strike despite it having become a larger target. Soon their attacks were all but replaced with efforts to keep themself being crushed, impaled, or eaten. Amber held the safest position, able to attack it from a distance, while Diluc and Eula were putting themselves at most risk by trying to reach its back, although their efforts were to little avail. Together they managed to shatter a couple fruits, but not before the others had already grown back.

Dorian kept his focus on reaching Albedo, both because the bag of explosives was their best chance at destroying the dragon, but also because he worried at what effect the tainted ice might have on the other. Unfortunately, his brother was too far away for him to easily get to without being intercepted. The fellflower seemed to know that was where more bombs were, and was actively keeping them away from it, even going so far as to layer more ice around it. Dorian couldn’t see what state Albedo was in, but was at least bad enough to keep him from escaping or using more of the explosives.

A pained cry drew Dorian’s attention to Diluc, who was caught by the dragon’s tail as it smashed into one of the ruin walls, collapsing it. A portion of the crumbling stones fell on top of the pyro user, pinning him down. He did not move afterwards, and Dorian could see the fire of his claymore extinguishing in the snow.

Shit.

As a pyro-user and skilled combatant, Diluc was the one best suited for this battle out of all of them, but now he was unconscious at best, with Albedo being equally incapacitated. To make matters worse, the sheer cold of the mountain had long since begun to settle into the group’s limbs despite the winter clothes they had brought, and it was beginning to affect their movements. Numb fingers made holding a weapon almost impossible, and cold feet were far easier to trip. Dorian and Albedo were the only ones to have taken warming potions, and what little warmth they had regained while huddled close to Diluc and since been sapped away again. Dorian really needed to get to that bag.

A few hundred meters away, Amber was trying to knock another arrow, but she could no longer grasp it properly. The fellflower took advantage of her fumbling to exhale another frozen deluge at them, and Dorian was forced to tackle her behind a large boulder, inhaling sharply as the ice cut into his shoulder. The wound stung badly, but blessedly he did not notice any difference caused by the ice’s contamination with Durin’s blood, His vision was able to take care of the rest. Quickly taking his warming bottle from his shirt, Dorian pressed it into Amber’s hand before twisting the cap, releasing the seelie inside. Being the only person still standing that had access to fire, he knew it was imperative that she still maintain control of her weapon until he could retrieve the warming potions. 

“Don’t lose this.” He said sternly. “The seelie will return to the bottle once it’s nearly depleted. Albedo and I brought warming potions for everyone, but I need to get past the fellflower to access them. Can you cover me?”

Amber nodded, a determined look on her face. “I’ll do my best.”

Putting his trust in Amber’s skill with the bow, he ran out from behind the boulder again to almost immediately be assaulted by another blast of ice. He erected a cryo barrier just in time to counter the attack, both forces shattering against each other. Before the dragon could attack again, another rain of fiery arrows appeared over it, forcing it to move away to protect its fruit. It hissed angrily at her and charged, snaking its way around the boulder and ruin walls as she attempted to evade its breath and snapping jaws. While it was distracted, Dorian bolted across the final stretch between him and Albedo. A thick casing of ice separated them, and without fire or a greatsword, Dorian was forced to heat a portion of the ice using Khemia to break through it. It melted under his touch, but not fast enough for his comfort. There was too much of it for him to get through with the limited range he could heat at once. He might have called for Eula to aid him, but she and Amber were the only ones left to fight off the dragon while also keeping it away from himself and Jean, who was attempting to both revive Diluc and pull him out from underneath the rocks. 

He continued his efforts despite the slow pace until finally he had melted the ice enough to uncover his brother. Albedo was still conscious and had managed to half-shield himself using a small boulder, but a shard of ice seemed to have pierced his side, and he was pressing on it to avoid bleeding out. His face and arms had been badly lacerated as well, but at least he was still alive.

“Dorian, thank goodness.” His brother’s voice was strained. “I’ve not been able to free myself for risk of worsening my injury. Is everyone still alright?”

Dorian grimaced at the question. “Not exactly. Diluc was smashed into a wall and it crumbled on top of him, while everyone else is succumbing to the cold. We need to get the warming potions to them, but first I need to heal you. Hold still.”

He drew upon his vision again, though by now it took a much greater effort than before as his own energy was running thin. It was like trying to pull a cart through the mud over and over. Each time he did, the ruts grew deeper until eventually the strain would become too great. He had not yet reached that point however, and was able to heal Albedo fully before grabbing their bag of supplies. It was not a moment too soon as another roar heralded a subsequent attack that the dragon unleashed upon them. They were able to duck out of the way, but in doing so they left themselves open to the mercy of the beast’s tail which whipped towards them. This time they were unable to fully evade it, and were thrown against the adjacent cliff. The bag was knocked from Dorian’s hand in the process, its contents spilling out onto the ice-encrusted stone. His vision swam dizzyingly from the collision, and as he tried to push himself upright he found that his aching limbs would not cooperate. 

The dragon took no heed of their scattered supplies as it drew nearer, to which Dorian realized would bring it directly on top of the vial of alchemist’s fire. His eyes widened with the knowledge of what was about to happen. The concoction was already immensely volatile on its own, but now it was surrounded by normal explosives as well. There was a small crunch as the vial was crushed beneath the dragon’s claws, then all hell broke loose. A loud whooshing of air being rapidly drawn in preceded the chain of explosions so intense they shook the mountain with even greater strength than the dragon had. The heat of it vaporized the wall of ice Dorian threw up to shield him and Albedo, choking them with steam and searing heat. An ear-piercing shriek came from the fellflower as it was knocked on its side, the conflagration of purple and cyan flames enveloping most of its body. The fruits on its back shattered instantly, allowing the flames to burn through its shield before licking at its body directly. It rubbed frenziedly against the ground, trying to wipe away the fire that clung to it, but this only served to spread the sticky liquid flames across it further. The same substance was splattered across every surface around it, dotting the space with bright burning spots of various sizes. The others had thankfully been able to take shelter behind the ruins, but he and Albedo had not been so lucky. Dorian was forced to hastily pull off his jacket, shirt, and hood, tossing them away before the viscous material reached his skin. Albedo likewise had to remove his jacket and one glove that had been sprayed with it. 

Even with his upper body completely exposed, the heat radiating off the dragon was enough to make him recoil and seek relief in the snow. The fellflower’s screams became more frantic as its leaves withered and scales charred. Desperate, it turned its own breath against itself, but the fire continued to burn, turning the ice into more steam. It drove itself into the ground before emerging a minute later, still ablaze. Dorian grimaced, trying to block out the sounds of its cries. It sounded so much like Durin after he had been corrupted, pure agony warping its voice. It was suffering greatly, and Dorian couldn’t not help the anguish it was causing him.

Despite what it had done to his friends, what it had likely done to Kaeya, this was still a living creature that was in unendurable pain, and ultimately he was the one to blame. It had been acting on its nature, a nature that Dorian had amplified by purposely heightening its intelligence to suit his own needs. In spite of everything, no matter how much he despised it, he knew it did not deserve this.

Eula, Jean, and a recently awakened Diluc were forced to scramble out of the way as it drunkenly collided against one of the ruined towers. The stone crumbled beneath the force of it, large stones cascading atop it as it toppled down the steep dropoff the structure had been built next to, before crashing into more ruins below. Diluc broke free of the other two and went sliding down the steep incline after it, careful to avoid the globs of fire it had left behind. He spun in the air upon reaching the bottom, he claymore slicing into the dragon’s neck before it could recover from its fall. Dorian realized that it was nearing the border of Dragonspine. If they could continue to drive it down the mountain, they could kill it away from the tainted ley lines, preventing it from being revived again. He hurried as quickly as his body would allow to the ledge and cupped his hands to his mouth.

“Diluc! We need to force it off the mountain! Keep driving it downwards!” 

He wasn’t sure how much Diluc could hear past the dragon’s cries, but it must have been enough to get the message across. As the fellflower tried retreating, the pyro user sent a blazing phoenix crashing into it. It stumbled, losing its footing as its front half caught the next dropoff, sending it rolling towards the rocks below. It landed headfirst at the bottom with a sickening crunch that Dorian could hear from all the way up where they were. He had to put a hand to his mouth to hold back the bile that threatened to rise in his throat. Its body piled on top of itself like a scarf that slid from the edge of a table, and for a while it did not move. Then it dragged itself forward at Diluc’s approach, barely able to move itself to avoid the man’s relentless onslaught of attacks. It was pushed further and further out, until the snow of Dragonspine gave way to the golden grass of Liyue. Now past the border, Diluc saw fit to finish it off, driving his longsword into its skull and pinning it to the ground. Still it did not die right away as its core had not been struck, so lay writhing in the grass with its head fixed in place as the flames licked at its body. It wasn’t until many minutes later that the life finally drained out of it completely.

By then the rest of them had managed to navigate the steep rock-faces to reach the bottom, all of them weary from the fight. Diluc was visibly shaking, and his chest heaved from the exertion. His greatsword was slick with liquid flames, even after he released his vision from it. It was the dragon that held Dorian’s attention however. Through the tongues of fire, he could see that its once colorful scales had darkened into an ashy black. Its resemblance to Durin was too much. 

Dorian stumbled away, leaning against a tree as he could no longer keep himself from retching. Tears had begun sliding down his face, and he felt faint. Then he heard a growl of a voice directed towards him.

“ You. ”

He barely had a chance to so much as turn around before Diluc’s fist was driven against the side of his head, sending him sprawling to the ground. The place the man had struck felt like it was burned, and he saw that the other had channeled his vision into his first. Then Diluc picked him up by his neck, his crimson eyes alight with fury. Never had Dorian seen such anger in a person.

“You did this. That monster was your creation.”

As Dorian clung to the Diluc’s arm, trying to pull himself up to breathe, he remembered something Kaeya had told him once. 

“Diluc can have a quick temper. Usually he is able to reign it in, but he has a threshold of what he can take. When that threshold is crossed, all reason is abandoned. If it says anything, his anger at our father’s death was enough to spur him into hunting down Fatui alone for three years. Were it not for the Harbingers almost killing him, he likely would have continued for even longer.”

There was murder in the depths of the man’s eyes, and by the way he was shaking with anger and grief, Dorian realized that Diluc might very well kill him, or at least attempt to. 

As Diluc continued to choke him, Jean and Albedo both rushed forward, the former speaking to him in a stern voice. “Diluc, that’s enough. Set him down.”

“Stay out of this, Jean. Kaeya is likely dead now and he is the one to blame. It is within my rights to exact retribution for that.”

The others warily watched the confrontation, not daring to get between them. “We don’t know that he is dead.” Jean countered. “And while I agree that he is ultimately responsible for this, it is not your place to dispense punishment on him. That is for the Knights to decide what should be done with him. Now release him, or I will have no choice but to arrest you as well.”

“ Hmph . As if the Knights Of Favonius can be trusted to deal with him in a manner befitting for what he’s done.” He spat vehemently. “Fine. He’s all yours, for now. But if Kaeya is confirmed to be dead, I expect him to pay with his own life. If you Knights aren’t willing to take that measure, then I will , consequences be damned.”

With that, he allowed Dorian to fall to the ground before storming back onto the mountain, ignoring the looks from the others as they watched him leave. Jean appeared as if she wanted to stop him, but knew her efforts would be in vain. She touched Dorian with a small amount of anemo as he coughed violently, struggling to get air past his windpipe. Albedo came to his side, helping him to his feet. Were it not for the fact that every one of them was utterly exhausted, he likely would have come under fire from Eula too at the very least, if not Amber as well. They were the only two left that did not know of him before he had shown up with Albedo, but neither of them seemed to know how to react to him. After a few minutes spent catching their breaths, Jean sighed and said,

“Dorian, you are hereby under arrest for your transgressions committed against the citizens of Mondstand, both intended and inadvertent. Lay down your weapon and vision, so you may be brought peacefully to the Favonius Headquarters to be detained until further judgment can be decided.”

Dorian nodded, listlessly tossing his sword and vision into the grass. He could feel himself swaying dangerously on his feet as strain of the past day and a half came crashing down on him at once. “I’ll come quietly.” He said weakly. “But, I think you’re going to have to carry me...”

Then just like that, he collapsed as everything went black.

~ ~ ~

…

…

…

*purr*

*purr* *purr*

Dorian woke as something began kneading on his chest, its sharp nails poking holes into the new shirt he had been put in. As he cracked upon his eyes, he saw Negredo perched on top of him with something dangling from his mouth. Dorian pushed himself up onto his elbows, taking the object from the cat who was not looking up at him proudly. It was his dragonbone pendant, the cord it was tired with having been severed. In the midst of everything, he hadn’t even realized he’d lost it. But here it was. 

“Good kitty.” He said, the cat’s purring growing louder as he rubbed its chin. Looking around, he saw that he was in one of the cells beneath Favonius Headquarters. He had been down there on a couple of occasions, but never had he been on this side of the bars. As he pulled himself into a sitting position, his entire body protested loudly in the form of an intense aching. He also felt a faint panicky feeling, the kind one might get if they were missing something vital. After a while, he realized it must be due to the absence of his new vision. He’d only had it for a day, but already it felt wrong not to have it with him. It was a feeling that piled only the slough of worries quickly growing in his mind, the largest of which being Kaeya. 

He paced his cell, impatiently waiting for someone to come so that he could ask them about it. After what felt like an hour or so, he heard the sound of someone coming down the stairs, and a few moments later Jean appeared at the bottom of the stairwell. “Ah, you’re awake. You’ve been out for almost two days, and I was beginning to worry.”

“Where’s Kaeya? Did you find him? Is he alright?” Dorian gripped the iron bars tightly. Two days. Surely they could have found him by then. Jean shook her head morosely, causing his heart to sink.

“The Knights have been searching night and day for him, but we’ve yet to come across any sign of him. There were signs of a fight not far from the ruins, but beyond that, nothing. The falling snow hasn’t helped, as it had long since buried any footprints Kaeya might have left. We will continue searching however, and have even sent notice to the Millelith. If he is capable of being found, we will find him.”

Dorian sank back onto the cot. Though Jean wasn’t saying it aloud, they both knew how unlikely it would be for Kaeya to still be alive by then. Either the fellflower had killed him, or he somehow had managed to escape, but was somewhere no one could find. There were not many places like that in Dragonspine that a person could stay in for two days without freezing to death.

He ran his fingers through his hair as his eyes prickled with tears. There was a part of him that wished he had never come back. If he hadn’t, he would never have been given the chance to make such a terrible mistake as this. He cursed himself for ever making the fellflower to begin with. He had been a fool, and the consequences would likely haunt him now for the rest of his days. Which, depending on the results of their search, might not be very long. Somehow he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“Your trial is being held back for now, until either Kaeya is found, or it has been long enough to determine that he’s not going to be. You’ll remain in custody here until then.”

“I understand.” Dorian said, not able to look into the woman’s eyes. “What about Albedo and the others? Are they alright?”

“Albedo is currently on house arrest, given his involvement in the matter. Eula and Amber are on mandatory leave for the week to recover. As for Diluc…” She paused, looking torn. “He is dealing with things in his own way. For the most part, that has involved searching for Kaeya, but as for where that search will lead, I worry that he will act rashly. More so than he already has.”

Dorian nodded slowly. “I never meant for it to be like this. I didn’t- It wasn’t supposed to come back. Not ever, but especially not like it did. I never should have created it. That was the greatest mistake I have ever made, and probably that I ever will make. For what it’s worth, Grandmaster, I truly am sorry.”

“I know.” She cast him a sorrowful look, the both of them helpless to change the circumstances. “I’ll let you know if there’s any news about Kaeya.”

“Thank you.” He watched as she retreated back up the stairs, leaving him alone again. His chest felt tight, and he was no longer able to hold back his tears. Negredo pressed his head into Dorian’s hand, and he picked up the cat to hold tightly to chest, his face buried in its fur. He wasn’t one to pray to the gods. Certainly not to Barbatos, and yet he found himself praying then. 

Please keep him safe. I don’t care what happens to me. Please just let him be found alive.

He wasn’t sure whether Barbatos would even be capable of hearing him, but surely if anyone knew what had happened to Kaeya, it would be the Anemo Archon. He had known about the fellflower the first time, after all. So maybe, just maybe, he had kept Kaeya safe in some way, and now all they needed to do was find him.

END OF ARC 2

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

ARC 3- BEYOND THE MIRROR

Dorian lay staring at the ceiling of his prison cell, tracing the network of small cracks in the stone with his eyes. He wasn’t sure how long he had been laying there on his cot, but it felt like days. The lamplight from outside his cell flickered as he heard the sound of someone coming down the stairs. He quickly propped himself up onto his elbows to get a better view of whoever was coming to meet him, anxiously waiting for any kind of news regarding Kaeya. When the person emerged from the stairwell however, his blood went ice cold. He wanted to jump to his feet, but some unseen force was keeping him from moving as the figure approached him. She walked towards his cell with an air of purpose. No movement was wasted. Hers never were. His mother, ever so precise in everything she did. His fear rose with each step she took, the faint clacking of her boots against the stone floor sounding like chimes of death. Only death would be a mercy, compared to what she might do to him. The lock to the cell clicked open as she touched it with Khemia, and a moment later she was standing over him. His breathing quickened as she inspected him with an expression of disdain. She always looked at him like that. Even from the beginning, his very existence was a disappointment to her. 

“What a disgrace to my name. You rebel against my orders even in death. Of all my creations, you are the one least fitting of my art.” Her voice was chilling, cutting him all the way down to his bones, but the look in her eyes was moreso. “Yet you may still be of use to me.”

A sword of sickly crimson and purple materialized in her hand, the eye on its hilt seeming to stare into his soul, and his adrenaline peaked as he realized it was dripping with corruption. He was helpless to resist as Rhinedottir pressed him back into a lying position before putting the tip of her sword against his chest. Then the weapon was plunged downwards, directly piercing his heart. The spell that had kept him motionless was suddenly broken as he writhed beneath the blade, an agonized scream tearing his throat. He could feel the fire within his ribcage, corruption already beginning to spread from it like a burning web of veins that would soon consume him. Leaving the sword lodged in his chest, his mother ran her finger upwards until she reached the pontil mark on his neck. 

“Let us see if you will succeed where your brother failed. Burn Mondstadt to the ground, and perhaps you will be worth keeping after all.”

His star glowed bright with Khemia as the corruption raced towards it, coalescing around it before reaching up towards his face. His screams turned to choked gurgles as the vile substance filled his lungs and throat. He was drowning in it, but it would not let him die. As his vision ran red, the last thing he saw was his mother leaving him once again…

...

A sharp buzzing suddenly filled Dorian’s body as he jolted upright, his chest heaving and skin slick with a cold sweat. He put a shaking hand to where the sword had been, but it was whole and unmarred. Panic still coursed through him, causing him to hyperventilate. It had felt real. Much too real. He could still feel the burning in his chest where her sword had pierced him. A hand gently touched his back and he flinched, but to his relief it was only Lisa. Not his mother.

“It’s alright dear, you’re awake now. It was just a dream.” The librarian was sitting next to his cot, her catalyst floating next to her. Electro energy flickered over its surface as it bobbed in the air until the librarian dismissed it. “Take some deep breaths.”

Negredo, who had been at his feet, meowed as he padded over and rubbed against Dorian’s hand. Dorian wrapped his arms around the feline as he closed his eyes and focussed on controlling his breathing like he had practiced. He could feel his muscles twitching from the adrenaline and electricity. It took several minutes to calm himself down, but Lisa waited patiently, staying at his side. When he opened his eyes again, she smiled at him and patted his shoulder.

“There. That’s better. Sorry to wake you in such an unpleasant manner, but you were screaming and would not wake when I shook you.”

Dorian stroked Negredo, feeling the cat purring against his chest. “It’s… it’s okay. Usually Negredo wakes me up when that happens. I guess he wasn’t able to this time.”

“Yes, he was most insistent that I follow him down here.” Lisa pet the top of his head, causing him to purr more loudly. “You’ve had me worried about you cutie.”

He waved her off. This was hardly the first time he’d woken in a panic, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. “It was just a nightmare. I’ll be fine now.”

Lisa shook her head, the lantern on her hat swaying. “Not just about that dear. It’s been almost three months and you never came back to visit. I was starting to think you never got your memory back.”

Dorian’s brows stitched together in confusion. “You knew that was me? Did Jean tell you?”

Lisa laughed softly, her green eyes sparkling in the warm lamplight. “She did, but I knew about you well before then. Since the beginning of the year more or less, though I had suspected as much since the first incident with your fellflower.”

“You-” He wasn’t sure how to respond to that. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Lisa would figure it out. She was both clever and observant after all. To expect anything less than that would be a disservice to her. And yet, if she had known this whole time, why hadn’t she said anything? Not even to Grandmaster Jean. He shook his head in disbelief. “You’ve known there were two of us for that long? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“You could consider it a product of my own curiosity. I wanted to see how the story would progress. You didn’t seem to be causing any undue trouble after the business in Dragonspine, and I suspected that our Chief Alchemist and Cavalry Captain would have been aware of you by then. So there was no need to expose you. Besides, I’ve quite enjoyed your visits.” 

Well, that checked he supposed. If anyone was going to let him slide purely out of interest in how the situation would play out, it would be her. “I see. What gave me away though? I thought I was being rather convincing.”

“Hm.” Lisa tilted her head to the side as she collected her thoughts. “There were a number of little things in the way you spoke and acted. Such as that you are more prone to be distracted with conversation, and went out of your way to visit me more frequently than your brother. You also tend to put sweet cream in your tea when it is offered, whereas your brother does not. After I heard about the incident with the imposter on Dragonspine, the small inconsistencies made more sense. Confirming my suspicions was rather easy. I simply made up a handful of stories to recount during our conversations which you never refuted. Klee setting fire to the library for example.”

“ Oh. ” Using fictitious events to test him was clever of her. He had already been aware that his incomplete knowledge of Albedo’s life would pose a risk to his mission. To glean that he might be a separate person based on his tea preferences though? It was a small detail, but in hindsight it was not something he should have overlooked, especially given how often he’d drank tea with Albedo and Kaeya since then. A sorrow filled him as he realized that he might not be able to do so ever again. It coiled around his chest cavity and rose up to form a knot in his throat. He struggled to swallow it.

“Is there any news about Kaeya?”

He found no reassurance in the way Lisa’s smile faded, her eyes becoming twin pools of thinly veiled despondency. It had been four days since he’d gone missing, and with each that passed their hopes of finding him alive grew dimmer. They all knew the likelihood that the Captain was no longer with them, but no one was willing to say it aloud. So they feigned optimism amongst themselves as if admitting to the truth would cement his fate. No one knew better than Dorian the chances of Kaeya winning a fight against the fellflower alone. Every aspect of it had been tailored to be as effective as possible against the cryo user, and that was before it had evolved to become even more dangerous than before. He was certain his creation had confronted Kaeya. It never had the opportunity to meet him the first time, but its mimicry of him in battle was proof that it had watched him fight for long enough to become a convincing imitation. He kept his doubts to himself however. Like everyone else, he would delude himself into thinking there was still a chance. 

Lisa did not offer him words of false hopes like Jean did, nor did she express the doubts so clearly written on her countenance. She only replied, “Not yet, but we are still looking.”

It was the truth, and only that. She left not long after, leaving him to drown in his thoughts. He put a hand to his chest, still feeling the ghost of the pain that had burned there in his dreams. He reminded himself it wasn’t real. The dream meant nothing. It was just his mind combining the trauma of his past with recent events. If his mother had wanted to corrupt him, she wouldn’t have waited until he was locked up in a cell to do so. 

A small part of him didn’t quite believe that.

Lisa returned a few hours later with food and tea for him. He was far from hungry, his stomach still churning with guilt and distress. Lisa was insistent that he eat however, given that he had not done so since before the day of the incident. He managed to take a few bites of food and finish the cup of tea she had poured him, but beyond that he felt too sick to continue.

The day came and went without any sign of Kaeya having been found. An argument broke out the next morning, the sound of Master Diluc’s angered bellowing rising above the rest. Dorian could not hear what they were saying from down in his cell, but he had no doubt as to what the subject was. Diluc had said he would kill him if Kaeya was found dead. The fact that he had shown up at the Headquarters in a rage might as well be proof of the Captain’s passing. It struck Dorian with a wave of nauseating heartache. He wished he could hear what they were saying. As the others continued to argue, he waited anxiously for Diluc to inevitably come down the stairs to kill him. He couldn’t blame the man. Eventually the shouting died down, but the pyro user never entered the prison chamber. Nor did anyone else. It was not until several hours later that Jean visited him, the redness in her eyes giving away to him that she had been crying. Dorian’s heart sank even further at the sight of her.

“I heard Diluc shouting earlier. Was Kaeya-” His throat caught, unable to continue the sentence. The Acting Grandmaster would not look him in the eyes. “Remnants of his cape were uncovered. It had been torn considerably, and there was a great deal of blood on and around it. Kaeya himself is still missing however.” Her voice sounded like it might crack. “Sucrose reported that there were… human remains, found within the dragon’s stomach. They are too far into the process of being digested to know who they belonged to, but it has been determined that there were likely six or more individuals that had been eaten, which matches up with the number of Fatui members that had yet to be accounted for.”

Dorian felt like he might vomit. He had already known that there was a high likelihood that the fellflower had eaten Kaeya, considering that he body had yet to be recovered. To hear confirmation that it had consumed some of its victims only solidified his fears. He did not attempt to hold back the tears that began to slide down his face. So that was it then. Kaeya was truly gone. What more evidence would they need to confirm it? 

“There will be a formal discussion among the Knights tomorrow morning regarding how we are to proceed from here, including your trial. I will ensure you are informed once we have determined our next course of actions.”

Dorian nodded silently, not trusting himself to speak. He watched as Jean stiffly turned and left, appearing as though she were trying not to cry again. Once he was alone once more, Dorian sat onto his cot and drew his knees up to his chest, his face buried in his arms as he was unable to hold back his grief. He could only imagine how Albedo must feel.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered, his voice breaking as tears began to soak into his sleeves. “I’m so sorry.”

~ ~ ~

Dorian did not bother to keep track of the time after that. It no longer mattered to him. He remained curled in on himself, unmoving. Waiting. Wanting it to end. To think, he had intended for Kaeya to die from the offset, and yet it was when he had long since changed his mind that his creation finally completed its purpose. Yet again, fate had shown him its twisted sense of irony. Was this some game of Celestia? An endless cycle of giving him a sliver of hope, only to take it away again in some new way? When would it stop? When he was dead? Ha. Not even that could free him it would seem. How cruel was that?

He was wrestled from the mire that had become of his mind when he heard the sound of someone flying down the stairs with such speed that they nearly ran into the wall at the bottom. It was Amber, looking breathless but elated. Dorian lept from the bed to meet her at the bars of his cell, his own heart pounding now as Amber spoke.

“They found him! Captain Kaeya is alive!”

Chapter Text

Emptiness was what awaited Kaeya as he entered Albedo’s camp that morning. He hadn’t slept at all the night before due to his worry over the brothers’ safety, so as soon as the sun had begun to rise he left to scale the mountain. Snow had begun to fall since the day prior, making the journey more difficult than he would have liked. Why must the weather always turn sour whenever he was in a hurry? He had kept reminding himself that both Albedo and Dorian were capable individuals. Surely they could have reached the cave without falling prey to whatever creature had attacked the Fatui. When he reached his destination to find that neither were there however, the seeds of doubt began to blossom.

There was no note, no new footprints. No sign that Dorian or Albedo had been there. Only the steady hum and bubbling of Albedo’s apparatus to greet him. That, and the fluffy black that had been pacing the back of the cave. Negredo yowled loudly at him, seeming as distressed as Kaeya felt. If the brothers weren’t there, it meant they most likely had never made it past the ruined city outskirts. Knowing that the other Knights would likely be coming up to meet him at the camp given his absence at the Winery, Kaeya quickly scrawled out a note for them to find before running headlong into the snowy path. Caution was thrown to the wind as hurtled down the mountainside, his legs jarring painfully every time he slid down a rock face that was a little too steep. He still didn’t know what had attacked the Fatui, and thus what to expect should it attack him, but he did know that if Albedo and Dorian were alive he needed to get to them. The building snow made it difficult to run, but it at least cushioned the blows of his risky shortcuts. He kept his eye peeled for any sign of activity as he went, but the mountain seemed as desolate as ever. Moreso, in fact. He hadn’t seen a single hillichurl or whopperflower throughout his entire way down, which did nothing to help his growing feeling of dread. Either the mysterious killer was targeting monsters as well as humans, or the monsters fled the mountain. Neither of those options boded well for the two missing alchemists. 

Kaeya’s lungs burned from the cold by the time he neared the ruins, and still there had been no sign of Albedo or Dorian. The snow was coming down heavily now, adding to the existing blanket of snow and ice. It hampered the visibility of the surrounding landscape, and would be certain to cover up any footprints that were not freshly made. Kaeya resisted the urge to shout for them, not wanting to alert any potential dangers lurking there. He needed to be cautious about this. It had already been too reckless of him to travel down the mountain like he did.  

It didn’t take long after that for him to spot a set of tracks winding through the ruins. They could not have been either of the brothers’. The stride was too long for that. They were closer to his own tracks. Identical in fact, upon closer inspection. It was the same stride, same tread of his boots. Kaeya’s brow furrowed. Despite their appearance, the tracks were most certainly not left by him. 

His mind quickly took in this information, piecing it together with what he already knew about the ice-wielder until a solid picture was formed. Though he had never met Dorian’s creation, he did know both from the reports and Dorian’s own description that it was capable of creating large spires of ice while in combat. Dorian had also explained that it had a strong prey-drive and enjoyed killing things, even when it did not intend on eating them. The creature had inevitably been killed by Eula and the Traveler, but Kaeya knew better than most that on Dragonspine the dead didn’t always stay that way.

He had little doubt now that the killer was the ‘fellflower’ as Dorian had called it. He knew he should turn back while he still could and wait for the other Knights before engaging it. There was little to no chance that it hadn’t already encountered Albedo and Dorian by then. Unless they were hiding, perhaps. There were plenty of nooks and crannies in the ruins where a person or two could stuff themselves into to avoid being seen. Keeping warm was the biggest obstacle in that situation, but Dorian had that warming bottle of his, and Albedo always kept potions on him. It likely wouldn’t be enough to have kept them warm throughout the night, but they at least might not have died from it. Those two could weather the cold better than most, after all. If that was the case however, he would need to remove the homicidal lookalike from the equation before he could more efficiently look for them, and time was of the essence. If he waited for the others, he might lose track of the creature. So he decided to take the risk and follow the footprints. 

Given how fresh the tracks were, he knew his target would be nearby. There weren’t as many walls as further into the ruined city, but they were still more than plenty for a person to hide behind in preparation for an ambush. The tracks meandered along the outer ruins, as if it were prowling its territory. A rumbling came from not too far away, but as he drew near to the source, he saw that the tracks ended abruptly at a large disturbance in the snow and stone. Kaeya cursed silently. It had gone underground. More rumbling could be faintly heard from a distance, likely being the creature resurfacing further away. Had it noticed him? He wasn’t sure, but the danger that he was in had increased dramatically either way. This had been a mistake. 

The soft crunch of footsteps quickly approached him, and he summoned his weapon, ready for an attack. There was a ruin wall between him and the other person, blocking each of them from the other’s view. Kaeya was determined to make the first strike. Just as the person was about to pass the ruin wall, he leapt out from behind it, narrowly missing Dorian’s neck with his sword. The other man tried to stop in his tracks but the ground was too slick and his feet slid out from under him, causing him to land roughly on his back. His eyes were wide as he raised his hands defensively.

“Kaeya, it’s me! Don’t strike!” 

Kaeya did not make another attempt to slash him, but he didn’t lower his sword either. “Prove it. Show me your star.”

Immediately the other did as he was instructed, revealing the star he had kept hidden on his neck. It was exactly like Albedo’s, free of imperfection. Without hesitation Kaeya swung his blade, severing the imposter’s head before it even had a chance to react. Dorian’s pontil mark had a scar running through it now from the treasure hoarder’s blade, but the lookalike wouldn’t know that unless Dorian had shown it. He hoped that beheading the creature would be enough to kill it, but that hope was quickly dashed.

The creature’s body suddenly surged with cryo energy, and in the split second before it encased itself in a cocoon of ice he thought he could see it splitting open through the chest. He had to backpedal away to avoid being skewered by the ice now surrounding it, then braced himself against the ruin wall as the blast of its subsequent emergence nearly knocked him prone. He expected to see a giant whopperflower as the cloud of snow dispersed, but instead he found himself face to face with a dragon.

Oh. That’s new.

The dragon sent a blast of cryo in his direction, but he managed to dodge it with relative ease. “My, got a bit of an upgrade in the afterlife did we? Well then, this should be fun.”

The dragon made a face that was close to a sneer before loosing a volley of ice shards at him. Again he managed to dodge them, tucking into a roll then popping nimbly back to his feet. He twirled his sword in his grip before assuming a defensive position, readying himself to weave around its next attack “Come now, surely you can do better than that?”

The dragon continued to assault him but it seemed to be holding back, watching his movements and taunts with intense interest. It was toying with him, letting him think it was weaker than it actually was. Kaeya knew that was the case, but he had not anticipated just to what extent it was holding back. Not until it got tired of watching him dance around it. The tables quickly turned after that. He took hit after hit, his body soon littered with gouges and puncture wounds. If not for his vision being able to heal him just a little, he’d be in even worse shape. Meanwhile the dragon hardly seemed to be breaking a sweat. It was having its fun with him, knocking him around with its talons like a cat with a mouse, or sending him scurrying away with a blast of ice. His cryo attacks only seemed to make it stronger, and on the rare moments he actually managed to hit the bloody thing with his sword, he couldn’t leave so much as a scratch on it. Its shield was too strong from him to break, and he was quickly running out of strength. 

He felt several ribs crack the next time the dragon batted him against an outcrop of stone, and it was all he could do to get back to his feet. Archons he was tired. He’d been driven all the way to the mountain’s border by then, the waters of Sal Terrae glistening tauntingly out of his reach. The mountain around him was painted scarlet with his own blood which dripped profusely from his many wounds, but the stains were quickly covered with freshly fallen snow. As if the weather itself was in collusion with his attacker, hiding the evidence for what was surely going to be the scene of his murder. He’d already lost far too much blood, and was suffering from the broken bones that the dragon had already inflicted. He was likely concussed as well, though at that point it really didn’t matter. The dragon’s maw opened to assail him with icy blades again, and this time he knew he had no chance of dodging them. Just as they were about to reach him however, a shield of cryo suddenly encapsulated him, absorbing the attack. 

About damn time.

As with the healing aspect of his vision, his elemental shield was not something he could consciously summon. It only ever appeared when he was close to death. Seeing the shimmering dome that had just blocked its attack, the dragon cocked its head with curiosity before sending a more substantial blast in his direction. Were it using any other element, his shield would likely have broken then. Being cryo however, the barrier remained strong. A heavy thump of its tail sent spires of ice erupting beneath it, but miraculously the shield held. The dragon made a disgruntled snuffing sound, crawling closer to him. He tried to back away but his fractured leg gave out and sent him sprawling onto his back. It was in that moment, watching at the dragon loomed over him, that it hit him just how badly he had fucked up. He was going to die there. 

The dragon put one of its taloned hands on top of his shield and began pressing its weight into it, causing the shield to immediately begin cracking. Evidently satisfied with its assessment of the shield’s integrity, it withdrew its claws in favor of biting down on it. That sickly glow filled his vision as he was able to see into the dragon’s mouth. In the split second that it took for his shield to shatter, Kaeya did the only thing he could think of. He summoned as large of an ice shard as he could muster and blasted it directly in the dragon’s mouth, striking it in the back of its throat. The attack did not damage it whatsoever, but it had hit just the right spot to make it gag. The dragon’s back arched as it recoiled, much like a cat who’s made the mistake of eating a stink bug. It shook its head like a horse trying to rid itself of flies, and for the first time since their encounter it genuinely looked irritated with him, a low growl rippling from deep in its throat. He barely had time to brace himself as the dragon swatted him with its talons. Only it did so a little too roughly this time, and Kaeya found himself being launched off of the cliff dividing Dragonspine with Sal Terrae far below. 

The water felt like stone as he struck it, knocking what little breath remained from his lungs. His vision was going dark, and all he could see was a flurry of bubbles rising to the surface around him. He tried to swim upwards, but his limbs refused to cooperate. Of all his injuries, was he really going to die by drowning? It was an insult by that point. Unless…

He called upon his dimming vision, hoping to summon enough cryo beneath him to lift him back up to the surface. It took everything he had, but in the end he realized he couldn’t breath either way. Blinding pain lanced through him as he tried, likely having punctured a lung. He supposed there were worse ways to die. Unable to move, the last thing he was able to see was the blue Liyue sky above him, free of Dragonspine’s perpetual winter. The air was warm too, in sharp contrast to the ice below him. He was so tired. He closed his eyes as his consciousness slipped away from him, his final thoughts drifting to Albedo, wishing he could have said goodbye…

…

…

…

Voices. They were quiet at first, barely noticeable, but their volume slowly grew as time passed. Their tone was soothing, as was the warm air and whatever he was laying on. He wanted to drift back to sleep, but something was nagging at the back of his mind. It was distant, and he tried brushing it away like an old cobweb, but the more he did so the more insistently it shoved its way to the forefront. Finally it broke free, and Kaeya sat up suddenly as he remembered what happened. The sudden movement was a mistake, the world seeming to swirl around him as his body ached. He put a hand to head, tried to stop the perceived movement of the room. Where was he? It didn’t look like anywhere in Mondstadt. Perhaps more importantly, how was he even alive? He noticed that a iv was connected to his arm, leading up to a bag of blood. So this was some sort of hospital most likely, and considering that his injuries seemed to have been healed completely, it must be one with a powerful healer.

As he was contemplating this, a green-haired man with halfmoon glasses entered the room, casting him a gentle smile when he saw Kaeya. “Ah, you’re awake. You’ve had me worried the last few days. How are you feeling?”

“Lightheaded and sore.” He answered honestly. The man hmmed and quickly wrote something onto a nearby clipboard. “Perhaps you would be so kind as to tell me where I am? And who you are?”

“Why of course. I’m Baizhu, owner of Bubu Pharmacy, which is where we are presently. A few days ago you were dropped off rather abruptly at my doorstep in critical condition. I was able to heal your injuries, but you had lost a significant amount of blood, which we have been slowly replenishing. That would be the cause of your lightheadedness.”

“ Bubu Pharmacy ?” Kaeya winced, the words having spoken more loudly than he had intended. More calmly he added, “How did I get to Liyue Harbor from all the way in Dragonspine?”

Baizhu’s brow rose in surprise. “Dragonspine? So that’s where you were found. Gui, our herbalist, said that the person who brought you here seemingly appeared out of thin air, set you down at the threshold, then vanished just as quickly. We weren’t able to ascertain where you had come from or why you were in your present condition. Perhaps you might be able to shed some light on that?”

Before Kaeya had a chance to speak, a little girl entered the room, looking up at Kaeya with a curious expression. “You’re awake now. I’ll go get you some medicine.” Her voice was odd, the words coming out sleepily and in almost a rehearsed manner.”

The doctor smiled at her affectionately. “Thank you Qiqi.”

Kaeya waited for the girl to leave again before returning to what he had been about to say. “I’m the Cavalry Captain of Ordo Favonius. I had been investigating the deaths of two Fatui squads in Dragonspine, where I discovered that the source was a severely mutated cryo whopperflower. I tried fighting it but it easily overpowered me, and ended up knocking me down into Sal Terrae. I lost consciousness after that.”

“Oh my.” Baizhu said with a note of concern. “I’ll be sure to pass word of this on to the Millelith.”

It was not the Millelith he was worried about informing. “I need to return to Ordo Favonius urgently. They won’t know where I am or what they had been coming to fight. I- I’m not sure how many of them might have died from it. I need to get there as quickly as possible.” 

He had been halfway out of the bed by the time he’d finished talking, ready to leave right away. He needed to know if Albedo was alive. Dorian and the others as well. He wasn’t confident they could have taken the monster on and won. At the very least, not without casualties. Baizhu gently put a hand against him, guiding him back into a seated position. “Now now, you will still need a day or two at the very least before you can be cleared for discharge, and I could not in good conscience allow you to make the journey back to Mondstadt on your own. What I can do is send a letter explaining your current situation however. That way they will at least be informed, and can send someone to bring you back safely.”

Kaeya wasn’t pleased with that solution, but it was the best that could be done. The next day and a half were spent sleeping, taking bitter medicines with his food, and waiting anxiously for any sort of response from the Knights. Finally that afternoon he received word that a falcon had arrived at the pharmacy carrying a letter for him. He felt like he could cry with the overwhelming relief he felt when he read that not only were they able to kill the fellflower, but they had done so with zero casualties. The letter also said that Diluc was on his way there to retrieve him, and should be arriving by that morning. The redhead must have taken that estimation as a personal challenge, because it was only a little after sundown that he came barging into Kaeya’s room. The man looked almost exhausted as Kaeya felt, making him wonder if his brother had slept at all since he’d gone missing, or if he’d been prowling the mountain looking for him this whole time. Kaeya wasn’t sure what response to expect from Diluc as he got up to meet him, but being gripped in a desperate hug was not it. “I thought you died.” 

Kaeya cast him a look of mock affront. “Such little faith, Master Diluc. It’ll take more than an overgrown weed to kill me.”

Diluc huffed, then turned to Baizhu who had come in after him, albeit in a more calm manner. “You said his injuries are healed, yes?”

Baizhu nodded. “They are, though he is still recovering from his blood loss. He’ll need a few weeks at least before regaining his strength.”

The pyro user looked back at Kaeya with an odd expression. “Good.” Kaeya was not prepared as Diluc punched him none-too-gently in the stomach, causing him to double over wheezing. “That’s for being an idiot and nearly getting yourself killed. Do you have any idea how worried I- we were for you?”

Baizhu startled at Diluc’s sudden aggression, his catalyst appearing next to him as he attempted to get between them.

“Master Ragnvindr, I would ask that you not assault my patients, or else I will need to remove you from the premises.”

Kaeya waved off the physician’s alarm, still trying to catch his breath. “It’s fine, doctor. I deserved that.”

“Even so, I will not tolerate violence on these grounds. Need I remind you this is a place of healing?”

Diluc apologized to the doctor for his impromptu sparring match before requesting to take Kaeya back with him, but Baizhu insisted they wait until the morning so that he could make a proper assessment before discharging him. Diluc had begrudgingly agreed, though he was quick to return early that morning. The man had arranged to use one the Winery-owned carts kept in Liyue to carry him back in, though Kaeya insisted that sharing his horse would have more than sufficed. Diluc wouldn’t hear of it, wanting him to ride in the back of the cart so he could lay down. It was almost amusing how Diluc could be so mothering while also acting so disgruntled, truly a combination that only his brother could pull off. Eventually they settled on Kaeya sitting in the front of the cart, which he decided was good enough all things considered.

It took them the whole day to reach Mondstadt, part of which could have been shaved off if Diluc was willing to go a little faster. He stubbornly kept their steady pace however, even after Kaeya tried to annoy the man into wanting to get it over with more quickly. So he was forced to wait as hour by hour went by, inspecting the scenery around them for lack of anything better to do. When they finally made it beyond the city walls, Kaeya practically leapt out of the cart despite Diluc and the Knight’s protests, not stopping until he was in front of Albedo’s apartment. The door opened before he even had a chance to knock on it, and the moment he stepped inside Kaeya embraced the other, twirling him around.

“Don’t you ever scare me like that again Albedo. I thought that abomination had killed you and Dorian when you never returned to the camp. Where the hell were you?”

Albedo huffed softly as Kaeya set him down again, watching as he was forced to lean against a table to stop the room from spinning. “I could say the same for you. I’ve been confined to the apartment for the better part of a week, wondering what happened to you and being unable to look for myself. Dorian has been equally distraught from what I’ve been told. You would do well to visit him after this.”

Kaeya could certainly imagine how distressed the other man must have been. It was his creation after all, so it would only be natural that he would put the blame on himself for Kaeya’s presumed death. “I will. Where is he now?”

“Presently he is being held in custody at Headquarters. The Knights have been holding back his trial until you could be located. Now that you are back, Jean intends to have a hearing in two days that we will both need to attend.”

“What do you think they’ll decide to do with him?” Prior to the most recent events, Kaeya had been fairly confident that Dorian would be let off easy, but now he was less certain.

Albedo remained silent for a moment, his gaze tracing the grain of the wooden floor. “I don’t think execution is on the table, but considering this secondary incident with the fellflower…” He paused, his face looking grim. “I see a high likelihood of him being imprisoned for this.”

Chapter Text

The excited chatter coming from above gave away Kaeya’s arrival at the Headquarters well before he descended the stairs to the prison chambers. Dorian recognized the familiar sound of his boots against the stone as the other came down, filling him with excitement to see the other safe and sound. As the Captain made it down the last few steps, Dorian crossed his arms in mock disappointment.

“Finally come down to check out my new digs, huh? Took you long enough.”

Kaeya smiled disarmingly, his arms spread. “ So sorry to keep you waiting, but I’m afraid I was rather in need of an impromptu vacation abroad. Best sleep I’ve had in awhile, but the complimentary drinks left something to be desired. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted something so bitter.”

Dorian’s smile faltered despite his attempts to remain jovial. “I don’t suppose you could tell me what happened? All I was told was that you somehow ended up in Liyue Harbor. I don’t suppose you were in need of a swim too?”

“Ah, that.” Kaeya rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, after I returned to Albedo’s camp and found that you two never returned, I went running back to the Ruin Outskirts in the hopes that you both hadn’t been killed. Instead I ran across your homicidal houseplant. I took it by surprise and beheaded the damned thing, only for it to turn into a dragon. I believe you failed to mention that part when describing it before.”

Dorian cleared his throat as his gaze turned to the side. “In my defense, it wasn’t originally capable of doing that. The alteration of its true form was a result of it feeding off Durin’s blood for three months.”

“Regardless.” Kaeya continued, “It proved to be a notable adversary, and by that I mean it proceeded to toy with me for a good thirty minutes before batting me off a cliff. It did make an actual attempt to kill me eventually, but my elemental shield finally kicked in and prevented it from doing so.”

“Shield?” This was the first Dorian was hearing about Kaeya having an elemental shield. He’d learned that Kaeya’s vision was able to heal him a small amount when he was severely injured, but the man had never mentioned having a shield as well. He certainly wasn’t aware of it when creating the fellflower. Something like that might have ruined his plans if Kaeya were to have gotten out alive because of it. “Since when do you have an elemental shield?”

Kaeya raised his eyebrow. “Did I not mention it before?” When Dorian shook his head he hmmed as he filed through his memories for any recollection of that subject coming up in their conversations. “No, I suppose I didn’t. I won’t go into detail, but it was the first ability to manifest when I received my vision.”

“ Oh. ” Dorian realized what the Captain was implying. He had never given Dorian a full account of what happened the night of the altercation between him and his brother, and Dorian knew better than to ask. They all had stories that were best kept in the dark. 

A glint appeared in Kaeya's eye at the subject of his vision, quickly followed by a grin. “That reminds me. I heard a rumor and a certain individual also has a cryo vision now. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?”

Dorian felt his face grow warm. He felt both proud of his new vision and slightly embarrassed about the attention it gathered. “Ah, yes. That. It proved rather useful, I must say. I don't have it on me right now of course. I can feel that it’s nearby though. Up in Jean's office if I had to venture a guess. I didn't even have it a day but it feels wrong not having it on my person now.”

Kaeya nodded sympathetically. “That does tend to happen, yes. Moreso if a vision is removed forcefully. I'm sure you'll get it back soon.”

Dorian couldn't help but feel doubtful about that. Between the events of that day and the knowledge of his past actions, he knew there was a high likelihood he'd be moved to a more permanent cell somewhere. There was no use trying to pretend otherwise. He swallowed.

“Would you happen to have heard anything regarding when my trial might be? Jean had been delaying it until you could be found.”

The Captain sighed. “In the morning of the day after next. Technically I am on house arrest until then, but Jean allowed me to see you first.”

“I see.” Dorian could feel the pit of anxiety he had been carrying grow heavier. Kaeya put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Hey, it’s gonna be alright. Trust me.”

Dorian wasn’t sure he could.

~ ~ ~

Two Days Later

Dorian stood facing the congregated Knights at the head of Ordo Favonius’ small courtroom. All eyes were fixed on him, and he found that he could not bring himself to meet them. Instead he stared down at the wood fixture in front him as his heart beat loudly in his chest and his throat constricted. Not all of the Knights were present, but all of the Captains, Seniors, and others of high command were. The Acting Grandmaster stood at the judge’s podium. 

“Dorian Grey, do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?”

Dorian swallowed back the knot in his throat, already knowing he would break that vow. As did Kaeya and Albedo. There were some truths he had no right to share. “I do.”

Jean nodded. “Then we are ready to hear your testament. Please start with the beginning and move forward.”

He took in a breath. Though he had spent the past two days going over what he would say, now that he was on the stand his thoughts seemed to carry the words away. “From the very beginning of this, I only returned to this land on the twelfth of February last year. Prior to that, I had been… um…”

For the briefest of moments Dorian saw a figure in the corner of his eye, and a sudden tightness appeared in his chest, catching the words. No. She wasn’t here. It wasn’t her. Rationally she would have no reason to be there, but he could not shake the sudden paranoia that maybe she really was. What if she was waiting to see if he would rat her out. To spill the secrets he and his brother were meant never to share. If he did, would she kill him? 

‘Let us see if you will succeed where your brother failed. Burn Mondstadt to the ground, and perhaps you will be worth keeping after all.’

His chest felt hot as his heart beat faster. What if she made him hurt people? Unbidden, the mental image came of him attacking the Knights gathered there. It would be so easy, all cooped up together in that small room with him. He thought about how they would scream as his claws tore them apart until the room was bathed in red-

“Dorian?”

Dorian blinked as was torn from his thoughts. Glancing upward he saw Albedo and Kaeya watching him with concerned frowns. Right. He was fine. It had just been a dream earlier. His master wasn’t really there, and she had no way of making him hurt them. He wouldn’t. He didn’t want to hurt anyone again.

“Yes, apologies. Um.” He tried to remember where he’d left off. “Prior to that date I had been… trapped in the ley lines of Dragonspine near Durin’s heart after my master… or rather my mother I suppose, killed me there when I was still very young. She had kept me confined in the years I lived with her and had subjected me to a great number of… erm…” 

For the sake of Albedo and his reputation with the Knight, Dorian had been unsure of whether he should omit this part of his history. However after a discussion with Albedo, the other had conceded that for the other Knights to better understand his motives, he would need to add in all the details he could that wouldn’t expose the true nature of their origins. “... of both unethical and inhumane tests, until she decided she no longer had use of me and so disposed of me in favor of raising my brother instead.”

He felt the intensity of the others’ gazes sharpen while a few turned towards Albedo.

“I am not entirely certain what catalyzed my revival through Durin’s blood, only that when I woke up I didn’t know where I was or for how long I had been gone. I spent the better part of five months just trying to survive the mountain when I discovered my brother’s camp with him inside it. He had not noticed me then, nor did we have many true interactions between each other before our mother disposed of me. Out of curiosity I spent several days watching him, and I admit that I became incredibly jealous of the life he had. It angered me that he had been given the opportunity to have a life for himself when our mother had taken that from me. I wanted what he had, and in my anger towards him and our mother I decided that I wanted to take that life for myself rather than struggle to make my own. This was further cemented by my assumption that Chief Albedo would be equally inclined to kill me as our mother had been, and should my revival be made known he would attempt to remove me.

The following five months were spent in preparation to execute my plan. Originally I had only intended on… killing, Chief Albedo. But after observing him and the Cavalry Captain for long enough I realized it would be unlikely that I could deceive Captain Kaeya, so I decided he would need to be removed as well. On a number of occasions I infiltrated the Headquarters in disguise to observe the Knights so as to more efficiently assimilate into them. 

Towards the end of my preparations I instigated the rampant slime infestation at the Temple of The Four Winds as a means of drawing Captain Kaeya away so that I could test my ability to impersonate Albedo among the city. During those few days I took on Chief Albedo’s duties before providing the solution to the slimes and returning to the mountain. After that I began my final preparations, part of which included taking supplies from the Favonius laboratory. I also required live cryo whopperflower specimens for which I enlisted the help of Outrider Amber and by extension Captain Eula Lawrence.”

Dorian could feel Eula and Amber’s gaze on him and could imagine each of their expressions then, but he dared not look up. Instead he pushed past the ever growing knot in his throat and continued.

“I used the advanced alchemy that our master taught me to alter the whopperflower with Durin’s blood to create the fellflower. I intended on luring Captain Kaeya into the Ruin Outskirts where the fellflower would ambush and kill him while I would ambush Chief Albedo at his camp. It was only after I dispatched the fellflower that I learned about the expeditions the Adventurer's Guild was hosting on Dragonspine. Had I known about that prior to releasing the fellflower, I would have waited so as to avoid endangering anyone outside my intended targets. The fellflower’s attack on the boy Joel had been directly against my instruction. I managed to covertly interfere with its attack on Joel and Eula, but it escaped me afterwards.”

He swallowed thickly, not wanting to say what came next. “The subsequent involvement of Outrider Amber, Captain Eula, Bennett, The Traveler, and Paimon during the following days led me to inevitably determine that they also would need to be removed in order to minimize the likelihood that I would be discovered. I had by that time recovered the fellflower and given it new instructions that it was to kill all of them, along with anyone else who might come across it. I did not want it to do so, as I had grown very fond of both Outrider Amber and Captain Eula and didn’t desire for harm to fall on anyone but my brother. However I had errantly convinced myself that it was the only way I could be free. The fellflower was the one to cause the avalanche that nearly killed Chief Albedo and Bennett. I had been monitoring its progress from a distance, but when it was charging its finishing attack towards the group I could no longer stand the thought of them dying, least of all by my own doing. I broke out from my hiding place to take it by surprise and kill it, which was only partially successful. I aided in killing it the remainder of the way afterwards. 

Three days after the incident Captain Kaeya discovered my hiding place and attacked me. I retaliated and had the brief opportunity to deal a killing blow but hesitated, allowing the Captain to recover and render me unconscious. When I woke I was tied up at Chief Albedo’s camp, where he proceeded to interrogate me. Evidently my answers and behavior prior to him meeting me, in addition to knowing my history with our mother, was satisfactory to him that he was willing to extend me the offer that he would allow me to continue alternating between him while in the city and performing his duties. This was under the condition that when I felt ready, I would turn myself in to the Knights and accept whatever judgment was passed onto me. Captain Kaeya came back shortly after and eventually agreed to go along with it as well.”

The irony that the two people he had intended to kill from the start were the ones who supported him the most was not lost on Dorian. He wondered how the others would feel about it.

“From there on until the kidnapping incident I had been taking turns with my brother as Chief Alchemist. When not in the city I spent my time in Dragonspine. There is nothing additional of note during this span of time until the kidnapping. In truth I had been the one who was kidnapped rather than Chief Albedo. Since I eventually returned to Dragonspine I have not reentered the city or impersonated the Chief Alchemist. I had instead been preparing to turn myself in. That was interrupted when tremors were felt on the mountain and we went to investigate it. 

While doing so Chief Albedo and I had been attacked by the fellflower and fell into a domain created by the ley line disturbance it caused. This took place the day before the Knights came to investigate at Captain Kaeya’s behest. Chief Albedo and myself had been trapped in the domain until the following day, after which we immediately pursued the reconnaissance group in the hopes to warn them about the fellflower, or if they had already encountered it, aid them in destroying it.

The resurgence of the fellflower was not purposely orchestrated by myself or any other individual. Based on what Chief Albedo and myself witnessed in the domain, it appears that it had been revived by Durin’s blood three months ago and spent that time feeding off the ley lines and Durin’s blood. I speculate that this caused its true form to further evolve into the dragon-like shape that was witnessed. I also speculate that this new form was its equivalent to the evolution of a whopperflower into a regisvine, which would account for its heightened power and size.”

Thus was spilled the remainder of his confession. So far as he could remember, nothing important was left out. What the others chose to do with that information he did not know. Letting out a breath he added, “That concludes my testimony.”

Jean gave him a nod. “Thank you. I have no further questions for you at this time. I would now like to call up Chief Albedo for his testimony.” She waited for the alchemist to take a seat on her other side. “Chief Albedo, to your knowledge, is everything that Dorian said truthful?”

Albedo nodded. “It is.”

“And would you care to share your side of the series of events?”

“Of course. As my brother had explained, I was not well acquainted with him while still under the care of our mother. I was still quite young at the time and did not yet fully understand the situation between our mother and him. From the few times I had been able to interact with him directly, Dorian had seemed to be a kind and caring individual. He had been enthusiastic at my arrival and had shown concern that our mother might have caused harm to me as she had done to him. That had not been the case, though I was unaware of the extent of which our mother had tested on him. After a mere handful of meetings our mother cut off direct contact between us, but allowed him to observe my studies with our mother. For the sake of clarity as to Dorian’s later actions, I would like to add that our mother openly demonstrated favoritism towards myself as a means of spurring my brother into compliance out of competitiveness. I attribute this to his later resentment of me following his revival.”

Dorian had the urge to hide his face. He knew that, despite knowing what their mother had done, Albedo did not hate their mother. He wasn’t sure how the other felt about speaking Rhinedottir’s transgressions aloud.

“I suspected that Dorian might have returned through the dragon’s power when I had received word from the Traveler and Eula respectively about me doing things I had not done. This was later confirmed after seeing Dorian fleeing my camp following the incident. By that point in time I had already discovered a journal left behind by our mother which detailed her various tests done to him and their results. It was on account of that that I had initially felt pity for his situation, and it was one of the factors which ultimately resulted in my decision not to turn him in.

The other factors were what I had inferred from the report of the fellflower incident, Captain Kaeya’s own report that Dorian had hesitated in killing him despite having an opening to do so, and the answers which I received from Dorian during my interrogation of him. From what he stated, I had been the only individual he truly wanted to kill, and even then he did not make an active attempt to do so within the five month time period in which he was preparing and enacting his plan. The plan itself was needlessly complex, and those two factors combined gave me the impression that at least subconsciously he did not want to kill me, or at the very least Captain Kaeya. Given that he had determined both of us would have to be removed from the picture for his plan to work.

His reluctance to resort to murder was further evidenced by the fact that he had sabotaged his own plan which had been months in the making because his conscience would not allow him to kill others, even if he deemed their deaths necessary to carry out his goal. Instead he went so far as to put his own life and freedom at risk to prevent them from dying to his creation.

Based on what I knew of both him and the situation, I felt he deserved a second chance and was confident in my assessment of his character that he would prove trustworthy to not cause further trouble. I still stand by that decision, as he has yet to give me reason to regret it. I would also like to confirm that Dorian had been actively preparing to uphold his promise to turn himself in prior to the fellflower’s resurgence.”

A few more questions were asked of Albedo before Kaeya was called up to give his own testimony, which essentially was a confirmation of what the two brothers had already said. After that came the list of charges, each one making Dorian’s heart sink deeper.

“Based on your testimony, the testimonies of Captains Kaeya and Albedo, and the hard evidence, you are to be charged with the following crimes: Identity theft, impersonation of a Knight Of Favonius, theft, seven counts of attempted first degree murder, accessory to the murder of nineteen Fatui agents, and public endangerment. How do you plead?”

Dorian took in a shaky breath. He had prepared for this moment, but that didn’t make it any easier. His reply came with a tone of finality. 

“Guilty, on all charges.”

Chapter Text

Four words. Four nails upon his coffin. Dorian had taken his fate and left it in the hands of the Knights. What they would do with it, he was not sure.

“I see. You may be excused to return to your cell while the council deliberates on what your sentence shall be. Kaeya, Albedo. You may stay to provide your input, but given your involvement in the case your votes will not count towards the final verdict.”

“Understood, Acting Grandmaster.”

Dorian allowed himself to be led out of the courtroom by one of the Knights. His gaze did not leave the floor, but he knew the others were watching him intently as he walked past them. He could feel their judging stares on his back. He wondered how many of their number hated him for what he had done. The Knight did not speak to him as they returned to his cell, nor did Dorian attempt to start a conversation. Negredo was waiting on cot for him, a contented rumbling coming from his chest as Dorian picked him up and began scratching his chin. He sighed, falling back onto the bed. All he could do was wait now, and wait he did.

The passing minutes felt like hours, and the hours felt like days. He wasn’t sure whether it was a good or bad thing that it was taking so long. Finally after what seemed like an eternity of waiting, the Knight returned to inform him that the council had come to a decision and he was to be brought back to the courtroom.

Deep breaths.

Dorian tried to force his nerves to calm down but it was to little avail. The closer they got to the courtroom the more his heart began to pound in his chest. It would be fine. Everything was going to be fine. He would take whatever punishment they decided to give him. Whatever it would be, he was sure it would be fair. The Knights of Favonius were not cruel or spiteful. 

He would be fine.

Stepping past the threshold of the courtroom Dorian found the Knights were exactly where he had left them, and just like before all eyes were on him. Albedo and Kaeya were seated to the side, but Dorian was unable to read their moods past their usual mask and vapid expression. He wasn't brave enough to look at anyone else.

He was led to the defendant's seat. The throne upon which his judgment would be passed. Jean waited for him to be settled before knocking her gavel on the podium three times. Not that there was anyone to silence. The room was dead quiet, which did little to soothe Dorian's nerves.

“Dorian Grey, the court has reached a decision on your sentence in accordance with the crimes you are charged with and the unique circumstances in which they took place. Firstly, your charge of identity theft has been dropped at the request of Chief Albedo, who had been the victim of this crime. As for your seven counts of attempted first degree murder, it has been taken into account that you put a stop to these attempts of your own volition. 

In regards to the second incident, the court acknowledges that its revival was through means that were beyond your control, nor was there any intent or instruction on your part for it to attack and kill the nineteen Fatui agents. The court also acknowledges that in both incidents with the fellflower, you willingly put your life at risk to assist in killing it so as to prevent it from causing further harm. Lastly, multiple individuals have come forth as witnesses of character in your favor. 

With these factors in mind, this is the court's final decision. You shall be sentenced to six months of probation, after which your case will be reevaluated. Captain Kaeya Alberich and Chief Albedo will be your primary probation officers. Should both be indisposed at a given time, that task will fall on myself as Acting Grandmaster. During the probationary period you are to remain within close proximity to at least one of the officers at all times. You will not be permitted to leave Mondstadt without direct consultation with me by your officers. You also will be prohibited from using lethal weapons during this period. Weapons of any other kind must be approved by myself or your probation officers. I have already approved for your vision to be returned to you, however it comes with the warning that should you use it inappropriately it will be confiscated again. You will need to join me in my office to sign an agreement form, which will serve as legal documentation that you agree to these terms. After that you may collect your vision and will be free to leave.”

She knocked her gavel on the stand once more. “The court is dismissed.”

Dorian practically sagged into his chair with relief. It was a better sentence than he could have hoped for. Only probation, not prison or banishment. That he should have Albedo and Kaeya as his probation officers was another mercy. He had already spent most of his time with one or the both of them as it was. Doing so for another six months would not be too difficult. Not only that, but she was even allowing him to have his vision back. In truth, it was better than he deserved. 

As the other Knights filed out of the courtroom, Jean motioned for Dorian to follow her to her office. The Acting Grandmaster looked exhausted as she closed the door behind them and sat down at her desk. Out of habit he opened his mouth to remind her to take it easy, then quickly closed it again as he remembered he was no longer in the position of a fellow high-ranking Knight. He was just a civilian now, and one that was on thin ice with the law at that.

The documents he needed to sign had already been set out on the desk. He listened attentively as Jean reviewed the terms of his sentence before handing the papers over to him. As he marked his signature on the designated pages, Dorian realized that this was the first time he had ever written his actual name. He found himself pausing to stare at the flowing lines of ink until a knock on the door startled him from his trance. 

“Acting Grandmaster, are we free to enter?”

Jean looked up from the desk. “Yes, come in please.”

Albedo and Kaeya were waiting outside, both of whom were exuding a much cheerier air than the last time he had spoken with them, thought outwardly they remained respectfully poised

“I believe you have some paperwork for us to sign?”

“That would be correct, Sir Kaeya. Here.” The Acting Grandmaster pulled out two other stacks of papers almost identical to Dorian's own. “Be sure you both read through it carefully before signing.”

Soon their own papers were adorned with ink as their names were penned across them before being handed back to Jean. The anemo user put them together into a neat stack which she filed away. 

“Well then, that settles that. I appreciate your patience, Dorian. I didn't wish for you to spend so long in the cells, but given the situation it couldn't be helped.”

“No, I should be thanking you. I wasn’t expecting to get off with such a light sentence. I am incredibly grateful for it though.”

Jean smiled softly. “Well, the word of the Knights’ Captains go a long way. Given their testimonies in your favor, it was much easier to gain the votes of the other Knights. Also, while it is a factor that remains off the books, I did not want to go without acknowledging your part in the incident with the Thieves Guild. You took a bullet for Chief Albedo, even if involuntarily. Had your positions been switched, I am told that he likely would not have been able to be revived in the way you were. So for that you have all of our thanks.”

Dorian felt heat rising in his cheeks and he looked away, feeling embarrassed. “Ah, well, I think you've already paid me back for that by reviving me afterwards. I do rather enjoy not being deceased. But hey, third time might be the charm.”

“Mm.” Jean gave him a disapproving look. “Let's not test that, please.” 

He observed as the woman unlocked a compartment in her desk and pulled out a smooth black box which was chilled with cryo energy. He knew what was inside well before the box had been opened, but his heart still skipped with excitement as he saw the pale blue gem nestled inside. 

“I believe this belongs to you.”

A shiver ran up his spine as the vision's cooling power filled him, its surface briefly gleaming more brightly as if it were pleased to have been reunited with its owner. Along with it came a feeling of wholeness, as if a missing puzzle piece had finally been clicked into place. Looking back up at Jean he bowed respectfully. 

“Thank you, Acting Grandmaster. I won't make you regret your mercy to me.”

“I'll hold you to that then.” She replied with a warm smile. “You three are free to go now.”

As they exited Jean's office a wide grin broke out across the Cavalry Captain's face, and for once it was entirely candid. “Ay, what did I tell you?”

Dorian chuckled as Kaeya elbowed him teasingly. “Ah, you were right. I honestly wasn't expecting to get off that easily. Not that I'm complaining. Did you both know what the sentence was going to be before I came back in?”

Albedo shook his head. “After giving the council our opinion on the matter, we were instructed to wait outside while they discussed your sentence. It was as much of a surprise to us as it was to you.”

“That being said,” Kaeya added, “We had faith in our fellow Knights to come through.”

They walked the short way from Jean's office to Klee's room, where the young pyromaniac was being kept in solitary confinement. Evidently with Albedo and Kaeya on house arrest the girl had found herself under less experienced supervision, the aftermath of which had resulted in several fires and a basket of flash-boiled fish. 

Klee was waiting on the other side of the door as they opened it, her eyes lighting up like daybreak as she saw who had come to visit her.

“Kaeya! Big Brother Albedo! Are you out of solitary confinement now?”

“Sure are.” Kaeya grinned and ruffled the girl's hair. “And we brought someone we want you to meet.”

The Cavalry Captain captain stepped aside to give Klee a clear view of Dorian, who offered a small wave towards her. Her mouth formed an ‘o’ as she took in his appearance, then compared it with her brother's with obvious confusion.

“There's two Albedos now?

A chuckle escaped the alchemist. “Not quite, Klee. This is Dorian. He's my own big brother.”

If Klee's eyes were daybreak before, they were broad daylight now. “Really?! Klee didn't know you had a big brother!”

“Yup.” Dorian crouched so as to be closer to eye-level with the child. “We've actually met before. I used to pretend to be Albedo for a little while because we had to keep me a secret, but I don't do that anymore. I was also there in Inazuma with you.”

“You were?”

“Yes.” He nodded. “Do you remember Mister Grey? That was me in disguise. I don't have to hide anymore now though, so I can meet you for real.”

“I remember Mister Grey! We made paper cranes, and he gave me piggyback rides, tee-he! That was lots of fun.”

Dorian smiled warmly at the little elf girl, happy that she didn't seem bothered by his deception. “It was fun for me too. If you want, I would enjoy spending time with you again like that.”

“Yes please!!” Klee was practically radiating glee as she clapped excitedly. “We can have so much fun. I'll show you all of my favorite places, and we can color together, and go fish blasting!”

Klee clapped her hands to her mouth and looked up guiltily at her two caretakers. “Uh, I mean- slime blasting. Big Brother Albedo says slime blasting is okay if I'm far away from any buildings.” 

Suddenly the girl's eyes widened with a small gasp as she realized something. “If you are Albedo's brother, does that mean you are Klee's big brother too?” 

Dorian felt his heart lift at the question. “Do… do you want me to be?” 

 He didn't want to get his hopes up in case she said no, but his worries were quickly tossed aside as the girl nodded so emphatically that he worried she might strain her neck. 

“Yes yes yes!!!”

“Well in that case, I would be honored to be your big brother.”

“Hurray!!” Klee practically leapt onto him, her arms wrapping around the back of his neck in as big of a hug as her little body was capable of. Dorian returned the gesture, his throat catching as he held back tears, but for once it was not out of sorrow. She would never know just how much her words meant to him.

“Now I have too big brothers! I can't wait to tell Mommy! She'll be so happy too!”

Dorian exchanged glances with Albedo. It was a subject that had come up before, and one that Dorian did not find particularly pleasant. He had practically been sent into a panic when he first realized who Klee's mother was. Or rather the relationship she had with his own. He had briefly met Alice on one occasion, shortly after he had been woken in Rhinedottir’s laboratory. The witch had been rather enthusiastic as she looked him over and asked if she could borrow him sometime. His mother firmly denied her request though, stating that he wasn't a plaything and that she didn't want the experiment to be disrupted by ‘uncontrolled stimuli’. Alice had pouted rather childishly at that until his master managed to divert her attention to something else. 

Back then he hadn't realized just how powerful the woman was, but upon connecting the dots that she and the chaotic witch were the same person, he had nearly given himself a panic attack. She was close to Rhinedottir, and given her nature he had no doubt that she would find out about him and spill that information to the other. 

Albedo had eventually managed to calm him down, stating that it had been some time since the two witches actually met with each other, and that even if their master did find out through her, Alice would more than likely be too fond of him to let Rhinedottir do anything with him. Especially if Klee got attached. It was a difficult thing indeed to tell the great adventurer Alice of The Hexenzirkel no.

That being said, Dorian still hoped he would never have to meet her again. From what he could gather, she was the sort of person that saw the world as a game and its inhabitants her playthings. She might not be explicitly malicious, but the consequences of her actions were of little consequence to her. As such, it was no surprise that she and Rhinedottir got along. Klee didn't need to know his opinion on that matter though. In her eyes, her mother was the greatest person in the world, and he wasn’t going to take that from her.

As she released her hold on Dorian, the girl noticed the vision hanging from his belt. Her eyes sparkled and she pointed to it excitedly. “You have an ice marble just like Kaeya! Sometimes he makes it snow in solitary confinement for me, but he told me not to tell anyone because Jean gets mad when he does that. …Oops.” Realizing her mistake, she quickly diverted the subject. “Uh, what does yours do?”

Kaeya cleared his throat as Albedo gave him a sideways glance. “That is an excellent question. What does your vision do, Dorian?”

“Well.” Dorian held out his arm with a closed fist towards the girl. “I can do this.”

Opening his palm, a little finch made of ice and snow came to life in his hand as if by magic. It made a little hop towards the girl, its head tilting curiously, then it lifted from his hand to flit around the room before eventually perching atop her hat. Klee squealed with delight. 

“That's so cool! Can you make a Dodoco too?”

Dorian hmmed, unsure of whether he could or not. He hadn't exactly been given much of an opportunity to play around with his vision yet. He concentrated on the shape of Dodoco and channeled that image into his vision. It was a very simple thing to emulate, but somehow it felt unnatural. Like trying to place a puzzle piece into the wrong slot. 

“Looks like not, I'm afraid. My skills appear to be limited to birds at the moment. Maybe later when I'm more experienced I'll be able to.”

“That’s okay.” Klee held up both hands for the bird to hop onto, then pet its head with a giggle. “I love birds too. Like the weird grown up! He has lots of big birds. Kaeya showed me one time.”

“My, what's going on in here?” The four of them turned to see Lisa standing in the doorway with her arms folded and an amused smile adorning her face. Negredo was standing by her feet, though upon seeing Dorian he meowed and trotted in to rub against the other's legs.

“Miss Lisa, look! I have two big brothers now! Isn't that the best ?”

“Is that so? Sounds like you are quite the lucky one to have two brothers to look after you now.”

“Mm hm! That's why Mommy calls me her lucky little clover sometimes.” 

A sudden growl came from Klee's stomach, signaling that a meal was overdue.  She and Lisa were the only ones of them who had eaten at all that day, but it was past lunchtime by then and neither shared the boys’ terrible eating schedules. Albedo offered for Lisa to join them at Good Hunter, but she politely declined with a knowing smile.

“Besides, I'm sure you'll have more than enough company as it is.”

Chapter Text

Klee held Dorian's hand as she led them through Headquarters, pointing out the different rooms as they went. He noticed how some of the knights glared at him from the corners of their eyes, and felt the hard stares against his back once he passed by, though they were quick to avert their gaze the moment Kaeya or Albedo turned towards them. It would seem that not everyone was so forgiving of his crimes.

Though he figured that most of the civilians would be unaware of the story surrounding him, it did nothing to help the many eyes turning in curiosity as Klee pulled him down the city’s many flights of stairs and into the main promenade. Whispered mutterings spread throughout the city like wildfire. After all, it wasn't every day that a person who's features were almost identical to their Chief Alchemist was suddenly seen strolling between him and the Cavalry Captain. Dorian had anticipated this would happen, but actually being there, the object of everyone's attention, made him want to curl up and hide. It was too reminiscent of when he had woken up with amnesia and had the whole city clamoring over him in relief and excitement that Chief Alchemist Albedo was finally awake. Though he did his best to ignore them, he couldn't help but catch the words of those nearby.

“Who's that? He looks like Chief Albedo.”

“Do you see that young man? I heard he was arrested.”

“I don't remember Chief Albedo having a twin brother.”

“I read in a book somewhere about a scientist creating an artificial human. Maybe Chief Albedo created him.”

“Should we ask?”

“I wonder who that is next to Chief Albedo and Captain Kaeya?”

“Looks like Miss Klee has a new friend. He looks familiar.”

“Do you think he's a new knight?”

Meanwhile Klee was blissfully unaware of the attention he was garnering, too excited to give her new brother a tour of the city. He had tried to explain that he was already quite familiar with it, but seeing how elated the girl was, he decided not to spoil her fun. Kaeya and Albedo trailed behind them, both watching the two of them with an amused fondness. 

Sucrose and Timeus were both at the alchemy station when Klee proudly dragged him over towards it. “This is the place where Albedo helps sometimes. Oh! Miss Sucrose is there! Sucrose is the best! She said that she's going to make me a Jumpty Dumpty that bounces and dances!” Using her free hand, the little elf girl waved at them as she, “Miss Sucrose! Other grown up guy! Look, I have a new brother!”

Sucrose startled at the sound of her name being shouted from halfway across the promenade, her eyes first focusing on Klee before shifting to Dorian as he was pulled closer. He gave the young woman a small wave and nervous smile, unsure of what her reaction would be. She was an incredibly shy individual, but she also held great admiration for Albedo. To know someone had been impersonating him and lying to her in the process, well, he supposed he could only hope it wouldn't end in her using one of her experiments on him while he slept or something of that nature. He didn't think she would, but he was one hundred percent certain either. 

She took him completely by surprise when instead her face lit up like the morning sky. “Oh my. You must be Dorian, Albedo's brother. It's such an honor to meet you. I've been studying the remains of the mutated whopperflower you created. It's unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”

“Uh…” Dorian floundered for a response, not having prepared for that kind of reaction. “T-thank you? So you're actually happy about it?”

“Of course I am. This might be one of the most exciting things I’ve yet to study. How ever did you manage to create it?”

Dorian felt his face growing warm with embarrassment. “It's um, a bit complicated to explain. I guess I could make a copy of some of my notes if you’re that interested in it.”

“Really?” Sucrose's ears perked up slightly, despite her usual attempts to keep them hidden in her hair. “I would love that.” 

Suddenly the woman's face grew as flushed as Dorian's and she looked down at her shoes, her usual shyness catching up with her. “That is, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble.”

“It's fine,” he assured her. “I suppose I owe it to you for helping to clean up my mess. And… for the lying as well.”

“Ah, well, Mister Albedo knew about it and I trust his judgement.”

Fair enough.

Klee lifted herself onto her tippy toes to peer over the crafting table at Sucrose. “We're going to have lunch at Good Hunter. Do you want to come too?” she asked.

Sucrose glanced over in the direction of the shop and noticed Kaeya and Albedo standing a small distance away. Her cheeks grew redder. “O-oh. I really shouldn't impose. You have fun though.”

Klee seemed momentarily disappointed by Sucrose's declination of her offer, but her mood quickly shifted back into one of excitement at the prospect of eating. “Okay! Bye Sucrose!” 

The woman waved them goodbye as Klee hurried back to where Albedo and Kaeya were standing, dragging Dorian along with her.

“Sucrose seemed in good spirits,” Kaeya said as the other two joined them. “I hardly ever see her so animated when talking to others. Especially those she doesn't know.”

Albedo appeared unsurprised. “I expected as much. She's been anxiously waiting to meet Dorian since she first got her hands on the fellflower.”

“And here I was worried she would hate me. A shame the same can't be said for the Knights,” Dorian sighed. He could feel the scrutinizing eyes fixed on his back, silently being judged by his peers. Well, he supposed they weren't actually his peers. He was no longer a Knight of Favonius. In fact he never had been. Not truly. It was just another of his lies. 

The whispers of the general public had only increased as well. The gossip amongst the citizens bouncing off each other and magnifying in the process. He shifted his stance in discomfort, tempted to pull his hood up to hide his face better. He decided against it however. It would only stir up more curiosity. 

Noticing his growing unease, Kaeya proposed that they take their food outside the city for a picnic, rather than eat at the tables there. “I’m sure Klee would love to show you her favorite picnic spot,” he added, knowing just how to get the little girl on board with the idea. 

“You mean under the big tree? Tee-hee! That would be so fun! You'll love it Big Brother Dorian!”

He offered the clever Cavalry Captain a grateful expression and mouthed ‘ thank you ’. Albedo, who was not one for crowds on the best of days, was equally pleased with the suggestion. 

“Ah, yes, that’s a fine idea. Good thinking, Kaeya.”

Once they had obtained their food, Klee proudly led them through the gates to the city, humming a tune that Dorian didn't quite recognise. Given the sound of it, he guessed that the girl must've come up with it on her own. He noticed one of the guards posted outside the gate glaring at him from the corner of his eye, but as with the others, the man quickly averted his gaze when Kaeya looked in his direction. Dorian sighed, resigned to the fact that his reception from the Knights would remain frosty at best. Though he supposed there were a few exceptions.

“Hey! Dorian! Wait up!” 

Hearing his name, Dorian turned to see Amber bounding towards them. His chest twisted with shame at the sight of her and he turned his eyes to the ground. He wasn't sure he had the strength to look her in the eyes just then.

“I was looking for you,” she said breathlessly as she reached them. “I tried catching you after you were finished talking with Master Jean, but apparently you had already left.”

She'd been looking for him? Why? Was she intending to confront him about what happened? It was within her right to do so, and he supposed outside the city gates was a better place than where it was more crowded.

Seeing the Outrider, Klee giggled and waved her hands excitedly. “Hi Amber! Do you know Dorian too?”

Amber nodded, the ears of her bandana bouncing with the motion. “Sure do. He's a good friend of mine.”

Now Dorian felt really guilty. He had utterly betrayed the woman's trust, yet here she was, happily proclaiming him her friend in front of all of them. He didn’t deserve her.

“Really?” Klee looked from her then back to Dorian as if wanting confirmation. 

Dorian lifted his gaze briefly to see Amber's face, but he detected no hint of anger. “Y-yeah. We're friends. One of my first, actually.” ‘ Along with Eula’, he thought morosely. “I… did some things you should never ever do to friends however. For that, I am tremendously and eternally sorry. I shouldn't have lied to you Amber, or attempted to harm you.”

Amber put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Hey, it's alright. Well, the actions themselves weren't exactly alright, but I forgive you and I don't want our friendship to end over that. Even if I did think I was friends with Albedo before. That might take some getting used to.”

“Are you… not mad at me?” Dorian asked hesitantly.

“I mean, I was pretty upset at first,” she admitted, “But then I heard about your past and thought it over a bit. I can tell you never actually wanted to hurt me or the others, and as a friend to someone else who'd been experimented on and tortured, I know that it can drive kind people to do bad things. I guess part of what drove it home for me was remembering that time you kinda freaked out when I tried to hug you a little while back. Collei is like that too, and she went through a lot of suffering at the hands of the Fatui. I can't imagine how bad it must have been for you to endure that for so many years.” 

Oh Amber, bless her gracious heart. Dorian really didn't deserve her. “I'm not sure what to say. Thank you, for your understanding and forgiveness. I cannot express how much it means to me.”

Amber grinned and gave him a playful nudge. “Hey, it's what friends do. Oh! I almost forgot the reason I was looking for you…” The Outrider produced a small object from her pocket and held it out towards him. It was the prototype warming bottle he had given her during the battle against the fellflower. “I was meaning to give this back earlier, but with everything going on I forgot to.”

“Ah, thank you. To be honest I’d also forgotten about that.” He accepted the device from her and stashed it away. 

“You know, that thing would be rather useful to the Ordo and Adventurer's Guild. I don't suppose you could make more of them?”

“It's still a prototype,” he said, feeling a bit of pride in knowing she was impressed with his creation. “Once I perfect it though, it's been my full intention to make enough to distribute to both parties.”

Amber beamed. “That's wonderful! I'm sure they'll be put to good use. If you need help collecting any supplies for them, I’d be more than happy to help. Just as long as you don't use them to go creating more shapeshifting murder-plants.”

“You have my word,” he said, putting one hand to his chest. “My whopperflower mutating days are over.”

“Good.” She lightly punched him in the arm. “I'd join you guys on your tour, but I've got a patrol to do today. You guys have fun though, and maybe we have lunch together later in the week. Minus a certain one-eyed individual.” She lowered her voice for that last part while glaring daggers at the individual in question, but not enough for it to go unheard by the Cavalry Captain. 

“Hey now, that's no way to speak about your superior. And for the record, I have both eyes. One is just covered. There's a difference, you know.”

Amber rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say, Captain Kaeya. Well, see ya later Dorian. You too, Klee and Chief Albedo.”

And just like that she was off again. Dorian watched her go, feeling lighter now than he had since the whole incident began. This was a start. Klee accepted him as a brother, Lisa harbored no bad feelings towards him, Sucrose was evidently a fan of his now, and Amber had already forgiven him. Yes, he could work with this. His biggest worry now was in regard to Eula. He wouldn't blame her for hating him. She already had so few people she was actually close to…

A tugging at his sleeve redirected his thoughts back to the present as Klee grew impatient. “C'mon, I wanna show you the big tree!”

The little Spark Knight did not let go of his hand the entire way there. Not until they were standing directly beneath the familiar boughs of the great Windrise tree, which swayed in the midday breeze as if greeting them with a friendly wave. Around it fluttered the usual crystalflies, one of which briefly landed on Dorian's head much to Klee's amusement. 

“That means Mister Barbatos likes you,” she proclaimed confidently. “Momma told me that.”

Dorian wondered if that was true, or if Alice was merely weaving tall tales to the girl as a means of entertainment. He glanced at Albedo to see if he knew the answer, given that he knew the witch personally, but judging by the way Albedo returned his gaze, it would seem that his brother was equally in the dark.

Kaeya raised his brow at the statement in an exaggerated expression of surprise. “Is that so? My, Miss Alice is quite knowledgeable indeed. Perhaps Barbatos is relieved that your big brother doesn't have to stay in solitary confinement any more.”

“Yeah? Well I'm glad too.” Klee hugged Dorian for emphasis, leaving his heart warmed before pulling away to start dancing around the base of the tree and cheering, ”Picnic time! Picnic time!”

Albedo summoned a large blanket from his notebook, which he spread out between the tree's thick roots. It was the perfect sort of day for a picnic. The sun out, warming the air and earth around them. Birds singing from above, their cheerful melody accompanied by the burbling of the nearby brook. A breeze that was just strong enough to keep the air fresh without disturbing their blanket or hair as they ate. 

Dorian wished every day could be as sweet.

Klee wiggled with excitement when sat between her two brothers and waited for Kaeya to distribute the food. Her lunch consisted of a ham and cheese sandwich with fruit and a cookie on the side, while the other three had ordered skewers of fish or steak. Dorian had considered getting his usual crab bake instead, but ultimately he decided it wasn't a great option for on the go. 

As they were finishing up their meal, Dorian looked to Klee and asked, “So where do you wanna go next, kiddo?”

Unsurprisingly, her destination of choice was Starfell Lake. There was a certain irony in that for Dorian. It was the place he had taken her the very first time they met all those months ago, before even Albedo or Kaeya knew he was there. He remembered clearly the bittersweet joy he felt when Klee gave him the drawing she'd made of them together. Simple as it was, it was the first time in his life he'd ever been offered a gift, and that had made it worth gold to him. He still had that drawing posted on the wall of his home

“I think that's an excellent choice, Klee. Let's go there.”

Overcome with a new wave of excitement, the girl leapt up from the blanket. “Yayyy! I love Starfell Lake. Let's go Big Brother!”

Before Kaeya and Albedo even had a chance to finish putting away the picnic supplies, Klee dashed off in the direction of the lake while giggling. Dorian hurried to catch up with the girl, though it took more effort than he would have thought to be necessary. 

‘Stars, how is she running so fast with such little legs?’

From behind him he could hear Albedo shouting out, “Klee, don't run off so far.”

At her brother's chastisement, the girl reluctantly slowed to a normal -if not brisk- walking pace. To fill the time she began chatting away and pointing out various landmarks as they went, hardly allowing a moment of silence pass between there and their destination. To others it might have been exhausting to listen to her endless stream of words after so long, but Dorian didn't mind. He enjoyed seeing Klee's childlike wonder and innocence. Even more so now that her excitement was directed at him. The real him.

They were about halfway into their walk when Klee pointed out a seemingly ordinary cluster of trees. “Right there is where I used to hide my treasures,” she said, “but then Mister Fluffball stole them and I got in trouble.”

Dorian, who was mid-bite into an apple he'd picked along the way, nearly choked. “Mis- * cough * Mister Fluffball?” What kind of name was that? “Is he a raccoon or something?”

Albedo pinched the bridge of his nose as if the mere mention of the incident was giving him a headache.  “That would have been preferable. ‘Mister Fluffball’ in actuality was an abyss mage, who mistakenly believed one of Klee's ‘treasures’ was some type of powerful weapon he could use.”

It was common knowledge to anyone familiar with Klee that her ‘treasures’ were in fact bombs, and while a bomb technically speaking could be considered a weapon, Dorian knew that Klee's were only so powerful. They might cause some small structural damage or be a danger to individual people, but they were hardly something worth an abyss mage's time. “Did he get away with it?”

“No,” Klee pouted, much in the same way as a child might do after breaking a toy by accident. “He blew himself up.”

“He—” Dorian had put hand to mouth to keep from laughing. “He blew himself up?”

A mental image played in Dorian's head of the mage acting smug while going off on some monologue, thinking he had the upper hand, only to go *poof* mid-sentence. That, in combination with the genuine look of disappointment on Klee's face, was simply too much. 

“He blew himself up, bahahaha! Oh stars, hahaha , what I would have given to witness that.”

Albedo frowned at him, clearly not seeing the humor of the situation. “It was not as funny as you seem to think. The Traveler got caught up in the mess and we had to draw up a whole lecture for Klee afterwards. Not to mention the influx of Abyss Order activity when the rumor of there being powerful weapons got around.”

“I know, I know. It's * snirk * it's just … it’s… haha … he… he… ha hahaHAHAHA *wheeze* !”

His inability to form a sentence somehow made it worse, the laughter bubbling up uncontrollably until his sides were aching and tears squeezed from his eyes. 

Kaeya tsked at his partner while putting a hand on Dorian's shoulder. “Come now, Bedo, you must admit it was a little funny. The Traveler said all that was left of the poor chap was a few tufts of fur floating around like confetti.”

Dorian pushed Kaeya away as he was overcome with another fit, the new information adding onto the picture he already had. Repeatedly he tried to compose himself, but each time he did the scene just replayed itself in his mind and caused him to start laughing all over again. He had only just managed to fill his lungs again when Kaeya added,

“I wonder what the look on his face was. Was there a moment that he realized what was about to happen, or was he just instantaneously deleted from existence? A shame we'll never know.”

That was the final straw for Dorian. He pounded his hand against his leg as he doubled over, gasping for air while cackling like an asthmatic hyena until his head swam. This was it. This was how he died. Asphyxiation by cracking up over the secondhand description of an abyss mage exploding itself. He could already see his tombstone,

Here lies Dorian Grey

March 4th, 1694 GDE ~ May 29th, 520 PC

Brother - Friend - Alchemist

He couldn't handle the truth.

“Stop. Stop. I can't… hahaha *wheeeeeze* I can't breathe…”

Klee, who had remained silent up until that point, knitted her hands together worriedly as she looked up at Albedo. “What's wrong with Dorian? Does he need a healer?”

“No,” Albedo sighed, his voice laced with unamusement. “What he needs is for Sir Kaeya to stop antagonizing him.”

Kaeya put a hand to his chest in mock affront. “My, how could you accuse me of such a thing? I would never antagonize a dear friend like that. Isn't that right, Dorian?”

Dorian was still too winded to make a response, but seeing the concerned look on his little sister's face was enough to finally break the cycle. He took several long breaths and wiped eyes free of any remaining tears.

“ Hooooh . Okay. Okay. I think I'm over it. We can keep going now.”

Contrary to his claim, it wasn't long before the image of the mage started popping up again. It really shouldn’t have been that funny, but somehow the split second scene of it blowing up mid-sentence over and over again was frying all the sensibility from his brain. His composure hanging on by a thread, Dorian had to bite his lip just to keep himself from snickering at random points during their walk. Thankfully he was in the back of the group that time with Albedo and Klee in the lead, so no one could notice the way his shoulders kept shaking.

To his credit, he managed to keep it up for a little while, right up until the point that he noticed Kaeya staring at him. The moment they locked eyes Dorian knew what Kaeya was planning.

‘Don't,’ he mouthed, shaking his head as he could already feel his composure starting to break.

Ignoring his plea, the cryo-user looked him dead in the face before making a poofing gesture with his hands. Dorian covered his face as the laughter he'd been suppressing came out in a loud snort that cascaded into another fit of uncontrollable giggling.

Albedo glowered at Kaeya, who looked around as if the alchemist could have been staring at anyone other than himself.

“ Kaeya .”

“What are you looking at me for?” Kaeya asked, his hands raised like a man trying to prove his innocence. “I didn't say anything?”

Not fooled by Kaeya's theatrics, Albedo crossed his arms and said with a small huff, “It would seem you didn't need to.” He then reached out a hand to his little sister. “Come on Klee, let's go. They can catch up once they are done fooling around.”

~ ~ ~

It was late afternoon when they reached Starfell Lake, its calm surfacing reflecting the flock of birds which flew over it at the group’s approach. Usually a boat would be needed to reach the island at the center, but with Kaeya present he could make an ice bridge for them to walk across. An idea suddenly came to Dorian's mind. Kaeya wasn't the only one with a cryo Vision now. He stopped by the water's edge and inwardly probed the gem hanging at his waist. It felt stronger than when he had first received it, or perhaps it was that he was growing more accustomed to using its power. He closed his eyes with one arm outstretched, taking the time to fully envision what he wanted. The little cryo birds he'd made in the past had come almost instinctively, with little thought necessary to create them. He needed something bigger this time however. 

Free from the pressure of battling for life and death, Dorian found himself reaching further into the power within him than he'd been able to before. Finally he touched the heart of it, which unfurled in his grasp like a flower finally blooming in spring, releasing the trapped potential within.

Cryo energy flowed down his arm to coalesce into the shape of a large bird which shot out across the water, freezing the surface solid in the wake. It traveled the entire stretch of water between them and the island before turning around nimbly to fly back the way it had come. Dorian raised an arm for it to land on, chuckling with surprise and relief that his attempt had actually worked. It felt as if he'd been learning to walk until that point, but now he could finally run.

Klee oohed and aahed at his feat, reaching up to touch his creation while Kaeya clapped his hands with a proud grin. “My, would you look at that. The Owl of Dragonspine has an owl of his own now.”

It was true. His finch had transformed into a snowy white barn owl with eyes nearly the color of his own. Its feathers glittered in the sunlight like ice crystals as cryo energy radiated off of it in a light mist.

“It's so pretty!” Klee exclaimed as Dorian lowered it for her to see better. She gave it a pet on the head before withdrawing her hand with a giggle. “And cold too. Does it talk like Oz?”

Dorian shook his head, much to the girl's disappointment. He could feel that the avian was not alive in the way that Fischl's companion was. It was merely an extension of his will in animal form. “Sorry, kiddo. Oz is a pretty special case for Vision users I think.”

“Aw. Well, it's still pretty.”

“And useful,” Albedo added. “It will be nice to have another person capable of creating ice bridges when Kaeya is not around.”

“Indeed.” Kaeya put a hand on Dorian's shoulder and shook it playfully. “Now the next time the Traveler wants to walk aaall the way to the nameless island, I'll just tell him to take you instead.”

Dorian smiled uncomfortably. “Eheh. Well, let's just cross that bridge when we come to it. Pun not intended.”

“Are you talking about the island with all the crabs?” Klee asked. “I hate hate hate crabs. I want to blow them all up so I never have to see them or spend the whole day de-shelling them ever again.”

Dorian was taken aback by the girl's sudden vehemence. It was the first time he'd heard her sound so… angry. ‘Note to self, do not bring Klee to crab island. Violence may ensue.’

They spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening relaxing at the lake, enjoying the quiet solitude from the hustle and bustle of the city. Dorian was especially grateful for it. After spending over a week in prison and subsequently being subjected to the stares and whispers of what felt like the entire populace, he took comfort in the fresh air and lack of crowds. He had played with Klee in the water for a little while, splashing and chasing her along the island's edge. Once she got tired, he helped to dry the two of them off before laying down in the warm grass, his eyes turned to the sky as it gradually shifted hues with the movement of the sun. 

Nearby could be heard the scratching of pencils and crayons being dragged across paper as Albedo and Klee both worked on their drawings, albeit in different style and quality, It was nearly sunset when Klee stood up to proudly show Dorian the fruit of her labors. It was a messy drawing of the four of them eating beneath the Windrise tree. Or rather it was the five of them, as one could not exclude Dodoco of course.

“Look Big Brother. That’s you!” She pointed to the figure most resembling himself. 

Dorian sat up to appraise the artwork in an exaggerated manner. “Wow, it looks just like me, Klee. This is excellent work. I’ll have to hand this up for sure.”

“Hee-hee, I knew you would like it.” Klee wrapped her arms around him and buried her face against his chest, her next words muffled by his shirt. “You’re the best.”

Dorian nearly teared up then and there. Though he had not known her for long, he truly did view the girl as a little sister. The fact that she had so readily accepted him as family, and held him in such high regard… Well, it meant the world to him. 

She sat contentedly in his lap while they watched the sky turn golden, her eyes beginning to droop. It had been a long and exciting day for Klee, and now it was catching up with her.

“Alright kiddo, I think it's time to head back before it gets too dark.”

“Nooo,” the girl whined sleepily. “I'm not tired yet. I still want to play.”

Kaeya chuckled as he walked over and patted Klee's head. “Now now, Klee, you’ve gotten to play a lot already today, and it's getting late. Besides, you’re having a playdate with Diona tomorrow morning, remember? You don't want to be too tired for that.”

“Can I at least have a snack when we get home?”

Kaeya looked over to Albedo, allowing him to make the decision. She'd just eaten an hour before with the extra sandwich they'd brought for her, but it would take them another hour and a half to reach the city again. Albedo nodded in approval.

“A small one, yes.”

That seemed to be enough of a motivator for the girl to hop up from Dorian's lap, though as she did so a wide yawn escaped her. Dorian grunted as he pushed himself onto his feet, stretching his limbs a bit before turning to Klee. “Hey Klee, you want a piggy ride back?”

“Oh yes please!” she cheered. “I love piggyback rides!” 

He lowered himself enough for her to latch onto his back, her arms wrapping loosely around his neck while he used his own arms to support her from below. “Are you comfortable?” She nodded. “Alrighty then. Let's see if I can summon that cryo owl again.”

He freed one hand to stretch out in front of him as he had done before, and to his delight, his Vision once again responded to his desire. This time coming much easier. After freezing a path across, the owl gracefully swirled around them several times before flying upwards and dispersing into a burst of snow. 

Kaeya crossed his arms as Klee giggled and reached for the snow. “Well now you're just showing off.”

“What? Worried I'll put you out of a job, Captain?” Dorian teased, a smug grin on his face. "What do you think, Klee? Would I make a better Cavalry Captain, or Kaeya?”

Klee, ever the mischievous girl, grinned and said, “Tee Hee. You would be the best captain, Big Brother.”

Kaeya gasped at the betrayal. “I'm hurt. It's only been a day and you've already turned her against me. For shame, Dorian. And here I thought we were friends.”

Klee, growing unsure as to whether Kaeya was still joking or not, suggested, “Maybe you can both be captain?” 

“Na, it's alright Klee,” Dorian chuckled, casting the other two with a knowing smile. “I'd make a better Chief Alchemist anyway.”

~ ~ ~

The little Spark Knight was fast asleep on Dorian's back by the time they reached the city. She hadn't lasted long, lulled to sleep by the steady rhythm of Dorian's footsteps. He could feel the weight of her head resting against his nape and was careful not to let her fall. He had worried the slumbering girl might be jostled awake should any monsters or thieves appear, but thankfully their journey home went uninterrupted. Kaeya aided in lowering Klee onto her bed without waking her, then he and Dorian quietly retreated to the living room. 

“I guess she won't be needing that snack after all,” Kaeya said quietly. 

Albedo nodded, seeming unsurprised. “I had anticipated as much. She was already quite exhausted. I'll make her a nice breakfast in the morning. Banana pancakes and bacon, perhaps.”

Oh, how that made Dorian's mouth water. Banana pancakes were among his favorite breakfast items, he’d discovered, and it had been well over a week since he'd gotten to enjoy a real breakfast. He wondered if that was the reason why Albedo chose it.

Kaeya walked up to his partner and kissed the man on the head before saying, “Only if I get to cook the bacon.”

Dorian held back a laugh. It had been a subject of discourse that Albedo could never seem to make the bacon crispy enough for Kaeya's taste, while Kaeya's method often left the meat burnt according to Albedo. Personally, Dorian preferred it Kaeya's way. As he did for most of Keaya's cooking.

“Very well,” Albedo huffed, not deeming the issue worthy of an argument. Instead he busied himself by going through the mail that had been delivered while they were out. He paused at one with a fancy envelope and opened it, reading its contents. “Hm. Interesting.”

Dorian looked up from Klee's drawing which he'd been posting onto the cryo-box. “What is it?”

“It is a letter from the Liyue Qixing. It seems they are slowly reopening the Chasm to select groups, and have requested my assistance in investigating the dark mud which they believe is responsible for the mysterious accidents and maladies afflicting the miners.”

Dorian's eyes widened. “Oh? Well that ought to make for an interesting business trip. You'll have to bring me back a souvenir.”

Albedo handed Dorian the letter to read. “Actually, I believe it may be beneficial for you to come as well. You are nearly as well-versed in alchemy as I am, and given the dangers of the Chasm, having a second Vision wielder would be preferable to one. Especially a person capable of healing like yourself. That, and it will give you the opportunity to visit somewhere outside of Mondstadt. I do believe you expressed an interest in visiting Liyue?”

“Y-yes. I did. I just wasn't expecting to be able to go until my probation ended.”

“So long as the Acting Grandmaster is informed and you remain with me throughout the trip, I see no issue coming of it. I will not force you to accompany me of course. The choice is up to you.”

It didn't take much deliberation for Dorian to have his answer. “I would love to join you. I could use a change of scenery for a little while. How long do you think we will be gone for?”

Albedo hummed. “That's hard to say. It would entirely depend on what we find in the Chasm, but if I had to make an estimate, I would say anywhere between one and three weeks.”

That would be a long time away from home. The longest he'd ever been outside of Mondstadt since his revival. Whether that was for better or worse, he wasn't sure. It did not change his answer however.

“I guess I'll pack my things, assuming Master Jean approves of it. Not that I have much to pack…”

“I see no reason why she wouldn't,” Kaeya assured him. “Though I'm sure Klee will miss her brothers.”

Dorian flopped onto Albedo's couch with a contented sigh, happy to be spending the night in a room that wasn't a prison cell. “Well then, I guess I'll guess just have to spoil her in the meantime.”

Chapter Text

“Are you ready to go?”

Dorian felt a buzz of excitement as he shouldered his small pack of belongings to bring with him on their trip. It would be the first time he had left for another nation as himself. Sure, he had been to Inazuma. It was a magical trip he wouldn't soon forget, but he went under a false identity, and what few connections he'd made there would be unfamiliar with him now. Though, he wasn't sure that he'd ever see them again regardless. As beautiful as the nation of electro was, and as much as he wished to further explore it, he wasn't sure he could handle another nauseating trip there and back on those wretched ships. Thankfully the other nations of Teyvat could be reached by other means. In this case, by horseback. 

The Ordo had recently secured nearly two dozen horses from the son of a late rancher, allowing them more freedom to dispense the steeds as needed. The foremost of these was to ensure every Captain was assigned a personal horse. Albedo had been one of the Captains lacking one, and though he insisted that he had no particular need for a horse of his own, he was instructed to choose one just the same. In the end, he had settled with a little fjord horse sporting a black and white mane. It was this horse that was presently saddled and waiting for their departure. 

Next to it stood a portly old mule named Tabbitha. That was to be Dorian's mount. Though mules were not ideal for riding in comparison to horses, it was the only animal that would allow him to sit on it. All the other horses had been terrified of him, as if he were some kind of predator ready to eat them. Even Samson would only let Dorian come so close to him, much to the man's indignation. Kaeya had been dumbfounded by the conundrum.

“I've never seen anything like it,” he'd said, a hand to his temple. “Our others were fine with you before, aside from Brandywine. I don't know what happened.”

Thankfully at least one of the mules was indifferent enough not to squeal at his approach or attempt to buck him off. The sole thing on the beast's mind was food, which Dorian was sure to pack plenty of. 

He snuck her a handful of sugar cubes and patted her on the neck before hopping into the saddle. “Ready,” he answered.

Just as they were leaving the stable-yard, a plaintive yowl could be heard from around the building. Moments later, a large black cat came bounding across the yard before taking a leap onto Tabbitha’s back. The mule flicked her ears back for a moment, but otherwise seemed unbothered by her new passenger.

“Negredo…” Dorian said, a hint of exasperation in his voice. “You were supposed to stay with Grandmaster Jean.”

Negredo merely purred in response, butting his head against Dorian’s back lovingly. Dorian wondered how the cat had even managed to escape Favonius Headquarters so quickly. Someone must have inadvertently let him out. He sighed, reaching behind him to scratch Negredo’s ear. 

“Oh alright. You can come along. No running off though. I don’t want to delay us just to chase you down.”

Albedo watched the interaction with mild amusement. He had never expected Dorian to bring home a cat from their little trip to Inazuma, let alone one as headstrong and intelligent as Negredo. Sometimes he wondered if there was more to that cat than met the eye.

“If you’re settled, shall we continue?”

“Yeah, let’s get moving. I want to see the sunset from Wangshu Inn.”

Albedo led the way from the stables and out towards the path to Stone Gate. A path that Dorian had hoped to circumvent, for it ran directly next to Dawn Winery, and by extension, Diluc Ragnvindr. He could still feel the heat of the man’s blade, and that vice-like grip around his throat. Had Master Jean not stopped him twice, it was likely that the pyro-user would have killed him that day.

He shuddered at the thought of the wine master catching them as they passed by. It was the only road leading to Stone Gate however, and in turn, was the only way of reaching the Inn. Short of swimming or wading through the marsh. The only other route into Liyue would have been to pass through the outskirts of Dragonspine and down the rocky path to Mingyun Village. Hardly the ideal path, especially with horses. Not to mention that Dorian would be missing the chance to visit the infamous Wangshu Inn.

So as it was, he could only hope that Master Diluc would be cloistered away in his office, or otherwise be engaged away from the main road. They had a small ways to go before passing by the Winery however, leaving Dorian to his imaginations on what might happen.

It wasn’t long before they reached the Springvale Canyon, its high walls blocking out all but the midday sun. Something about it was eerie and almost claustrophobic. Perhaps due to the lack of greenery, and the fact that should they be ambushed, there’d be nowhere to go. It was no wonder that so many carts and transport balloons were raided there, their broken remains littered throughout the canyon. 

Luckily, there were no thieves or monsters awaiting them that day, allowing for a smooth passage all the way to the Winery. A few of the vineyard workers waved at them as they passed, but their boss was nowhere to be seen. Dorian let out a sigh of relief once the Manor and rows of grapes became obscured by the towering stone walls of Stone Gate. 

Shortly after, they reached the wooden bridge that marked the border of Mondstadt and Liyue. Dorian felt a fresh wave of excitement. He had always wanted to visit the nation of contracts, and the time had finally come to do so. Though technically he had been in Liyue before, it was only ever at the edge of Dragonspine, still separated by the cliffs lining the mountain down to Sal Terre. He had never dared to venture further, for fear of the Geo Archon’s wrath. Recently however, he learned from Kaeya that Morax had perished during his annual ‘rite of descention’. Dorian heavily doubted the veracity of that information, but given that he had no evidence to the contrary, he kept it in mind as a possibility.

As went over the bridge, the sound of hooves clopping against the stone accompanying the burbling river, Dorian already found himself admiring the beauty of Liyue. Lotuses poked up from the water around them, and the path was dotted by paper lanterns. 

They ascended the steps beyond the bridge before coming to a stop at the top. Dorian sucked in a breath as the rock walls opened into a grand view of Dihua Marsh and the mountains beyond. The waters sparkled in the dazzling sunlight, as if diamonds had been scattered across their surface, and in the distance the Inn could be seen rising above it all like a lone sentinel. He had seen that landscape before, while on the outskirts of Dragonspine, but the mountain mists had always obscured its full beauty from view. Never had he seen it like this.

It was absolutely breathtaking. 

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Albedo asked.

Dorian nodded silently. It truly, truly was. Mondstadt was beautiful in its own right, of course, but Liyue carried a certain majesty to it that was a class of its own. Even Negredo seemed interested, carefully skirting around Dorian to sit in front of him for a better look. 

Albedo spared them a few minutes to enjoy the view, then clicked his tongue, spurring his horse forward once more to descend the next flight of steps. “There’s a tea shop at the bottom of the hill,” he said. “We can stop there for a brief lunch.”

Though they did not stay for long, Dorian thoroughly enjoyed their visit to the shop. The owner was a kind man with a great knowledge for tea, explaining their different flavor profiles when Dorian couldn’t decide which to try. Evidently the man grew up in Chenyu Vale before moving to start his business at Stone Gate. His description of the vale made it sound like a paradise, and Dorian desperately wished they could visit it. It was in the opposite direction that they needed to go, however, and regrettably they had not the spare days required to travel there and back. Dorian supposed he would simply have to go another time.

Their journey through the marsh was an enjoyable one. The air was pleasantly warm, and the light breeze carried with it a different smell than Dorian was accustomed to. The scents of asters and dandelions were replaced by those of qingxin and sandalwood. It was more humid there as well, though not terribly so. It was certainly a welcome change from the bitter cold of Dragonspine. 

An abundance of dragonflies zipped about the sky, landing on the reeds or dancing just above the surface of the waters. Several times Negredo swatted at ones that ventured a little too close, but they were much too agile for the feline to catch. 

The marshlands were also dotted with flocks of cranes and waterfowl, some of which Dorian had seen in Mondstadt, while others were completely new to him. He wished he could get a better look at them, but the birds always flew at the sight of their approach.

Along the way they found signs of fresh hilichurl activity in numerous areas, but the monsters themselves were nowhere to be seen. Their camps must have been recently cleared out, though Dorian wasn't sure. Perhaps the Traveler had passed through there recently. Hopefully that wasn't the case. He feared the proclaimed hero of Mondstadt might be less than pleased to see him, and a confrontation was the last thing Dorian wanted. He could only pray that if such a thing were to happen, Albedo would be able to diffuse the situation before anyone got hurt. 

Namely himself.  

As they finally neared their destination, Dorian noticed that the path became lined with a motley of colorful paper umbrellas, their many hues adding to the brilliance of the yellow flowers around them. The leaves of the trees too were in vibrant shades of gold and orange. 

Liyue was a much more colorful place than Mondstadt it would seem, from their decor all the way to the flora itself. It was a stark contrast to the grey and white landscape of Dragonspine, where the only color that stood out was the crimson of Durin's blood. 

It made him yearn to see the other nations as well. To soak in all the unique sights, smells, and cultures that each had to offer. Alas, it would have to wait until after his probation ends. A time which couldn't come soon enough. It was a relief to even be this far from the land of freedom. He enjoyed it there, yes, but with his betrayal of trust still fresh in the minds of those who had known him, it left an unwelcoming feeling every time he stepped foot inside the city. Nor could he bear to face Eula, though as far as he knew, she had busied herself with patrols. 

Keeping far away from him.

Sensing the other's melancholy, Negredo butted his head against Dorian's chest and began to purr. Dorian chuckled and petted the cat's head. 

The sky had grown pink and purple by the time they arrived at the Inn, the sun falling towards the distant mountains. Dorian was excited to see the view from the top of the Inn. He'd heard it was one of the best in Liyue. Once their steeds had been successfully handed over to the Inn's stablehands, it was time to ride the elevator to the top.

Dorian had never actually been on an elevator before, nor had he seen such a massive water wheel as the one that spun to the side of them. He would have loved to see the construction of the place. 

His excitement turned to awe as they stepped out onto the upper platform. The golden leaves of the tree above them glowed in the evening sunlight as if they had been set ablaze, while the waters below them spread out like a canvas painted with the colors of the sunset. 

Dorian basked in the fading light until the final rays sunk below the horizon, leaving the land to settle for the night. Moments later the lanterns around the Inn sprang to life, giving the building a warm, homey atmosphere.

He took in a long breath, letting his worries drift away as he exhaled again, even if only for a few moments. The smell of fresh food wafted up from the kitchen below, making his stomach growl. He'd heard good things about the food in Liyue, and he was looking forward to trying it.

A few minutes later, Albedo joined his side with the keys to their room. “Looks like we’ll be on the top floor tonight. Let’s put our bags away so we can order dinner.”

Dorian had no qualms with that plan. He grabbed the heaviest of their luggage, the one containing Albedo’s science equipment, and made his way up the flights of stairs. Albedo grabbed the other two sacks and guided them to their room. It was a cozy little space with a single bed and some cuihua wood furniture. The best part, in Dorian’s opinion, was the little bonsai tree sitting atop the dresser. 

He grunted as he set the hefty case down, careful not to jostle it too much for risk of breaking something. It was a shame they had to carry it all that way, but the exploration team lacked the necessary apparatus to perform the tests they requested. 

After taking a few minutes to settle in, it was time to go downstairs and finally get a taste of Liyuen cuisine. He and Albedo picked up a couple menus before finding a balcony table to sit at. Dorian could feel his mouth watering as read through the different options. As had been the case at the tea shop however, he found himself unable to choose between them. 

“Argh, there are so many options. I don’t even know where to start.”

Albedo hummed, looking over his own menu. “I recall you enjoy the crab bakes Sara makes. You could try the golden crab dish?”

“It does look good,” Dorian said longingly. “I want to try something with a lot of spices though. Something completely new to me.”

“In that case,” Albedo pointed to one of the pictures on Dorian’s menu. “I would suggest the black-back perch stew. I find it too spicy for my taste, but it’s one of Kaeya’s favorites.”

“Ah, well that settles it then. Kaeya’s taste in food hasn’t steered me wrong yet.”

Just then, a waiter came up to their table. “How are you both doing tonight? Are you ready to order, or do you need more time to look over the menu?”

“We’re ready,” Albedo said, setting his menu down on top of Dorian’s. “I’ll be having your squirrel fish. I’d also like to order some almond tofu for dessert.”

The waiter nodded and turned to Dorian. “And for you?”

“I’d like a black-back perch strew, please and thank you.”

Their orders were quickly jotted down onto a paper slip before the waiter looked up again and asked, “Will that be all for you today?”

Albedo nodded in confirmation. “It will.” 

Dorian waited for the man to walk away before clicking his tongue. “We haven’t even gotten our meal yet and you’re already thinking of sweets. Isn’t dessert supposed to be ordered after the meal is finished?”

Albedo gave a small huff. “You sound like Kaeya. If I know what I want now, I see no point in requesting it later.”

“I suppose you wouldn’t,” Dorian said with an exacerbated tone. “Mister ‘I have my meals planned out down to the number of bites’. Accidentally getting too full sometimes is part of the experience you know.”

The alchemist did not dignify him with a response.

After what felt like an eternity of waiting, the waiter finally returned with a tray of their food. It smelled divine, and the taste was even better. It was far more complex than most of the Mondstadt’n dishes he’d tried in the past, and had a pleasant warmth to it. After the first couple bites he lightly stamped his feet against the floor in quick succession.

“ Mmmmm . This is amazing. I’ve never had anything like it. You should give it a try, Albedo.”

His brother shook his head firmly. “I’ll pass. That dish is spicier than I care to eat.”

“Your loss.” Dorian took another large bite, enjoying the mild burning sensation it brought. Negredo leapt onto the railing next to them and extended a paw, begging for a share as per usual. With a sigh, Dorian pulled a small dish and scooped a portion of his meal into it before setting it down in front of the little moocher. Evidently the cat was not fond of spice either. As he sniffed the bowl, his ears flicked back and he withdrew from it with an almost offended look. Still determined to score a free meal however, Negredo then padded closer to Albedo and meowed pitifully.

Dorian squinted at the picky feline. “Oh come on. Not you too.” After several moments of unsuccessfully attempting to coax Negredo to eat, he dumped the stew back into his own bowl with a huff. “Fine, you don’t have to eat it. Don’t go crying to Albedo though. You can steal from me, but it’s rude to ask other people for their food.”

Negredo ignored him, instead pawing at Albedo’s shoulder. 

“Negredo.”

Albedo chuckled, amused by the cat’s stubbornness and similar preference in food. “It’s alright this time, Dorian. I wouldn’t be able to eat all of this on my own anyways.

He reached for Negredo’s bowl and set aside a generous helping of the fried fish. The cat’s purring as he ate was so loud that Dorian wouldn’t be surprised if they could hear it all the way in the kitchen. He turned to his own food again while mumbling about choosy beggars.

As he finished off the remainder of his stew, Dorian leaned back in his chair and sighed contentedly. That was the best meal he'd eaten in a long time. He might even argue that it was his new favorite. Albedo, having since eaten his fill of the squirrel fish, gave the rest to Negredo in favor of consuming the almond tofu, which he seemed to be greatly enjoying. Dorian chuckled and shook his head. 

“It's that good huh?”

Albedo silently nodded as he swallowed the bite he'd just taken, then pushed the plate closer to Dorian. “Try it. It's just the right amount of sweetness, and the tofu is soft.”

Dorian scooped up a small spoonful and slipped it into his mouth. Oh . That was good, though perhaps a touch too sweet for Dorian's preference. The texture was unique to foods he'd tried before, almost silky in nature, and the taste reminded Dorian of roses.

“I understand now why you were so eager to order this,” he said, grabbing another spoonful before Albedo could pull it back towards him. Not wanting to lose any more of his dessert to Dorian's appetite, Albedo flagged down their waiter to order another plate of it. 

It wasn't long after that they had finished their meals and were ready to make their way back to the room. He left the bed for Albedo to use in favor of meditating on the floor. He was tired, yes, but not so much as to make an attempt to sleep. Back against the wall and legs crossed, he closed his eyes with steady breaths and began to empty his mind. 

In and out. He could hear the sound of Albedo’s pencil against paper as his brother sketched the bonsai tree. 

In and out. A light wind drifted through the open window, cooling the air around him. 

In and out. He could smell incense from another room. 

In and out. Frogs could be heard from the marsh below.

In and out. The lights were off now.

In and out. 

In and out.

In and out.

Dorian opened his eyes again. Judging by the moon’s position in the sky, he had been meditating for several hours by that point. Not bad, he supposed. Unable to do much else, Dorian silently left the rooms to wander down the stairs. The air was surprisingly warm as Dorian stepped out onto the balcony. Not so much as it was during the day, but just enough to ward off any chill one might experience at that hour. It was peaceful, looking out at the scenery while it was bathed in moonlight. Everyone else had long since gone to bed, leaving him alone to his thoughts and the rustling of leaves as a light breeze ruffled the branches above him. He stood and watched for a while, a lonely sentinel in the night, until finally his drowsiness overcame him and he fell asleep with his head upon one the tables.

Hours later, he was roused from his light slumber by the feeling of something wet hitting the back of his neck. He lifted his head to see what was and discovered the sky now veiled by dark clouds. Rain had begun to fall from them, pattering against the leaves and wooden platform. The air had turned chilly as the wind picked up. Dorian shivered and quickly retreated to the cover of the inn before he got soaked.

His hopes of seeing the sunrise were soon spoiled as the storm persisted late into the morning, delaying their departure as well. Disappointed as Dorian was, he had to admit that the rain there had a surprising pleasantness to it. It was warmer, and had a very different scent to it than Mondstadt rain. Dorian felt quite relaxed as he listened to it through the open window of their room. The sky finally cleared just before noon, leaving the sun to shine down on the land without hindrance. With it came another thing that he was unaccustomed to. Humidity, and not of the refreshing variety. The warmth he had enjoyed the day prior now felt muggy and thick. He disliked the way his skin felt sticky, regardless of his attempts to use his Vision as a means of warding off the offending moisture. The fact that they were surrounded by standing water likely didn't help the matter. He hoped that once they cleared the marsh later in the day, most of the humidity from the surrounding lands would have burned off by then. 

Albedo watched him finally remove his cowl in huff after having adjusted it for the umpteenth time. “If you are uncomfortable, you should feel what it's like in Sumeru. The jungles are persistently humid like this.”

“Gross,” Dorian quipped back. He activated his Vision further until small crystals of ice began to float around him. Ahh, that was much better. His mule flicked an ear back at the sudden change in temperature, but Negredo seemed thankful for it, stretching out with a yawn before repositioning himself onto Dorian's lap.

Though they still had several hours to go, Dorian grew excited to finally see the harbor. The sprawling city was just on the other side of the mountain, and slowly but surely they were nearing the great archway that split the towering stone formation.

For a while their travel went without issue, however that soon changed as they began crossing a dry bridge, only to hear the shouts of hilichurls coming from below. It would seem they had fallen right into an ambush. 

Unfortunate.

Dorian had always avoided confrontations with hilichurls whenever possible. He knew full well what they had used to be, and was loath to further bring harm to them. Sometimes it couldn't be helped however, as it seemed to be the case then. Dorian would’ve brought out his sword in that moment, but he didn’t have his anymore. Or any weapon for that matter, aside from his Vision, and even that he primarily used as a means of healing and defense, not to attack. Even so, it wouldn't have done much good anyways. Without a weapon to use as a conduit, Visions became far more difficult to use in a precise manner, and on top of that, Dorian was still getting accustomed to using his.

Albedo must've made the same assessment of the situation. As Dorian moved to dismount, Albedo held up a hand at him. “It's alright. Just focus on shielding the horses, I'll take care of the hilichurls.”

Dorian begrudgingly did as he was told. He didn't like the feeling of watching his brother fight while he sat uselessly on his steed. All he could do was raise a couple jagged walls of ice when a few hilichurls got too close. The mitachurl proved a bit more troublesome from the rest, but soon even it had fallen to Albedo's attacks.

“You done?” Dorian asked, releasing the hold on his Vision. The ice cracked before crumbling away like rubble, allowing Albedo access to the horses again.

“Yes. We are clear to proceed.”

Dorian couldn’t help but glance back at the remains of the fallen monsters. He hoped they’d finally find peace, wherever it is they went when they died. Perhaps even nothingness would be a mercy from the nightmare Celestia had subjected them to. Dorian wasn't sure. He didn't really want to think about it either.

Some fates are worse than death.

It wasn't until that evening that the two of them finally reached the colossal stone arch. Dorian gaped as they passed beneath it, completely in awe by just how small it made him feel. Like a mouse scuttling through the gates of Mondstadt. Several millelith sentries stood on either side of the road, keeping watchful eyes on those heading to and from the Harbor. They nodded a silent greeting as the brothers passed by. Once they had reached the other side, Dorian gasped, yet again struck by the scene before them. The majesty of the harbor laid before them in full view, its colorful building and banners lining the coast and surrounding cliffs. Dotting its waters were fleets of ships, some docking to unload their wares and passengers, others setting sail into the vast ocean. From the distance, they reminded Dorian of waterfowl bobbing across the surface of Cider Lake. 

Albedo rode up beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Well, Dorian,” he said, “Welcome to Liyue Harbor.”

Chapter Text

Dorian had to keep himself from squirming in the saddle as they crossed the bridge to the city. Already he could see and hear the bustle of the harbor as people went about their day. The harbor was a whole new place for him to explore without the pressure of faking his identity, or the weight of judging stares and whispers behind his back. It was like starting with a clean slate.

Well, clean-ish. He supposed he was still on probation, but that wasn't something others needed to know.

Their lodgings while in the city was a place called the Baiju Guesthouse, which was located just past the bridge. While not exactly luxurious, the beds looked well-made and the rooms had a welcoming feel to them. The same likely wouldn't not be said about their camp within the Chasm. Though, given Dorian's previous living conditions, it wouldn't be too different from what he was already used to. 

They didn't dally at the guesthouse for long. There were places to visit and people to see. More specifically, Albedo had arranged to meet with his writing partner at Xinyue Kiosk for dinner, to catch up and discuss business plans for Zhenyu's next novel. 

On their way out however, Dorian caught a glimpse of his reflection as he passed by the bathroom mirror and stopped dead in his tracks, aghast. Evidently the humidity had gotten to his unbound hair, causing it to fluff up until it resembled a cat's mane. To think he had nearly gone to a nice meal with Zhenyu, renowned author and second son of the Feiyun Commerce Guild Manger, looking like that.

“Oh gods. Albedo! Why didn't you warn me that my hair looked like this!”

His brother gave him a second glance as he tried to quickly brush it out. “Mm? Oh, I didn't see a problem with it.”

He grumbled something under his breath as he turned back to his reflection. It took several minutes of brushing and teasing before he finally deemed his hair acceptable to leave again, much of which was spent glowering at Albedo in the mirror. 

Finally satisfied with his appearance, he stepped back out of the bathroom with a huff. “Alright. I’m presentable now, no thanks to you. We can continue.”

His feelings of disgruntlement quickly vanished on the way to the restaurant as Dorian found himself becoming enthralled by the city's architecture. The buildings of that street had two, even three levels to them, each with different shops and stands. Some of the buildings were even connected by walkways that arched high above the street. It was fascinating how utterly different they were from the buildings in Mondstadt, from their style and structure all the way down to the materials they were built from.

As was fitting for his character, Zhenyu was found with his nose in a book when the two brothers arrived at the kiosk, though he quickly put it away once he took notice of them. Taking a short bow, he said, “A pleasure to meet you once again, my liege. Who might be the one accompanying you?”

“Ah, allow me to introduce you both,” Albedo said, having forgotten that the two of them had not ‘officially’ met. “Dorian, I would like to introduce you to my writing partner Zhenyu, or rather Xingqiu as he would prefer to be called in person. Xingqiu, this is my brother Dorian.”

Dorian put out hand. “It's a pleasure to meet you, Xingqiu. My brother has mentioned you on a number of occasions, so it's nice to finally put a face to the name.”

Of course, technically speaking, Dorian had already been introduced to the young writer. It had been under the guise of a false identity however, so he would simply have to pretend it was his first time meeting.

Xingqiu took his hand and shook it. “A pleasure indeed. Though, I wasn't aware you have a brother, Albedo.”

“Up until recently, it wasn't public knowledge. Even to myself.”

“Ah, how mysterious. That sounds like an interesting story for the telling. Perhaps you’ll grace me with it over dinner?”

Dorian cleared his throat, feeling uncomfortable at the sudden interest in him. “I'm afraid it's not as glamorous or thrilling as you might hope. We'd be better off finding more pleasant topics to discuss.”

The other man’s brow raised in curiosity. “I am even further intrigued. If you don't wish to talk about it however, I'm sure there is an abundance of other subjects to speak about.”

The hostess at the entrance to the restaurant appeared to be familiar with Xingqiu as he confirmed their reservation, as did the waiter who seated them and took their drink orders. Dorian wondered if the young author frequented the kiosk, or if it was simply his reputation preceding him.

A veritable feast was ordered for them to eat, erasing any indecision Dorian might have in what to choose. Unfortunately, there was one member amongst their party who was unable to partake in it. The kiosk did not allow pets inside, and thus Negredo had been forced to wait outside while they dined. Much to the cat’s displeasure.

He would have to bring some leftovers back with him to the hotel.

In the meantime, he certainly would not waste the opportunity to try the variety of dishes the restaurant had to offer. There were steamed buns, soups, noodles, rice, and an abundance of seafood. The best of them however was the golden crab. Dorian had been wanting to try it since Albedo brought it up the night before, and immediately he was in love. 

That right there. That was his new favorite food, hands down.

It was perfectly crispy on the outside while soft and buttery on the inside. Just the right balance of salty and savory. The crab itself seemed of excellent quality, with a mildest hint of sweetness to it. The only thing that could have made it better was to add a bit of spiciness to it. Not so much as to overpower the taste of the crab, but just enough to provide a little kick.

Of the dishes that did have spice, they went largely untouched by the other two at the table, though Xingqiu seemed to have a higher tolerance than Albedo. The desserts on the other hand didn't stand a chance. There was no almond tofu this time around, he noted. Evidently it was a specialty of the Wangshu Inn. Instead, they were offered an assortment of pastries, puddings, and custards.

Dorian ate wordlessly as the other two discussed the upcoming installment of Xingqiu's book series ‘Legend Of The Sword’, for which Albedo had drawn up a number of concept sketches to be reviewed. He had already read the first couple books of the series, so it was interesting to see the process of how they were written and published from the author's point of view. 

Eventually the conversation drifted, turning to the other purpose for the brothers’ visit to Liyue. “So you'll be venturing to the Chasm tomorrow, is that right?” Xingqiu asked curiously. “I believe the Traveler was just visiting there a few days ago. He seems to have taken interest in it as well, though I suppose it is likely for different reasons.”

“Perhaps,” Albedo mused. “Though, he does have a penchant for cleansing areas affected by abyssal corruption and other environmental maladies. So perhaps our goals are not wholly unaligned.”

“What exactly do you plan to do down there?”

This time Dorian answered. “We are investigating the dark mud that has been welling up throughout the caverns. The hope is to determine the origin of it and then use that knowledge to design devices capable of repelling it.”

The young writer put a hand to chin in thought. “It's quite dangerous down there. I hope you both know what you are doing.”

“We're quite capable of defending ourselves,” Albedo assured him.

Dorian couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. “Heh, I'm sure it can't be too much worse than living alone on Dragonspine with no proper gear.” 

At least he hoped it wouldn't be. Those couple months had been hell for him, even by his own standards. Forced to choose between nearly freezing to death every time he went out for supplies, or staying within the cave with Durin's still-beating heart as its filth seemed to saturate him from the outside in. Even after he'd finally managed to move out of it, it had been a struggle to feed himself or gather other necessary materials. That crate he'd found in the cave was a godsend, but it hadn't been enough to sustain him for the long run. 

Surely, whatever they faced in the Chasm wouldn't be so bad by comparison. It was dangerous, yes, but now he wasn't alone, and he would be well-equipped from the start. And sure, he may not have an actual weapon on hand. He had a Vision though, and that counted for a lot. Injuries that might have taken him out of commission for days or weeks at a time could be healed in an instant, if he got injured at all. His master over the Art of Khemia had improved too.

Yes, he was ready this time. This time would be different.

“Well then,” Xingqiu said, sounding impressed by their confidence, “I wish you both luck in your endeavor. Perhaps we can meet again on your return.”

Dorian certainly wouldn't mind that. Listening to their conversation had been quite entertaining. Not to mention the prospect of another feast.

The sky was dark when they finally left the building, but the city itself was aglow with the golden light of paper lanterns which lined the streets and buildings. Unlike Mondstadt at that time of day, there was still an abundance of activity to be seen. Shops remained open, tourists and residents alike were roaming the streets and walkways. Music was playing, and somewhere Dorian thought he could even hear someone theatrically reciting a book or play. 

“The city is so beautiful at night.”

Albedo followed his gaze. “I'll have to bring you here during Lantern Rite. The whole city is strung up with things like kites, parasols, banners, and other decorations. Merchants line the docks with festive wares, there is always an elaborate float depicting an Adeptus or similar being, and the sky is filled with so many floating lanterns they look like stars. On the last night of the celebration, they light a marvelous display of fireworks as well.”

Oh, how Dorian wished to see that. For now though, he was more than happy to explore the city as it was. 

Albedo allowed him to take the lead as he ventured through the streets, browsing the many shops and buildings. The upper levels were not safe from his curiosity either as he practically dragged his brother up and down numerous flights of stairs. He kept an eye out for Negredo as they went, given that the cat was nowhere to be found when they exited the restaurant. Dorian wasn't worried however. Negredo was an intelligent little animal, and seemed to be more than capable of finding his own way back to Dorian when he felt like it.

The brothers’ wanderings came to a pause when they found the story-teller Dorian had heard earlier. It was fascinating to him that public story-telling was such an integral part of Liyuen culture, not unlike Mondstadt and its bards. Both nations sharing a similar custom, yet each in their own unique way. It made Dorian wonder if the other nations had their own versions of the practice as well.

The tale being recited that night was about the captain of a ship having an epic battle against a leviathan from the deep ocean. The poetic way in which the man spoke made the story all the more captivating, and Dorian found himself imagining the scenes in his head. The raging ocean as it battered against the sides of the ship and tossed it about, the claps of thunder shaking the air as lightning flashed, illuminating the beast in sharp detail. The leviathan's burning red eyes and long, jagged teeth. Its roar as the captain pierced its thick scales with a harpoon.

Artistic embellishments aside, Dorian wouldn't be surprised if the story was based on true events. Teyvat was a place filled with fantastic and terrifying creatures after all. 

He stayed for the remainder of the story, listening intently while Albedo became distracted by a cluster of flowers he wanted to sketch. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, and before long the story-teller had concluded for the night, leaving the remainder of the story to be told another day. 

“But I wanted to know how it ends,” Dorian grumbled quietly on their way back to the guesthouse. 

Albedo chuckled at his brother's enthrallment with the tall tale. “Don’t worry. We can come back another day for the rest,” he assured. “And if need be, you can always purchase the book itself.”

“It wouldn't be the same.”

The harbor itself was not so lively as the city above it, the various stands along the docks now covered for the night. A few people meandered the boardwalk, but otherwise the wharves were abandoned. The two brothers were about to turn towards the guesthouse when something on the water caught Dorian’s eye. It looked to be some kind of ship in the distance, but it had no sails so far as he could see. Instead it was decorated in an abundance of bright lights. He nudged Albedo’s arm and pointed to it.

“Hey, what's that?”

“Mm?” Albedo looked out across the water to see what the other was pointing at. “Oh, that is the Pearl Galley. It is a rather luxurious ship which is exclusively for the enjoyment of those who have been specially invited.”

“I see. That'd be neat to go on it some day,” Dorian said wistfully. He could just imagine how much prettier it would be up close. Certainly more so than other buildings he'd been in before. “It looks really fancy.”

The corners of Albedo’s mouth turned down in disapproval of the vessel. “I'm not sure that you would enjoy it there.”

“Oh?”

“While it is advertised as a gentlemen's club, it also functions as a brothel and casino. Both of which are technically illegal in Liyue, but given that it permanently floats offshore save for maintenance, the Liyue Qixing have turned a blind eye to it.”

“Oh…” Dorian's interest and wonderment of the ship evaporated as suddenly as they had arrived. “Well that's a bit disappointing. Have you ever been on it before?”

Albedo shook his head. “I have little reputation in Liyue beyond the Qixing, so it would be unusual for someone to invite me. I supposed ‘Calx’ has a further reach in the other nations than myself, but as of now I've yet to receive an invitation under that pseudonym either. Not that I would accept one if I did.”

“Ha. I can imagine why,” Dorian chuckled. That sort of environment was the last place Albedo would go.

His curiosity sated, the two of them returned to their lodgings. Negredo was waiting on the window sill when they got back to the room, though perhaps ‘waiting’ wasn't quite the right word. Evidently he had acquired what appeared to be a piece of fried chicken in their absence, and was contentedly taking another bite from it as Dorian put his hands to his hips. It was one thing to steal from him or even Albedo, but to take food from a shop or other dining establishment was another matter.

“Where did you get that? You better not have stolen it.” The cat twitched an ear but otherwise ignored him. “What? You're gonna give me the silent treatment because I couldn't bring you into the restaurant?”

Again, Negredo did not dignify him with a response, instead continuing to munch on his purloined goods. Dorian threw his hands in the air and flopped backwards onto the bed. “Fine, be that way. Just don't do it again. I can't afford for us to get in trouble in a second nation.”

Albedo watched the interaction with an air of amusement. It had been both a source of comfort and entertainment that the man had found himself a close companion, even if that companion was an animal.

“ Mmmm .” Dorian practically melted into his pillow upon discovering the casing was made of silk, as were the sheets. The stuffing was perfectly soft as well. For being an ordinary guesthouse, they certainly put thought into the comfort of their guests. “Yeah, I could get used to this.”

Albedo sat down on the other bed, pulling out his sketchbook to look through the various drawings he'd made that day. “If you could obtain some silk, I doubt it would be too difficult to recreate the bedding.”

“Ah, but there's the rub,” Dorian lamented. “I am somewhat lacking in coin at the moment, and I doubt Morax would be very approving of me creating counterfeit money in his own nation. Even if he is dead. Not to mention that would basically be stealing.”

Albedo hummed. “I would not be opposed to purchasing some or you.”

“That's alright.” He dismissed the offer with a wave. “I'd rather earn it myself. I can't keep mooching off you and Kaeya all the time.”

“If that's how you feel, so be it. I expect you'll receive a fair sum after this assignment is complete. It is the Qixing themselves requesting our aid, and they are known to pay handsomely for official matters. Especially when outsourcing to other nations.”

“They were requesting your aid,” Dorian reminded him. “I'm just tagging along.”

“Initially, yes. I informed them in my correspondence, however, that you would be accompanying me as an assistant. Despite being on probation, you are performing a job outside of your required duties and thus should be compensated for it. Even more so given the dangerous working conditions.”

Dorian supposed that made sense, though technically any job would be considered ‘outside his required duties’ at that time. It would certainly be nice to have his own money to spend. 

Mora hadn't been an issue while he was pretending to be Albedo. Now that he was on his own however, he realized that he quite literally broke. Not so much as a single coin to his name. Talk about dead weight. At least when he was taking over for Albedo he was actually doing the work they were getting paid for. Now Albedo and Kaeya were covering all his expenses with none of the labor on his end, and he hated it. 

“Hm. Well, I won't argue with that logic I guess.” 

As he slipped out of his normal clothes in favor of nightwear, he noticed Albedo was watching him from behind with the same expression as he did whenever something new interested him.

"What?"

"Nothing. I've just never seen you with your shirt off before, aside from briefly while fighting the fellflower. I didn't realize you have so many scars."

Heat rose in Dorian's face as a feeling of shame crept over him. Normally he kept his scars hidden with Khemia or clothing. "Yeah, well, I don't really like people seeing them."

“Why?” Albedo asked, sounding genuinely curious.

“Because…” Dorian looked away, not wanting Albedo to see his face. “They… they make me feel imperfect, I guess.”

Albedo was silent in thought for a moment, unsure of how to respond. “You could think of it that way. Or, you could see it as a testament to your resilience? Personally, I think the latter suits you better.”

Dorian supposed he hadn't thought of it that way, though it did not change his dislike of them. He grabbed his nightshirt and was about to pull it over his head when Albedo spoke again.

“Wait. Would it be alright if I look at them closer?”

The other bristled at the question, unsure of his brother's motives. “I don't see why you would want to.”

“I want to understand.” 

The look in Albedo's eyes was genuine, and Dorian realized the man was not was not simply asking to sate his own curiosity. He was trying to relate with him. Reluctantly, Dorian put down the shirt. “Fine.”

Albedo was silent at first, walking in a circle around him while appraising the past damages he had taken. Dorian shivered under the man's scrutinizing gaze. He lingered at a few of the larger marks, such as the one that ran all the way up his side from where a particularly large snow boar had gored him. There was another across his chest from being grazed by a mitachurl’s axe, along with several burn marks left by pyro-infused hilichurl arrows. All had been inflicted during the days he was most desperate for supplies, and least equipped to fight for them. The ones he was most ashamed of were the frostburn scars on his hands and feet from walking barefoot in the snow so many times. They were ugly, and sometimes if he was cold enough they still hurt. Though not so much as his most recent wound.

Despite having been healed by his own Vision, the place where the fellflower had impaled him still ached. The mark left behind was darker than his other too, as if a reminder that of all his scars, that was the one he had brought upon himself. He figured the lingering pain was a deserved punishment for his actions. 

After a few long minutes of inspection, Albedo stopped in front of him with a hand to his chin and hmmed in dissatisfaction. Dorian noted the way the man's brows pinched together in the same way they always did when Albedo was stumped or disappointed in something. It made his heart sink.

“Are they from your time in Dragonspine? Prior to when we met?” Albedo asked, still staring at him.

Dorian looked to the side, not wanting to see Albedo's expression any more. “Pretty much.”

“Mm. It appears I took for granted the true severity of the hardships you faced alone. I knew it would have been an unpleasant time, but this gives me a better picture. Thank you for showing me.”

“Um. No problem.” Dorian hurriedly put on his shirt, not wanting his chest exposed longer than was necessary. He wasn't sure how he felt about that interaction. What was done was done however. 

A yawn crept up on him as he pulled the covers up. His nightmares had been getting worse since the fellflower incident, so he'd been relying more on meditation for rest than actual sleep. He wasn't near the point of being too tired to function yet, but it was certainly taking its toll. 

The room grew dark as Albedo turned off the lamp before crawling into his own bed, leaving Dorian to his thoughts. He stared at the window, watching as the lantern light from outside danced across the curtains. Negredo joined him not long after, hopping onto the bed then padding over to curl up by his chest. He stroked the cat's soft fur in a soothing motion and pressed his nose against Negredo's head, still staring at the window.

After a while, he could hear Albedo's voice behind him. “You should try to sleep. You haven't in days.”

Dorian shifted, unaware that Albedo had still been awake. “I slept last night. After you went to bed.”

“Not enough.”

“How would you know?” he grumbled under his breath. His brother wasn't wrong. A few hours of sleep over the last four days wasn't ideal. Albedo did not have much of a right to call him out on it though. The man frequently stayed up for two or three days at a time whenever he was particularly engrossed in an experiment.

Begrudgingly Dorian closed his eyes. He guessed he could probably get a couple hours in at least. He’d managed to do so at the Inn the night before without any nightmares. Perhaps distancing himself from Mondstadt had helped. Most of his recent nightmares were of the city. Of him… harming, the city. And the people in it. He kept reminding himself that they were only dreams. He would never turn against the nation he had begun to call his home. The people he'd grown to love. Even if many didn't love him back. He would never hurt them. 

Not again.

Chapter Text

Smoke was what brought Dorian back into reality. Breaking the trance he'd been under. It burned his eyes and scorched his lungs with each ragged breath he took. Screams filled the air in a chorus, joining the roar and crackle of flames as they hungrily devoured the homes around him. He could hear the people, but he could not see them. Where was Kaeya, and Albedo? Where was Klee? He realized he was standing before Favonius Headquarters. Or at least what remained of it. The entire building had collapsed in on itself, black smoke and embers billowing from within to join the dark veil that hung low over the city. Near where the door had been, he could see a small figure half-buried beneath the rubble. Next to her lay a bloodstained Dodoco, its fur singed and black in places. 

“No! Klee!!” He rushed over to the girl, immediately tearing at the burning planks and stone above her. Ignoring the way the flames bit at his hand. Tears streamed down his ash-covered face, but as they landed he noticed they were red. Like blood. Like Durin's blood, tinted pink and glowing with corruption. He dropped the plank he'd been trying to lift as he realized his taloned hands were stained with blood too. 

No. No no no no…

“You did this,” came a voice behind him. It was Albedo, standing protectively over Kaeya who lay dead on the stone path. Behind him lay a trail of bodies. Jean, Lisa, Amber, Eula, and more. All leading up to him. All slashed with sword or claws. His brother was injured too, one arm hanging limply and a long gash across his face and eye. In his uninjured hand was his sword, ready to strike.”

“N-no. It wasn't me. I swear, I would never…” 

Albedo pointed his weapon at Dorian. “Then what do you call that?”

Dorian looked down to see he was holding a sword, but it wasn't his own blade. It was an evil sword. A hungry sword. And it was dripping point to hilt in blood. When he looked back up, Albedo was dead.

A strangled cry escaped Dorian as he backed away. No, no this couldn't be real. This couldn't be real. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“At last, you have done something worthy of praise, my son.”

Dorian’s eyes flew open and he shot up, his body drenched in sweat as he struggled for breath. He clutched at his shirt, feeling sick. It wasn't the first time he’d experienced that dream, but each time it only seemed to get worse. 

Fuck

He drew his knees up to his chest and focused on steadying his breathing. ‘It was just a dream. It was just a dream. You're fine. Albedo is fine. You're in Liyue, not Mondstadt. It was just a dream. Everything is fine. Just breathe in. Breathe out.’

Tiny crystals of ice hung in the air around him as his Vision glowed more brightly than usual. It had been doing that nearly every time he had a nightmare, and sometimes at random points in the day as well. He wasn't intentionally activating it, but it wasn't causing any harm either, so he supposed it wasn't something to be concerned about. 

He looked at the clock in the room. There were still four hours until dawn. He wished he could walk around outside to shake off the nightmare, but per the term of his probation he needed to stay near Albedo. With little else to do, Dorian pulled out the small device he'd been tinkering with the last few days. It was like a miniature crossbow, but instead of arrows, it could be loaded with darts coated in the same cocktail or paralytic and tranquilizing serums that he developed to be used on the fellflower.

In most circumstances he could create slivers of cryo to serve as darts, but if for some reason he was unable to use his Vision, there were also ten metal darts at the ready.

He could have simply put the device together using Khemia, however the distraction of doing so by hand was worth the extra time and effort. He planned to resume his work on the warming bottle as well, but that would have to wait until a time when Albedo was awake. He didn't want to wake his brother by accident with the light it would bring. 

By the time dawn had arrived, Dorian was nearly satisfied with his creation. It still needed some calibration, but the primary mechanisms of it were complete.

Albedo stirred nearly the moment the sky started to turn a rosy pink. He sat up and stretched, blinking sleepily a few times before his brain fully woke up. Noticing the collection of small mechanical parts laid out across Dorian's bed, the man sighed.

“I take it you had another nightmare.”

“What? Naaah.” He waved a hand dismissively. “I just wasn't in the mood.”

He could tell that Albedo was neither fooled nor amused by his jest, but his brother knew better by that point not to argue with him about it.

The two of them ate a light breakfast at the guesthouse's dining area before heading back out into the city. They had until eleven before they needed to set out for the Chasm, so until that time, they were free to explore as they pleased. 

Unlike the day before, the weather that morning was bright and shining with nary a cloud in sight. At Dorian's behest, their first stop was the waterfront. Being so early in the morning, the sun was only just starting to peek its face above the horizon, its first rays glittering off the waters and leaving long shadows from the ships. The docks were already bustling with activity as fishmongers and merchants set up their wares for the day, or readied their ships to set sail. It was the sort of activity that often happened behind the scenes for most, taking place long before the rest of the city awoke. There was a sort of peace in it, Dorian thought. 

He took a deep breath, noting the smell of salt in the fresh morning air as it wafted from the ocean. “Ahh, this really is the best time of day.”

“Oh?” The corners of his brother’s lips curled into a smirk. “I thought dinnertime was the best time of day.”

Dorian scoffed at Albedo's retort and pointed to the ground repeatedly. “Listen here, I never said that. To think you would insinuate that all I think about is food. It's quite hurtful.” He paused for a moment. “ But even if I did say that , there can be more than one best time of day.”

“Mm. If you say so.” Albedo's words were heavy with the tone of a person not bothering to hide their disbelief in another's statement. 

Dorian huffed with his arms crossed. “Well now you're just patronizing me. But on a completely unrelated note that does not at all confirm your point, I did see a stand further down the docks that had some fruit I’ve never tried before…”

~ ~ ~

He had nearly finished his zaytun peach when they left the waterfront. By then the city had begun to stir as its citizens left their abodes to go about their daily business. Much like Mondstadt, the number of people milling around was greater in the morning than it had been the evening before. It was notably more crowded than Mond however. As a center of both commerce and tourism, the streets were soon filled with citizens and visitors alike. He had to be careful not to become separated from Albedo, or else risk losing him to the crowd. It did not help that the both of them were on the shorter side. Negredo trailed behind them for a little while, but after someone nearly stepped on the cat's tail, he quickly opted to ride on Dorian's shoulders instead. Causing the man to wince as sharp nails dug into his back for purchase until he could settle himself. 

For as much as Negredo enjoyed perching on Dorian, his size made it quite difficult to actually stay on. Thus far the most successful method was for him to lay across Dorian's shoulders with his legs draping down each side, not unlike a fire-warden’s carry. The sight of it often drew the attention of several passersby, including a small group of children who pointed and giggled at them.

Now that it was daytime, Dorian was able to get a better view of the jade chamber. It was fascinating how such an impressive structure could so effortlessly remain airborne regardless of wind or weather. It didn't just float in place either. From what he had heard, it was capable of moving around. Not only that, but it was equipped with advanced weaponry powerful enough to fight sea gods. He wondered what manner of energy it used to do so. Was there some sort of  mechanism within it, or was it an adeptal art? A combination of both maybe. Or, perhaps it was powered by elemental energy in some way? He wished he could study how it was built, but it was doubtful that the Tianquan would be willing to lend him the schematics. Perhaps if he could get his hands on some of those plaustrite pieces, he could attempt to make a model version of it. Or experiment with new uses even…

“Dorian?”

Dorian blinked back to the present, realizing he'd begun spacing out. “Oh, sorry. I got distracted.”

It wasn't the first time he'd become lost in thought over such things. He'd found himself becoming increasingly interested in mechanical creations. It had started with the warming bottle, but since then it was evolving into a fixation. There was just something so satisfying about envisioning a mechanism and figuring out how to make it work the way he wanted to, then to put it together by hand, with each intricate piece doing its part. It was a lot like alchemy, he realized, but not quite as rigid. Much like cooking, whereas alchemy was more akin to baking. It made him curious about the workings of other mechanical entities as well. If only he could take them apart to study them. 

“Do you know if it is legal to obtain plaustrite here?” he asked the other.

Albedo hummed, a hand to his chin. “I believe so. There are merchants who sell plaustrite, though it tends to be rather pricey for even small pieces. Even more so if you are after the rarer varieties like vermillionite and azurite. As for mining it directly, you would need a permit. Why do you ask?”

‘Darn.’ He supposed he would have to stash some funds away to buy a few pieces later on. “I just thought it might be fun to experiment with some.”

“Oh? Planning to make the windmills fly?” Albedo teased. “Just make sure Klee doesn't get her hands on any. Her mother makes enough airborne contraptions as it is.”

The mention of Alice made Dorian's gut twist inside, though he was careful not to show his discomfort about the subject. Though his brother was often vexed with the witch's spontaneity, he did not view Alice as the person Dorian knew she was. He was still tied by the ankle to their mother's indoctrination, and by extension was choosing to dismiss Alice's transgressions. Granted, the rope was slowly fraying over time, but Dorian wasn't sure that Albedo would ever sever it completely. And he worried that someday, it would drag his brother down to a place he couldn't return from.

That was a worry for another day, however.

They took a right upon reaching the mainstreet, leading them to a walled-in area with a circular entryway. Upon passing through it, Dorian was met with a beautiful view. It was a spacious lotus garden framed with a covered walkway on one side, and the steep stone cliffs of Mount Tianheng on the other. Through the center was a stone path that branched out at the other side of the garden, with the mountain's broken arch visible beyond it. 

Dorian noted the wide row of steps that connected to the garden's center path. At the top stood a lone building, which seemed to be attracting a number of patrons who congregated around its exterior. Ah, so that must be the much-renowned Bubu Pharmacy. He had heard many good things about the pharmacy's owner, Doctor Baizhu. Baizhu was the one to who had saved Kaeya’s life when the Captain was unexpectedly delivered to the pharmacy's doorstep. For that, Dorian owed the man his eternal gratitude. Along with the mysterious individual who had found Kaeya to begin with. It would seem that said person intended to keep their identity unknown however, so he doubted he would ever have a chance to thank them in person for it. There was one thing that vexed him however, as he stared up at the pharmacy. ‘Who's bright idea was it to build a medical facility at the top of so many stairs? Surely that’s a hazard.’

There were other sites of interest within the garden to catch his attention, and he was in the process of admiring the waterfalls that cascaded down from the mountainside when he felt someone tap him from behind. Turning, he was greeted by a familiar smile.

“Yoh, if it isn't my favorite cave-dweller and his feline friend. Decided to finally pay me a visit?”

A wide grin spread across Dorian's face at the sigh of the funeral director. Though he hadn't made any formal arrangements to meet up, he had been hoping to see her before they left for the Chasm. “I figured it was about time for a vacation.”

Hu Tao put her hands on her hips. “I would say so. Too much snow can't be good for a poor fellow. And who might you be?” She looked Albedo up and down. “Let me guess, you must be Dorian's twin brother? Am I right?”

The reversal of roles was not lost on Dorian. For once, he knew an individual that Albedo did not, and said individual had referred to Albedo being his brother, rather than the other way around.

Albedo nodded, and judging by the amused expression on his face, he was probably thinking the same thing. “That I am. You may call me Albedo. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss…?”

“Hu Tao,” she supplied cheerily, an arm extended to shake Albedo's hand. “77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, at your service. So what brings you two here? Come to use the coupon I gave you?"

Dorian blushed, remembering the wooden token she'd given him before departing Dragonspine. A ‘two-for-one’ discount on coffins. He hadn't mentioned that part of their interaction to Albedo and Kaeya, leading to the puzzled expression the former now wore.

"Not this time, I'm afraid. I'm accompanying Albedo on a business trip. We're going to be doing some research in the Chasm."

“Aiya, you really do find the most treacherous places to haunt, my dear client. Perhaps you should buy a coffin after all.”

“Don’t worry, I'm not ready to die just yet,” he chuckled. “I've got a Vision now anyways. So if anything tries to get me, I'll just heal myself.”

Hu Tao hummed, a troubled look crossing her face for just a moment before vanishing again. “If you say so. You really ought to take my advice though. That taint in your system is worse than before. You don't want to go mad and join the ghouls down there, ooOooOo .” She wiggled her fingers at him while making ghost noises. “That doctor Baizhu is my mortal enemy, you know, but maybe he could help. I'll let him slide, just this once.”

“I'm fine, really.” Dorian dismissed her concerns with a wave. “I just was injured recently by a weapon that was tainted, so it probably rubbed off a bit on me. It'd have been visible by now if it was actually getting worse. Trust me.” 

Hu Tao shook her head with a dramatic sigh. “You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. Perhaps you'd be inclined to join me for tea instead?”

Dorian looked over to Albedo. Ultimately it would be his call. To the other's delight, his brother nodded in agreement. “That would be lovely, thank you.”

“Hee-hee, wonderful! Follow me then.”

Hu Tao led them down the mainstreet before finally coming to a stop at the end of the row. Unlike most of the other buildings they'd passed, this one seemed to take up both stories rather than having one business atop the other, and outside was a board with wooden tokens advertising the parlor's infamous two-for-one coffin special. Dorian wondered how many people actually used said coupons. Elderly couples, perhaps. 

Hu Tao motioned to the front doors. “Welcome to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, my humble abode and workplace.” She opened the door to allow them access before leading them past the reception area and into the dwelling portion of the building on the upper floor. They were not alone however.

“Oh Mister Zhongli,” she sang, “I've brought a couple visitors.”

At the director's beckoning, a tall man in an intricate brown suit stepped out from the kitchen. His striking eyes were the color of cor lapis, and his entire being radiated geo energy. Dorian's jaw and stomach dropped in immediate recognition.

Standing in front of them, was Morax.

‘Shit shit shit shit SHIT.’ What was Morax doing there? What was he doing alive . The air around Dorian dropped several degrees as panic rose in his chest.

“Zhongli, I would like to introduce you to Dorian and his brother Albedo. You two, this is my consultant, Mister Zhongli.”

Morax smiled warmly as he looked over the two of them. “Greetings. It's not often Director Hu brings home new friends. Allow me to bring out some tea. I have a pot that just finished brewing.”

Dorian didn't move as the man walked back into the kitchen, but the chilling air around him caught Hu Tao's attention. “Aiya, Dorian. You look like you've seen a ghost. Mister Zhongli has an old soul, but I can assure you he's no spector. I would've chased him away long ago if he was, hee-hee.”

Honestly a ghost would have been preferable. Those at least he wouldn't have to worry about smiting him for merely existing. 

“A-actually, I just realized I left something at the guesthouse, haha. Silly me. I guess we'll just have to come back another time.” He tried desperately to sound calm, but he wasn’t entirely successful. Certainly not enough to fool clever Hu Tao. 

His brother frowned at him, evidently unaware that they were in the same building as Liyue's allegedly deceased Archon. “Dorian, are you alright? I don't recall anything important being left.”

He subtly elbowed Albedo in the side. “Aha, it's that secret thing, remember?” Albedo's confused expression told him that the other was not taking the hint. Frustrated, he grabbed his brother's sleeve and said to Hu Tao, “If you would excuse us for just a moment…”

Albedo nearly tripped as Dorian pulled him into a side room. “Dorian, what's going on?”

Dorian looked to the side, just to make sure no one was listening, then whispered tensely, “Albedo. That man is Morax.”

The alchemist's eyes widened as he looked back in the direction of the kitchen. “What? Are you certain?”

“I'm positive. I recognize him from Master's teachings, and… other reasons. That's definitely him. We need to get out of here.”

“No.” Albedo grasped his arm tightly. “If we run, it'll make us look suspicious. We don't know yet if he is aware of who or what we are. Even if he does, that doesn't mean he'd automatically want us dead. It's better to just stay calm.”

Dorian took several long breaths, grounding himself. “You're right, you're right. I just… I've seen first hand what that man can do. What he has done. He is literally The God of War .”

Albedo hadn't been around to see what Morax was capable of. But Dorian had. He was perhaps the only one in Mondstadt besides Barbatos that had witnessed the fall of Khaenri'ah with their own eyes. The destruction Morax had wrought was unparalleled by the other Archons. Dorian had been frightened enough upon meeting Barbatos, but at least the wind god was known for his kindness. Morax on the other hand was not called ‘The God of War’ just for the fun of it. Seeing him there, his eyes piercing into Dorian's soul… it filled him with true fear.

Though he might never have had the chance to leave Rhinedottir's laboratory, Khaenri'ah was still his birthplace. Its people were his people. Even his eyes had borne the nation's stars, until his master altered them after the fighting started. Often he had imagined what it would've been like to grow up with a normal family. To have a father and mother, and be able to run around in a yard of grass and flowers that he had only ever seen in books or Master's scryglass. He wanted to play with other children and go exploring in places only they knew to find. It was this wistful longing that had prompted Rhinedottir to introduce him to Durin.

The two of them began dreaming together of going out to explore the world. To see the beauties of their nation from outside the walls of their home. Later they longed to see the magical lands of Teyvat as well. To visit each nation and enjoy the simple freedom of going where they pleased. If they were lucky, they would even meet the god of freedom and his dragon companion themselves.

Those dreams had begun to wither the day Rhinedottir first showed him recordings of the war. Of her creations sowing death around them like a plague that spread across Teyvat. She was proud of them, believing them to be works of art. All Dorian could feel was horror at the sight of the lands he so desperately wished to visit having become desolate war zones by abominations of his own mother's design. 

It wasn't long after that he and Durin were separated.

What little remained of their aspirations went up in flames the day he watched Khaenri'ah burn to the ground and be torn apart, with Morax at the forefront alongside the Sustainer Of Heavenly Principles. 

That was perhaps the worst day of his life, next to the one of his first death. Out of fear that Durin could be caught up in the destruction, it was that day that he'd snuck off to see his brother. To warn him of what was happening, only to learn that the dragon was another weapon by which Rhinedottir intended to lay waste to the land of the gods.

There was no doubt in Dorian's mind that Morax knew who Rhinedottir was, and given the star that Albedo so proudly displayed on his neck, there was a high likelihood that Morax recognized them as being her creations. Durin had borne the mark as well, and while it was Barbatos who fought him, their battle was no subtle affair. Nor was the effect on the landscape Durin left behind.

Albedo was about to respond to him, but Hu Tao suddenly appeared around the corner. “Tea is ready. Don't be gossiping too long, or Zhongli might drink it all.”

“Of course.” Albedo nodded respectfully at the girl. “We were just clearing up a miscommunication. We're done now, though.”

Morax was sitting on one of the couches when Hu Tao led them to the living room, his steady hands pouring tea into each of their cups. “I hope oolong is a suitable flavor for you both?”

“Oolong is lovely, thank you.” Once again Albedo spoke for both of them, as Dorian did not trust his tongue just yet. He tried to focus on his drink as he and Albedo sat down on the opposite couch while Hu Tao joined her consultant's side. Unfortunately the Ex-Archon was not intent on allowing him to sit silently as he'd done in the restaurant the night before.

"Director Hu tells me you are the one who kindly escorted her during her excursion on Sal Vindagnyr."

Dorian flinched. The man had used the mountain's real name. The one it had been given long before Durin crashed down upon it. The name he and Albedo would have first known it as. Dorian's mind raced. ‘ He knows he knows he knows he knows he knows-’

“I owe you my gratitude,” the man continued. “While Miss Hu is a perfectly capable young lady, it was reassuring to hear that someone had ensured her safety just the same.”

Dorian chuckled nervously. “Oh, it was no trouble. Dragonspine is an easy place to get lost or hurt, so I couldn’t have left her in good conscience. Besides, I was already going for a walk that day anyways.”

Hu Tao nodded in affirmation. “He was quite the gentleman. He even shared his lunch with me.”

“I see. And what brings you both to the Harbor?”

For the third time in the last twelve hours, they found themselves explaining the purpose of their visit, and for Archons knew what reason, Albedo decided to give a more detailed explanation that time around. Was it because he was speaking to Morax that he felt inclined to be more specific? As a way of subtly informing him that they were there at the request of his own government, and not to cause trouble? Dorian wasn't sure, but regardless of the intention, he hoped it would not result in aggravating the god.

“As Captain of Ordo Favonius’ Investigation Team, the Tianquan requested my assistance in researching the toxic sludge that has recently begun welling up in the Chasm, with the intention of locating its source to be eliminated. Or at the very least, to mitigate its effect on the mining areas so that operations may return to normal.”

“Ordo Favonius?” Hu Tao’s eyes sparked with interest. “Dorian, you didn't tell me your brother is a Knight. Are you one as well?”

Instinctively Dorian nearly told her ‘yes’, but then he remembered his position now that he was not impersonating Albedo. He glanced over at the taller man. Did Morax know about his earlier  scheme? Was he aware of the fellflower like Barbatos was? Dragonspine straddle the border of Mondstadt and Liyue after all. Maybe he did, and he was just waiting for the director’s back to be turned to confront him about it.  “I- I am not. Albedo just brought me along since I share a similar knowledge with him. Also having a healer in the Chasm makes it a lot safer.”

Zhongli looked thoughtful, his teacup raised only halfway to his lips. “Indeed. Many miners became gravely ill before the Chasm was sealed. As Vision wielders, I imagine you will be more resistant to the noxious mud’s effects, but you would still do well to be mindful of your health while you are down there. The fact that the Tianquan herself requested your aid is a testament of your skill in your craft, given the dangerous conditions. When do you depart?”

Dorian could feel his Vision growing colder as his thoughts spiraled. Why did Morax want to know that? Was it normal conversation, or did he plan to do something to them once they were outside the city?

“We intend to leave no later than eleven in the morning today, so as to arrive before nightfall,” Albedo answered. “Though we will need to return to Baiju Guesthouse to gather our things before then.”

“So soon?” Hu Tao sounded disappointed. “What a bummer. And here I was hoping to give you that tour I promised.”

Dorian recalled her offer from when they parted ways of Dragonspine. “Another time, maybe.” Preferably when Morax wasn't around.

“Tell you what,” Hu Tao held up his finger. “On your way back from the Chasm, I'll treat you both to lunch at Wanmin Restaurant.”

Dorian willed himself not to glance back at the Geo Archon again. “Sounds great.”

As they spoke, Zhongli moved to refill his cup, only for nothing to come out of the teapot. Odd. Dorian could’ve swore there would've been enough to fill at least a couple more servings. The god hummed. “It would appear that we've run out. I’ll make another pot. There's a new blend I just received from Chenyu Vale. It's said to calm the mind and bring peace to those who are troubled.” Those piercing eyes were looking directly at Dorian, but there was no malice in them. “Carry on without me, I will return shortly.”

Dorian watched the man disappear into the kitchen again, the whirling tempest of his thoughts beginning to slow, even if only a little. Was Morax… trying to comfort him? No, surely not. 

Once he had left the room, Hu Tao sighed at Dorian and shook her head. "Oh Dorian, your tea is nearly frozen over. What are you so nervous for? My dear consultant doesn't bite."

‘No, he just hurdles literal meteorites and giant god-killing spears from the sky.’ Dorian quickly willed his Vision to settle down. “What? I'm not nervous. I’m just… not used to the warm weather. Too much time spent in the bitter cold, you see. I heard it's a lot cooler in the Chasm though.”

Just then Negredo settled himself onto Dorian's lap, looking between his human and the kitchen. The cat could sense Dorian's distress, but was unsure of the reason for it. Meanwhile Hu Tao seemed unconvinced of her friend's excuse. She crossed her arms playfully. “Fine, keep your secrets then.”

Zhongli returned shortly after with a fresh pot of tea, as well as a small plate of white cube-shaped breads that Dorian was unfamiliar with. “I thought you both might enjoy some rice cakes to go with the tea.”

Ah, so that's what they were. Not wanting to insult the ex-Archon, he picked one off the plate and nibbled on it. It was sticky and mildly sweet, but very good. As was the new tea Zhongli had brewed. He couldn't pin down what all was in it, but he definitely tasted jasmine. And just as promised, it did seem to have a calming effect. Perhaps Morax was trying to send a message after all.

Though he still felt incredibly nervous, Dorian started to relax a bit while they conversed. Albedo and Zhongli did most of the speaking, getting carried away in their discussion of Liyue's unique ores and the various uses in alchemy or painting that Albedo had found for them. The Lord of Geo seemed genuinely invested in the topic, but for Dorian and Hu Tao there wasn't much to add to the conversation. After a while the funeral director beckoned him to follow her into another room.

“My my, it's not often that Mister Zhongli finds another person so interested in rocks as he is.”

“I could say the same,” Dorian chuckled. “Though more so about alchemy and painting than just rocks specifically.”

“Well, while those two keep talking, I've got something for you.”

“Oh?” Dorian followed her until they came to a room that was filled with a collection of strange objects and materials. They were all neatly organized, but Dorian couldn't figure out the purpose of them. “What's all this?”

She winked at him. “Work supplies. Mostly for cleansing rituals and the like. The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor doesn't just do funerals, you know. It's our job to look after the border, and to make sure both the living and the dead stay where they belong.”

Well that didn't make him feel uncomfortable at all. He hoped that wasn’t a jab at himself.

He watched as she opened a drawer and pulled out a yellow slip of paper with Liyuen symbols on it, which she offered to him. “The Chasm is one of the places where the border is at its weakest, so sometimes evil spirits leak through and become trapped. Normally there aren't enough to cause trouble, but no one's been down there to exorcise them in a while due to the closure of the mines, and that taint inside you might attract them. This talisman should help ward any off. Just don't be silly and lose it.”

Dorian took the slip of paper and looked it over before tucking it into his jacket. “Thank you. That means a lot.”

Hu Tao grinned at him. “Hehe, no problem. Just try not to perish while you're down there. Corpse retrieval is such a bother. Besides, how can I be expected to give you a proper funeral if you haven't picked out a casket yet?” She shook her head. “Best to avoid the whole thing.”

“Well, you know, I was thinking about it,” he said jokingly, “but I guess I'll keep myself alive for now to spare you the hassle.”

“Wonderful, wonderful,” Hu Tao sang, “Now, let's see if the two chatterboxes are still talking about rocks.”

Chapter Text

A vortex of stone lay in front of Dorian as they arrived at the Chasm's Maw. A few lingering miners could be seen scattered throughout the area, but given how late it was in the day, Dorian knew they likely wouldn't be staying at the site for much longer. No one wanted to be around the Chasm at night, be it out of superstition of the paranormal or the knowledge that monsters were most active once the sun went down. 

Two Millelith soldiers had stood sentry at the entrance of the Maw's outer rim, ensuring that no one would enter who wasn't supposed to. Or at least, those who couldn't be bothered to simply climb up the stone in some other part of the rim to bypass them. Upon showing their letters of approval for entry, one of the soldiers had dutifully escorted them inside while the other remained at his post.  

A representative from the Ministry of Civil Affairs was waiting for them at a camp not far from the rim. Muning was his name. He was an interesting fellow who welcomed them heartily, especially after learning that Albedo was a friend of not only Xingqiu, of whom he held good relations with, but of the Traveler as well.

“The Traveler and his floating companion were just here about a week ago. He was the one who broke the seal to the Chasm to allow our team entry.”

Dorian shifted uncomfortably at the prospect of meeting the outlander within the confines of the underground caverns. Not that he felt particularly confident about meeting the man regardless of the location. “Do you think he is still inside?”

Muning hmmed. “It's possible. I've yet to see him exit the Chasm, at the very least.”

Albedo put a reassuring hand on Dorian's shoulder. “Aether is able to use the waypoints. He may have used one of them to teleport out. If he is still down there however, I’ll make sure nothing happens.

Muning’s eyebrows pinched. “Oh? Is there conflict between you and the Traveler?”

“Uh,” Dorian rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess you could say that. It… it'll be fine, though. It won't get in the way of my work.” ‘Probably.’

After they finished speaking with Muning, their Millelith escort led them down towards the center of the crater.

It took them over an hour to reach the Chasm's entrance, a wide opening in the stone for which Dorian could see no bottom. A wooden platform attached to a crane awaited them, and upon loading their equipment and themselves onto it, it slowly lowered them into the deep dark.

Despite the sky above having already fallen dim with the sun's passing, it took several minutes for Dorian's eyes to adjust to the growing darkness. After what felt like an eternity, they finally entered the actual cavern itself. He had not been prepared for how large it was. Peering over the edge of the lift as they neared the upper platform, he felt almost dizzy with the distance between them and the ground. He was glad that he'd brought a glider, for a fall from that height would undoubtedly be fatal. It made the lack of railing on the walkways glaringly obvious. Best to keep the miners away from anything intoxicating. 

Though the Millelith soldier hadn't joined them on the lift, there was a woman wearing adventurer's garb to greet them on the platform. She was quick to offer them an enthusiastic greeting and introduction.

“You must be Chief Albedo! It's such an honor to work with you. The Traveler had many good things to say about you when he was here, not to mention what I've heard through Iris and the Guild. Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself. My name is Zhiqiong. I’m *cough* the super hands-on surveyor of the group! My job is to help scout the way forward and draw maps. Which I'll share with the group, of course. I already have one drawn out from my current exploration with the Traveler, as well as on my own after he left.”

Albedo nodded to return the greeting. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Zhiqiong. I wasn't aware the Traveler thought so highly of me.”

“He does. When I brought up his accomplishments exploring Dragonspine, he was quick to mention you. He thought you'd find this place fascinating and would be likely to figure out a solution for the dark mud that keeps stubbornly bubbling up. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if he was responsible for the request to bring you here.”

While Albedo's praise was all well and good, there was one part of the woman's words that mattered greatly to Dorian. “You said the Traveler was here. Does that mean he left?”

“He did. You missed him by a couple days.”

Albedo seemed slightly disappointed by that, and Dorian had to remind himself that the two of them had been friends since well before Dorian even emerged from the mountain. It wouldn't be fair of him to expect that Albedo wouldn't want to see the Traveler just because he didn't. After all, it was his own actions that led him to fear meeting the outlander again to begin with. 

Noticing Albedo's disappointment, Zhiqiong added, “He said he'd *cough* be returning soon though, to help finish the investigation. So you might still get to see him while you're here.”

Ah, what a comforting thought that the Traveler might just appear at any moment while they were there. He would have to stick especially close to Albedo whenever they were near a waypoint.

Suddenly Zhiqiong startled as if just remembering something. “Oh! I have something for you two.” The adventurer walked over to a nearby crate of supplies and pulled out a strange device primarily made from a large glowing crystal. “This is a lumenstone adjuvant. These are our source of light while we are down here, and can be activated to dispel dark mud within a certain radius. Be careful though. Activating them uses up their stored light, so make sure you recharge them at the lumenlamps whenever you pass by them so you don't run out. Otherwise you'll be stuck in the dark with no way to get rid of the mud.

Albedo took the adjuvant with a grateful nod. “I will keep that in mind, thank you.”

“No prob— *COUGH cough* No problem.” 

Dorian frowned inwardly at the woman. She seemed notably pale, more so than would be expected for only being underground a week, and her coughing concerned him. “Are you alright?”

Zhiqiong waved him off while clearing her throat. “Yes, yes. It's just the dust I think.”

Dorian wasn't so sure. It sounded too wet to be irritated from dust inhalation, but he wasn't an expert on the matter. Still… “Do you mind if I check? My Vision has healing properties.”

“Oh,” She blinked at him, as if only just registering he was there despite having already spoken to him. “You must be the healer. I guess that would be fine. I doubt you'll find anything that needs healing though.”

“Yes, I am in fact the healer. Though I'm primarily here to help investigate the mud. My name is Dorian, by the way. And this is Negredo.”

“Aw, sweet kitty.” Zhiqiong pet Negredo on the head while Dorian extended a hand towards her and activated his Vision, sending a gentle pulse of cryo energy into her. On the contrary to her claims, there was indeed something to heal. She shivered slightly as his Vision did its work before dissipating. 

“Oh, that feels much better actually. Thank you.”

“It felt like you had some kind of toxic exposure that's been damaging your system, including your lungs. I'm guessing whatever dark mud we're investigating might be the cause from what I know of it, though I can't say for sure. I would just be careful not to hang around it much without protection.”

“Don't worry about me, I'm a tough cookie. Besides, if I want to make my mark as an adventurer I need to push myself and explore places even if they're dangerous.”

That was all good and well, but having lived on Dragonspine, Dorian knew better than most that overambitious adventurers often wound up hurt, or even dead. “Be that as it may, you should still exercise caution.”

Without giving much acknowledgement to his comment, Zhiqiong put her hand on her hips and said, “Alright, are you both ready to continue?” When the brothers both agreed that they were, Zhiqiong proceeded to lead them down to the Chasm floor. 

There were more cranes within the cavern like the ones up top, though these ones were not so large. They merely needed to reach between the top walkway to the bottom of the cavern, rather than the painfully long way between the underground and the surface.

Dorian noted the poor condition of the walkways that circled the cavern, many of them in varying levels of disrepair. It made him wary of every creak and groan the wooden planks made as they walked across them. 

‘I guess the mud and monsters aren't the only hazards here.’

Negredo stayed close by his side as they worked their way over to the next lift, his ears flat and tail twitching when they neared the edge of the platform. Noticing his companion’s distress, Dorian decided to scoop him up into his arms, the cat's front paws tightly hugging his neck and shoulders. That way, if by some chance the structure did collapse, he at least would be able to glide the both of them to safety. As for the Zhiqiong… Well, he hoped she was equally equipped. Otherwise he'd have another sight to haunt his dreams.

As they were waiting for the lift to rise, Dorian suddenly caught something in the corner of his eye. Looking towards it, he saw a few clusters of a familiar plant further across the ledge. He set his bags down and walked over to them.

“Hey Albedo, come look at these.” His brother soon joined his side to see what had caught his attention. “They're the same as the ones that grow near the celestial nail on Dragonspine.”

Albedo plucked one from the ground to inspect it. “Yes, they appear to be identical.”

Returning to where Zhiqiong was waiting at the left, Dorian asked, “Zhiqiong, do you know if there's a celestial nail in the Chasm?”

The woman tilted her head slightly. “A celestial nail?”

“Yes. Like the one at the peak of Dragonspine?” Judging by the expression the adventurer wore, we guessed the answer was no.

“I've never heard of anything like that being found in the Chasm. If there is one, it's not where anyone has been able to find it. Why do you ask?”

Albedo held out the flower for her to see. “This is a triquetra flower. They grow in areas with concentrated celestial energy. Around celestial nails, for example.”

Zhiqiong shook her head. “Well, we haven't uncovered anything like that so far. Perhaps it has something to do with the influx of lumenspar crystals and the dark mud though. It's another piece to this mystery to be sure. How exciting!”

By then the lift had reached their platform, staying there long enough for them to safely board it before slowly descending again. Eventually they reached the bottom of the cavern where dust hung thickly in the stagnant air. Though the sun had long since set, and the moon yet to rise high enough to peer down the Chasm's open maw, the cavern was not completely devoid of natural light. Dorian noticed that some of the crystal ores had a luminous property to them, something he had never seen before. Even more strangely, when Albedo held up his adjuvant to them, the device grew brighter while the crystals faded. As if the adjuvant was absorbing the light within them. He also caught sight of plump little flying insects with glowing abdomens. They reminded him of fireflies, but were significantly larger and had a blue bioluminescence rather than yellow. Unfortunately Dorian wasn't able to get a close-up view of one, as they were quick to fly away at the group's approach. 

A weathered mine shaft opened in the cavern wall not far to their left, though thick roots had grown upwards along it, tangling with the wooden scaffolds and shifting the stone above them. Dorian walked up to inspect it, pushing against the timber with his hand and feeling its integrity with a subtle probing of Khemia. Despite its appearance, the structure's integrity was still decent. As for further down…

Albedo joined his side, following Dorian's gaze ahead of them. The tunnel did not go far before dropping off into a deep pit. Even with the light of the adjuvant, it was impossible to see all the way down. 

“It appears we'll need to find another way into the main cavern.”

‘No kidding.’ Dorian wouldn’t have been wholly opposed to venturing down the hole if it were just him and Albedo, but taking into account Zhiqiong and all their equipment, it simply wasn't feasible.

“I see you've discovered the first of our troubles,” she said. “That used to be the primary access tunnel to the main mining area. It collapsed not long before the closure of the Chasm however. Not to worry though, there's another tunnel we can go through that's safer. Well… moderately so. I'm used to the mines, but you two might want to exercise caution.”

Dorian figured the same could be said about the entire trip at this rate, but he bit his tongue and followed the cartographer as she crossed the cavern before reaching the entrance to another mine shaft. This one appeared to be more intact than the first, and had a metal gate that had been raised up to allow them access. Beyond the gate was a small cave, rather than a typical mine shaft, and within it were the remnants of a camp. To the side was a large glob of pulsating black and purple ooze, with more of the inky sludge pooling around it. As if it were a bleeding wound in the stone. The presence of it made Dorian feel distinctly ill, though he largely attributed that to the foul smell being excluded from it.

Albedo stooped down to get a closer look, his expression both one of concern and morbid curiosity. 

Zhiqiong put her hands on her hips while looking at the sludge blocking their path. “This is one of the more stubborn tumors. Most of them can be permanently dispelled using the adjuvants, but some of them like this one will quickly well up again no matter how many times we attempt to clear it. Allow me to demonstrate.”

Their guide borrowed the adjuvant from Albedo before walking up to the edge of the black pool and activating it. A pulse of pale light spread out from the device, immediately evaporating both the mud and tumor. Left behind was a small crater in the stone that had already begun to refill. It reminded Dorian of a scab that would bleed any time it was picked off.

Albedo frowned, his hand to his chin in thought. “Interesting. This may be a good place to begin our research, then. How far are we to the camp?”

“Not very. Let's keep going.”

Another portcullis was raised at the other end of the cave, leaving Dorian to wonder the purpose of having one at either side. Was it to keep something trapped inside? Or an extra precaution to keep things from coming out…?

The tunnel ahead was in rough shape, clearly not intended to bring mine carts through. Unnervingly, several support beams had fallen where more vines and roots grew in. It almost gave the appearance that the plants were at war with the man-made structures which invaded their space. Or perhaps it was the stone itself they wished to conquer. This was near the border of Liyue and Sumeru after all. 

There were also strange glowing plants that emanated geo energy. Dorian reached out to touch one, only to quickly scramble backwards with wide eyes as it suddenly swelled before bursting explosively. Negredo lept out of his arms as he was knocked down and hissed loudly at it, his hackles raised. 

“What the hell?”

“Oh, do be careful.” Zhiqiong pointed to more of the geo plants further down. “Those are exploding geo mushrooms. Or ‘boom shrooms’ as the miners like to call them. When they sense the vibration of living creatures walking close by, they explode to spread out their spores.”

Dorian huffed quietly as he picked himself up off the ground and patted the dust off his clothes. ‘A little warning ahead of time would have been nice.’

Several more ‘boom shrooms’ lay in their path as they made their way forward, most of which Albedo triggered with geo constructs from a distance.

The sailing went smoothly for a short while, however it wasn't long before they came across their second roadblock. Or rather it was the same as the first one, only from a different angle. This time however, Dorian could actually see a rocky shelf below them, as well as indicators as to why the tunnel had collapsed to begin with.

Stretched across the gaping hole and lining its walls were thick, twisting vines and roots with stones still cradled between them. From further down, Dorian could also hear the sound of water dripping. Given that the roots were clearly weakening the integrity of the stone around them, he theorized that the water eroding it from below was what caused such a significant collapse. Whatever the reason, it made their trek much more laborious than was optimal. At least the three of them were accustomed to traversing difficult terrain. 

A rope ladder hung from the edge of the cliff, stretching down to the shelf below. There was also a small pulley system for transporting equipment up and down. Dorian set their bags on the small platform to carefully lower them, then hopped off the ledge with his glider outstretched. Negredo yowled unhappily at the stunt and leapt from his shoulders almost the moment he touched the ground. Dorian tsked at the feline. 

“Hey, don't you fuss at me. You were the one who insisted on coming, cat.”

Though the path was a short one, large rocks and uneven footing made it rough to cross over. It was nothing Dorian and the others couldn't handle however. As he went, his attention was drawn to the strange, coral-like plants that grew along the ledge. They were quite large, and their ends glowed a faint yellow. Glancing over at Albedo, he could already tell that the man wanted to sketch them.

At the other end of the ledge was a recently mended bridge which led to an opening in the chamber. Through it Dorian could see a peak of the main cavern.

The bridge creaked under the weight of their footsteps but it didn't not threaten to break, much to Dorian's relief. Once across, they passed through the fortified opening and entered the main cavern. Dorian's jaw nearly dropped at the sight of it. The space was far larger than Dorian anticipated, enough so that it gave even Starglow Cavern a run for its money. 

To the nearer end of the cavern was a blue glow from somewhere high above. Stretching across the two sides in dark outline were a number of cables and carts. They seemed to thread all the way down the cavern like stitches in an open wound. The other end of the cavern was so dark that it was difficult to see them, however.

“Woah.”

Zhiqiong nudged him with her elbow. “Pretty cool right?”

He nodded wordlessly in agreement. It was indeed pretty cool.

“I am impressed by the size of it,” Albedo said as he looked around. “It's larger than I expected it to be.”

‘And more dilapidated,’ Dorian thought, his attention having turned to the platforms and other wooden structures around the Chasm's walls. Some sections were in passable condition, while others looked like someone had haphazardly tossed a bunch of wooden planks on the ground and called it a day. Stars above, did these people not understand the concept of regular maintenance?

“We're almost to the camp now.” Zhiqiong pointed further down the platform. “It's just that way, near the waypoint.”

‘ Oh joy. Camping near the waypoint’

Dorian had to step carefully to avoid tripping on any stray boards, and the distinct lack of railings along the various platforms was not lost on Dorian. It was a wonder there weren't more fall-related accidents within the mines. The condition of the structures alone were enough to constitute hazard pay.

They were just passing the waypoint with the camp in sight when Dorian noticed an odd shimmering shape floating in the air a few feet to the side of them. He paused, tilting his head in curiosity. For a moment he thought it was a spirit of some kind, but when he approached it his nose picked up the faint smell of sulfur.

Zhiqiong watched him inspect the cloud of gas and said, “I wouldn't breathe that stuff if I were you. It'll make you ill.”

Of course Dorian knew as much. “I’m sure the same could be said for most underground gasses. I take it that is the reason for the use of lumenstone lamps down here instead of traditional fire-based ones?”

Zhiqiong nodded. “Yep. Those gas pockets are super flammable, so it'd be too risky to bring any kind of fire down here. You can just ask Jinwu, she's the one in charge of safety for the team. Apparently she once met a miner who didn't follow the rules and accidently burned his eyebrows off in an explosion. She often tells me stories like that and is always warning me not to wander off and things like that. This isn't my first time in the mines though, and I'm not a child. I can handle things down here.”

The woman's tone turned to one of irritation, leaving Dorian to wonder if this was some ongoing argument between the two of them. There wasn't much time to dwell on it however, as by then they had finally reached the camp. There were four people already there. A woman, who he assumed was Jinwu, and three men. What struck him by surprise was that one of the men was wearing Mondstadt’n garb. He looked familiar somehow, but given that his back was turned it was difficult to tell. 

Jinwu was the first to see them approach. She had been tinkering with something on a table, but upon noticing them she waved a hand welcomingly. “Chief Albedo, Mister Grey, I'm glad to see you both arrived safely. My name is Jinwu, I'm the safety technician of this team. I hope you didn't run into any trouble on the way here?”

Though he had come up with the name himself, it felt odd to Dorian to be referred to as ‘Mister Grey’. He offered a hand to shake and said, “A pleasure to meet you, though you can call me Dorian.”

She nodded. “Well then, a pleasure to meet you too, Dorian.” By then the camp's other three occupants had gathered around them to meet the newcomers. Jinwu pointed out each. “These are the remaining members of our team, excluding the Traveler and Paimon. The lanky one there is the team's leading man, Khedive. He's a scholar specializing in ores and biology who was called in directly from Sumeru. And the other one is-”

“ Taliesin ?? ” Now Dorian knew why the man seemed familiar. Taliesin was a bard he'd met months ago while getting breakfast at Good Hunter months ago. They'd ended up talking for several hours about old-school historical epic poetry and his desire to revive its popularity. Dorian never expected to meet the man in a place like the Chasm however. “What in Teyvat are you doing here?”

Taliesin looked between him and Albedo for a moment, confused. The real Albedo had never met him before, and was acting as such. Meanwhile Dorian had recognized him immediately despite having never interacted with the man using his real appearance.

“Chief Albedo? Wait, do I know…?” 

Dorian cleared his throat, feeling slightly embarrassed. “Sorry, Taliesin. I'm actually the one you talked with before. This is the real Albedo. I was merely, uh, filling in for him you could say.”

“Oh?” The man's brow pinched, then he shook his head with a wry smile. “Well, far be it from me to question your motives there. It's good to see you again, Dorian was it? As for why I am here, how better to find substance for my epic poems than to see these monuments of history in person?”

“How he managed to get authorization to come is beyond me,” Jinwu said flatly.

Taliesin gave her a proud look. “I have my ways.”

Dorian still had trouble believing that even someone as devoted as Taliesin would come all the way down to such a dangerous place. From what he'd heard, even brave adventurers would think twice before taking an excursion into the Chasm under normal circumstances. With the recent closure however, the risk was even greater. 

“I applaud your dedication,” he said. “I know you mentioned wanting to visit places of significant civil and geological origin, but I never anticipated meeting you down here.”

The man chuckled heartily. “What can I say? I'm devoted to my craft.”

That felt like a bit of an understatement.

“Don't forget to introduce me.” The third man that Jinwu had yet to mention stepped closer. “I'm Clitopho, an alchemist-turned-explosives technician from Mondstadt. But you…” He looked at Albedo with almost reverence. “I never thought I'd have the chance to work with the alchemist of Mondstadt. What an honor.”

Jinwu crossed her arms while casting the man the same disapproving scowl that Diluc often used on Kaeya. “You forgot the ‘turned-treasure hoarder and charlatan’ part.”

“Eheh…” Clitpho rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “The important thing is that I’m no longer one. I’ve turned the metaphorical leaf and am walking the straight and narrow now. I promise.”

His claim earned him a roll of Jinwu's eyes. “That remains to be seen. Anyway, it's quite late now and you both have had a long journey here. I'm sure you'll be wanting to eat and rest.”

While Dorian could certainly go for some food, he didn't particularly feel the need to rest. If anything, he wanted to get started on their work, and Albedo was of the same mind. “We're both plenty rested, actually. I’d be fine with just having a quick bite to eat before going back to that mud tumor at the old campsite we passed to take samples.”

Albedo nodded in agreement. “I'd like to get started on our investigation as well. We'll be fine heading back to the site on our own.”

“Not so fast.” Jinwu’s mothering glare honed in on the two of them. “It's to my understanding that you’ve travelled all the way here from Mondstadt City over the course of three days. It's dangerous here, and I won't stand for you putting yourselves in unnecessary danger by rushing into your job without proper rest. The mud isn't going anywhere.”

Dorian felt uncomfortably reminded of the times he had been chastised by Jean for staying in the lab too late. Sometimes he forgot that his and Albedo's lesser need for sleep could cause worry for those around them. He didn't want to start things off by creating tension between them and the team however, so he conceded without argument. “Ah, I appreciate the concern. I guess it wouldn't hurt to rest for a few hours before heading back out again, if that would make you feel better.”

“It would. Now if you follow me over here, there's a cot for each of you to sleep on. I'm afraid there's no hot meals I can offer, given that fire is strictly prohibited. We have meat pies, cured meats, and sandwich fixings however. Also some dried fruits, nuts, and granola for when you're in need of a snack. Feel free to take what you want, in moderation of course. It takes a few days for new food to be brought in from the Harbor.”

“We will, thank you.” Albedo gave her a grateful nod before sitting down on his cot and taking back out the flower he’d picked to study. Dorian had been about to join him after picking out a meat pie from one of the food crates, when suddenly he heard the sound of flapping wings against metal and frantic chirping. Looking to the ground near one of the tents, Dorian saw that Negredo was pawing at something in a small cage. 

“Hey! Get away from there!” He forcibly shooed the feline away before turning back to the cage. Inside it was a little yellow bird. A canary… 

He remembered that birds like canaries were often used in mines as an early warning sign if the air was bad. Beautiful things that should have been free, instead caged and sentenced to die as if they were merely disposable pieces of equipment with the sole purpose of detecting gas. 

Dorian's chest felt hot and tight looking at the poor creature. It seemed sad and its feathers dulled. Every fiber of his being wanted to free it, but he didn't think he could do so without being noticed, and even if he did, there was nowhere for it to go. They were too deep underground for it to find its way back to the surface again. Feeling downcast, he stuck a finger into the cage to stroke its head gently before placing down a small piece of his bread for it to eat. Looking around, he noticed a second canary at the other end of the camp. He offered a morsel to that one as well, then returned to his cot. His hunger had vanished after seeing the two trapped birds, so he tossed the rest of his meat pie for Negredo to eat with a dejected sigh.

The others were making their ways into their own beds by then, with Zhiqiong being the last to retire for the night. Albedo made no attempt to sleep, instead choosing to write down notes about the flower before eventually moving on to his sketches. Dorian found his own way to pass the time, continuing his work on the dart gun. 

There was an oppressiveness to the air inside the Chasm, he discovered. It was like a weight laying down on him, all encompassing. The stillness of the particles as they hung in the air near the lamps were a reminder that little fresh air could make its way so deep into the ground. The stones knew no wind there. He wondered if even Barbatos himself could find them. Morax assuredly could. 

Deep within the bowels of the earth, all sides encompassed by stone. This was the heart of the Geo Archon's domain. 

He tried to ignore the thought of that as he fiddled with his invention. Hours passed in an almost eerie silence, save for the distant sound of water crashing against stone and the familiar scratching of pencil on paper next to him. Then he heard a whisper from somewhere nearby. Very nearby, as if it had been spoken directly into his ears. He looked up to see who it was, but Albedo was the only other person awake, and he was still preoccupied with his sketchbook. 

Hm.

He brushed it off as a figment of his imagination. The mind often played visual or auditory tricks when in places like the Chasm. It was nothing to be concerned about. Not until it returned, a little louder that time. He ignored it, but again the whispers wormed their way into his head. He quickly stood and walked around the camp, looking for any sign that something was making that sound, but there was none to be found. Albedo noticed the movement and looked up at him. “Dorian, is something wrong?”

“Do you hear that?”

Albedo tilted his head. “Hear what?”

The whispers had gone silent again, leaving Dorian feeling disconcerted. He sat back down on his cot. “Nothing. I must've been mistaken. Just pretend I didn't say anything.” 

Albedo hmmed and turned back to his sketchbook, unconcerned. Hours later when the whispering came again, Dorian didn't bother looking for them. It was as he'd said. They were nothing. Nothing to worry about.

Nothing at all.

Right?

Chapter Text

“So what do you think?” Dorian picked up a vial of dark mud that they had collected from the old camp site and placed it among a sample set. Next to him a large bubble rose to surface of one of the apparatus they had brought with them as Albedo emptied a few drops of the blue liquid into a beaker. “Is this some product of the Abyss?”

Albedo hummed while swirling the beaker. “The data seems to point that way, yes. Though I've yet to see it manifest quite this way before.” 

From the very start the two of them had suspected that the vile substance was likely of abyssal origin, however they had put aside the assumption as a working hypothesis until more data could be gathered. After running a series of tests all that day, it became clear that their hypothesis was correct. 

“I suppose that solves the ‘what’,” Dorian said. “Now we just need to figure out the 'how’ and ‘why’.”

That part of the job would likely prove more difficult. They'd need to take samples from different sections of the Chasm, as well as set up monitoring devices. There was also the matter of the collapsed tunnel that separated the main mining area from the strange rock that had been discovered. Evidently they had attempted to hire Klee as a ‘demolition expert’ to come alongside Albedo, but he and Kaeya had been swift to shut the idea down. 

Honestly, to think they wanted a child of all people entering such a dangerous place. Though she was technically an official Knight of Favonius, that was no excuse to request both child labor and endangerment for the sake of blowing up a few rocks. 

There was a cannon positioned near the blockage that the group had attempted to use prior to the brothers’ arrival, however it seemed that the ammo had been securely locked with its two keys missing. Thus far they had only managed to find one. 

That wasn't an issue for Albedo and Dorian, of course. They need only use the power of Khemia to undo the lock with ease, though they'd decided against doing so right away. If what lay in the chamber beyond the closed passage was as dangerous as reported, it would be wise to leave it contained until after they'd done more research in the surrounding cavern.

Standing to stretch out his limbs, Dorian looked around for their cartographer. She'd been instructed to stay put at the camp until the two brothers were ready to set out, but a cursory glance told him that the woman had run off on her own again. 

Evidently this was a repeated issue according to Jinwu. “That young woman is going to get herself seriously hurt one of these days.”

It was no surprise now that her system had become so intoxicated by the mud when Dorian first inspected her. She seemed to have no qualms for spending time surrounded by it, despite both Jinwu and Dorian's warnings for her to stay away from it. He shook his head, feeling exacerbated. His mood was already troubled enough by the auditory hallucinations that kept randomly nagging at him. At first he would only hear the whispers briefly over the span of several hours, but they seemed to be getting more frequent as the day went on. 

He did his best to ignore them. After all, he had more important issues to deal with. “Miss Jinwu, would you happen to know where Zhiqiong went?” Albedo and I are going to be ready to leave the camp soon.”

The woman's expression looked as put out as Dorian felt. “I would love to know that, but unfortunately our dear cartographer did not see fit to inform me when she went sneaking off again. Honestly, what am I going to do with her?”

“Put a leash on her maybe,” Dorian grumbled under his breath. The statement earned a guilty snicker older woman.

“At this point, I'd consider it.” Jinwu shook her head with a sign. “She's been gone a few hours now. Hopefully she'll return soon though. I'd hate for your work to be held up because a team member wouldn't listen to instructions.”

Jinwu's prediction ended up being only partially accurate. Though the wait for her return could certainly have been longer, it was still lengthy enough to set back the brothers’ research until the next day as she didn't arrive until after dinnertime. 

The woman was scuffed and scratched in several places, and her clothes had the telltale signs of being exposed to the dark mud. 

Jinwu frowned at the sight of her, arms on her hips and an expression that exuded both disappointment and frustration. “Care to explain where you've been this whole time, Zhiqiong? You were instructed to wait here for when Chief Albedo and Dorian were ready to set out. Because of you, they'll have to push it back until the morning.”

Were up to Dorian, they would have simply gone on their own with whatever map the wayward cartographer had already sketched up, but unfortunately that was not how this group worked. Jinwu was irritable enough with Zhiqiong's antics, and Dorian didn't wish to find himself at the receiving end of her withering glares.

“I thought it would be a less wasteful way to pass the time while they did their experiments, rather than sitting around and twiddling my thumbs,” Zhiqiong argued. “The only reason I arrived so late is because there were, er, complications.”

“Is that so?” Jinwu's scowl deepened. “And I suppose that's why you don't have the adjuvant with you? Don't tell me you lost it.”

Zhiqiong looked down at her feet. “I wasn't expecting to run into an abyss mage. I got away, but the adjuvant was knocked from my hands in the process, and I couldn't risk going back on my own to retrieve it.”

The older woman pinched her nose while letting out a long breath. “So you traveled all the way back here in the dark? This is exactly the reason why you have been told not to go down there alone. If Dorian and Albedo were with you, I'm sure they could have easily dealt with the mage. But no, you decided once again to blatantly disregard my instructions and have managed to lose one of the only three adjutants we have.”

“It was just a fluke,” Zhinqiong said, sounding annoyed by her senior's chastisement. “It won't happen again.”

“You're right, it won't.” Jinwu's tone was sharp as she stepped closer to the other woman. “I'm going to be keeping a closer eye on you from now on. You are putting this team and its mission in jeopardy.”

The two brothers stood awkwardly to the side as the argument went down, neither of them sure what to do. The other of the camp's occupants turned away and tried to make themselves busy. This was not the first quarrel the two women had since descending into Chasm. It likely wouldn't be the last.

The next morning their guide woke bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to start the day. Albedo and Dorian were already awake of course, as they had both stayed up through the night going over their research notes. 

Zhiqiong leapt out of bed with a stretch and quickly snatched up a meat pie and a handful of dried fruit before striding over to the work bench where the brothers were sitting. “Oh good, you two are already up. Are you ready to set out, or should I give you some time?”

In truth, they had been ready to set out since before Zhiqiong returned the evening prior, and had since been waiting for her. 

“Yes, we are ready,” Albedo said with an almost imperceptible note of irritation. It was not enough for most people to pick up on, but knowing Albedo as well as he did, Dorian could tell his brother had grown impatient with the women. He didn't like having a project to work on and being forced to wait, especially for reasons that were unnecessary and caused by other people.

“Excellent! Let’s get going then.”

She shouldered her pack of supplies and the brothers did the same, though theirs were arguably much heavier given the contents. Jinwu and the others were appropriately informed of their departure, and then they were off.

It didn't take long before Zhiqiong decided to strike up a conversation. “So, Chief Albedo, what's it like spending so much time on Dragonspine? I’m sure you've collected a whole store of adventures.”

“Mm?” Albedo had already become lost in thought as he'd surveyed their surroundings, but drifted back into attention at the woman's question. “Ah, yes. Dragonspine is full of secrets to be discovered. Even to this day I've happened across new ones from time to time.”

“That's so cool,” the woman gushed. “I would love to visit Dragonspine someday, but first I plan to make a name for myself here in the Chasm. It's always been my dream to be a famed adventurer like Alice or the Traveler.”

Dorian winced as he rolled his eyes only to twist his ankle on a loose board. The wooden structures hadn't become any less dilapidated as they continued forward, but at least the elevators to the lower levels were still functional.

“Oh?” Albedo tilted his head towards the woman in interest. “That's quite the goal, though I suppose you are on the right track for it. My master took me on adventures as well.”

“I think you'd be better off using the Traveler as a role model than Alice,” Dorian said with a veiled tone of disapproval.

Zhiqiong seemed surprised by the statement. “Why is that? Alice is a renowned adventurer. She even wrote the Teyvat Travel Guide. Why wouldn't I want her as a role model?”

“Have you read the travel guide?” he asked pointedly.

“Well of course I have.”

Dorian felt his eye twitch, the small threads of dislike he had for the woman weaving together into a more substantial line. “Then you shouldn't have to ask.”

“I think I do. What's in the travel guide that's so bad? I mean yeah, Miss Alice seems to get carried away at times, but nothing that is worth hating her over.”

“Nothing worth—” Dorian clamped his mouth shut to avoid snapping at the woman and took a deep breath before speaking again. “I would say her treatment of hilichurls at the very least warrants hating her.”

Zhiqiong scoffed. “The hilichurls? That's what you're mad about? They're just monsters.”

“Monsters or no, they are still living creatures. Ones with enough cognition to build structures and have family units no less. If Alice treated cats or dogs the same way she does hilichurls, you people would be up in arms. I understand hilichurls can be dangerous and usually have to be put down, but there is a fine line between swiftly killing something and needlessly torturing it. Anyone who treats a living being like that is a bad person, and those who condone or try to defend people who do are just as guilty.”

Dorian briefly cast Albedo a sharp glance. This was directed at him too.

Before Zhiqiong could make another retort, the alchemist stepped between them. “Miss Zhiqiong, would you show us the location of the Abyss mage you encountered? I would like to neutralize it immediately if it is still present within the area.”

Her mood soured by the brief conversation with Dorian, Zhiqiong marched forward and said with forced cheeriness, “Of course. Just follow me.”

She led them past another abandoned campsite and off the beaten trail until they came across a massive pooling of abyssal mud. It was spread out across the rough stone like a giant, goopy web, waiting for unlucky prey to step unto it. Near the center was a mud tumor, along with several geo slimes and the abyss mage that had attacked Zhiqiong. The missing lumenstone adjuvant was also present, though by the looks of it the device had since been shattered and drained of its light.

The mage chuckled maliciously at the sight of their approach, its hydro shield swirling around it protectively. 

“Hehehehe, well well. Look who’s come crawling back for more. And you brought friends I see? How about I—”

Uninterested in what the mage had to say, Dorian raised a hand to send a burst of cryo energy at the mage’s shield. It froze instantly, leaving the mage hanging in the air like a floating popsicle. He kept it in that state while Albedo took care of the slimes and mud, then released it to be dropped unceremoniously onto the ground. It spluttered angrily for several moments, only for Albedo to finish it off with his Vision.

The entire exchange only lasted only a minute, during which Zhiqiong stood to the side and watched, having no means of aiding them.

Once they were finished, Dorian looked over at the woman and waved his hand at the scene. “See? This is why you were supposed to wait for us.”

She looked away, embarrassed.

The rest of the morning through early that afternoon was spent taking samples of rock, flora, water, and mud from various locations of the cavern, along with setting up several monitoring devices to collect data over time.

Zhiqiong added notes and other details to her maps as they went, as well as showing them the tunnels she found during her unsanctioned solo expedition the day prior. Though the information was helpful, the brothers would have rather found it in a more appropriate manner together. 

They only stopped once they had reached the opening to the main mining cavern. It loomed below them ominously, and even from their vantage point they could sense the foul air that filled those depths. Whatever the source of the dark mud was, it was certainly closer down there than the Ad-Hoc tunnel. 

As were the whispers that crawled into Dorian’s ears.

“I believe we’ve collected enough samples from this area,” Albedo said, turning away from the other cavern. “Let us return to camp.”

Dorian shivered. “Yes, let’s.”

A surprise lunch of recently cooked food along with fresh fruits and other items were waiting for them when they arrived back at camp, much to everyone’s delight.

“We’ll be moving camp to the main mining area starting tomorrow,” Jinwu explained. “It’ll be more difficult to get new supplies from the surface once we’re down there, so we’ve had a fresh shipment come in today.”

The meal left their small group with higher spirits than before. Even Jinwu and Zhiqiong had set aside their ongoing squabble for the time being. All was peaceful, right up until a terrified shriek pierced the otherwise pleasant conversations between the group.

Immediately everyone's attention snapped to Clitopho, who had leapt from where he'd been sitting and darted behind one of the tables as if a snake had just bit him. It took only a moment to notice what had frightened him so terribly. It was a massive spider, its legspan nearly as wide as a dinner plate and every inch of it coated in black and grey hairs. Evidently the creature had dropped from the ceiling, and just so happened to land directly onto the man's lap.

Albedo was the first to act, quickly setting his own food down before striding over to where the offending arachnid was attempting to scurry away. He used a geo construct to trap the creature and set it down on his and Dorian's workbench.

Noting the collective looks of bewilderment at his actions, he said, “A live specimen could be useful in our research.”

“I'm surprised you don't want to eat it for dessert,” Dorian said with a small chuckle.

Albedo, missing the jibe, shook his head. “It's not the right species, nor do I have the ability to cook it properly. In any case, the abyssal pollution may have rendered it inedible.”

Clitopho looked at the alchemist then back at Dorian in horror. ”He eats spiders?”

“Oh yeah, all the time. He's got a whole jar of them back home.”

“They aren't just any spiders,” Albedo said matter-of-factly. “The ones I eat are a variety only found around the roots of ancient trees. If you tie them up in jasmine and lemongrass, sprinkle on some cardamom, then smoke it for a few hours, you get a fragrant taste that's simply… unforgettable.”

"Oh they're unforgettable alright," Dorian muttered. During his early months of living with Albedo, his brother had offered him a snack while they were working on an experiment. Dorian, being more focused on his project, failed to closely inspect what Albedo had given him. If he had, he would've noticed that it was, in fact, a roasted spider.

He regretted that lapse of attention the moment his tongue brushed against a cluster of spindly legs.

Since then, he was always careful to check any food Albedo cooked, no matter how many times his brother assured him that the dishes were spider-free.

Luckily for this spider, it merely underwent a handful of humane tests before being released back into the wild.

Khedive peeked at their workbench as Albedo stepped away from his microscope and the slide of spider venom they extracted. “Well? Did you find anything?”

“We did,” Albedo said as he removed the slide and turned off the microscope's light. “The spider's venom appears to be unaffected by the contamination, however its hemolymph contains trace amounts of abyssal taint.”

“Fascinating.”

That it was, though as much was to be expected from creatures living near such concentrated abyssal pollution. It was not unlike the monsters and wildlife on Dragonspine who were affected by Durin's blood. Blood that had also been altered by abyssal energy.

He had only thought to test the dragon’s blood after his first meeting with Hu Tao, but when he did, he found it was in fact of a highly mutated state of abyssal taint. Whether Rhinedottir had found it or created the concoction herself was still a mystery however. Albedo unfortunately did not possess her notes for the Draconis Interitus Project, and thus Dorian's findings had to be listed as speculation. Or at least for the time being. Once his probation was up, he was determined to find those notes. 

Maybe then he could find a way to safely bring Durin back to life.

His mind's brief wandering was abruptly cut off as Jinwu loudly clapped her hands once, the sound echoing off the stone walls. “Alright everyone, it's getting late and we're going to have a long day tomorrow. I suggest everyone get some proper rest. That includes you two.” She looked over at the brothers accusingly.

Not wishing to cause an argument, Albedo and Dorian packed up their equipment before heading to their cots like everyone else. 

Of their group, Clitopho was the last to fall asleep aside from Dorian, too busy staring at the cave ceiling in paranoia of another spider ambush. Eventually even he drifted off however, leaving the cryo-user alone once again. Well, perhaps not completely alone. Negredo kept him company by settling himself onto Dorian’s lap while purring. His good friends the disembodied voices were also with him, much to his agitation. They were making it very difficult to meditate, and he had no desire to fall asleep. Not when his night terrors could wake the entire camp. As Jinwu had said, they would all need to be well-rested, and he certainly didn’t want to ruin that for everyone else.

So Dorian resigned himself to meditate as best he could and hope it would be enough. 

Jinwu had not been joking when she said it was going to be a long day. Their morning had been spent packing up as much of the camp as could be transported, including all of their bedding, food, and equipment, then loading it either to be carried or carted all the way to their designated camp in the main mining area. 

Dorian had been chosen to carry the heaviest items given that he was the strongest of the group —something he admittedly took pride in— while Zhiqiong took some of the lighter items and the cart. Dorian guessed her being assigned the cart was likely a ploy to discourage her from splitting or going too far ahead of the group. The rest of the load was distributed amongst the other five members based on their carrying capabilities.

Their way down through the Ad-Hoc tunnel went relatively smoothly, however as they reached the entrance to the main mining cavern, a sense of foreboding curled inside Dorian's chest. He said nothing, only following the others as they made their way down the path that skirted the cave walls. 

The air grew notably staler the further in they went. It was thick with the scent of dark mud and gas. Almost oppressively so. Even Negredo appeared bothered by it. The mud tumors were much more numerous as well, forcing them on multiple occasions to stop their procession while Albedo and Dorian cleared out the noxious substance and monsters it attracted.

Every so often they would pass a seelie court, each housing a white seelie that gave off light and recharged their adjuvants. Dorian found it fascinating how they had adapted to the environment, not unlike the warming seelies on Dragonspine. He wondered if it had to do with the Celestial Nails, or perhaps it were the seelies’ own choice to change themselves in a way that would be helpful to those who pass by.

The path grew rougher the closer to the bottom they got, forcing Albedo to use his isotoma to lift the cart over obstacles that were too large or steep to merely push it over. Once they reached more of the wooden structures near the bottom of the cavern, Dorian noticed with dismay that they were equally —if not more— dilapidated than the ones in the previous cavern. The wooden boards and beams seemed to creak with every footstep, leaving Dorian with the unsettling mental image of them collapsing beneath him while he was too weighed down to use his glider. It would not be a pleasant way to go. 

“Is there a reason the man-made structures here are all in disrepair? They seem to be in a much worse state than would be expected for the amount of time the Chasm has been closed off.”

Jinwu turned her head to look at him while they waited for one of the elevators to reach their platform. “Part of the reason is because it's so hard to get proper supplies and builders down here. But mostly it's because the Chasm has been moving lately, which is warping the structures. It’s as if the stone is alive. No one knows why, however.”

“That's why my job of mapping out the region is so important,” Zhiqiong added.

Dorian didn't find the idea of the walls moving on their own to be very comforting. Almost equally disconcerting was the overwhelming stillness of the main mining area. There were a number of camps scattered around the cavern, but there was not a single miner to be found. Not even Fatui. It made the place feel ghostly. The notice board they passed earlier didn't help the feeling of unease that brought.

‘ This is the engineering operations center. All uninvolved personnel please stay out! Most of the engineering platforms and the related machinery have been dismantled, please return to the surface to await further instructions .’

Everyone was worn out by the time they finally made it to the next camp. Even Albedo and Dorian were relieved to set down their packs. They took a break to eat before setting everything up again, after which everyone but Zhiqiong and the two brothers decided to take a nap. 

Dorian's body and mind begged to join them, but there was work to be done, and he had a strong inclination that if he tried to sleep it would only end in him waking up from another nightmare a few hours later. Better to just distract himself with his job. The sooner they were done, the sooner he could leave.

He pulled out a notebook and was just adding some entries to it from their walk down when Zhiqiong approached with a look in her eye that told him she was ready to start exploring again.

“Whatcha writing?”

“Just some notes about a few of the things we passed, like the unique seelies here. Also what Jinwu had mentioned about the Chasm moving.”

She bounced on her heels a couple times. “I suppose you'll be wanting to go around collecting samples and setting up monitoring equipment again, right?”

“Yes, but not at this moment,” he sighed. “Albedo is taking a sketch break right now, but I guess if you're really itching to do something I could accompany you to collect lumenspar pieces like Jinwu needs. I saw a few on the way down here.”

Zhiqiong blushed. She had been chewed out the previous night when the older woman found out the lumenstone adjuvant she'd dropped had broken. Only having two adjuvants to share between seven people was far from ideal, but Jinwu didn't have enough lumenspar to create a new one. 

“Really? That’s great!” 

Dorian wished he still had that kind of energy as he put his notebook away and stretched out the stiffness in his shoulders from carrying almost two hundred pounds of equipment for hours. 

Albedo looked up from his sketch. “Going somewhere?”

“Yeah. I was going to accompany Zhiqiong to collect lumenspar if you don't mind.”

Though his words were straightforward, the unspoken intent behind them was clear to Jinwu and Albedo. He was babysitting their dear cartographer so she didn't run off unattended again.

“I see no issue with it,” Albedo said while turning back to his sketchbook. “Just don't be longer than a couple hours or so.”

“Understood.”

Zhiqiong, ever the eager explorer, was the one to lead Dorian around like an excited puppy on a leash. She helped to point out a few of the glowing ores he hadn't seen yet, and the two of them worked together to obtain them. Unfortunately, there were very few that weren't troublesome to reach. The Traveler must have already combed the area for ones that were easy targets.

“Hey look, there's another one over there."

Dorian looked in the direction Zhiqiong was pointing. The lumenspar was hanging on the tip of a stalactite near the cavern wall. It was rather high up however, and the rocky ledge below was narrow and appeared unstable. Not to mention the particularly large mud tumor at the bottom of the cliff. Dorian had attempted to disperse that particular tumor earlier, but it was one of the ones that just came back almost immediately afterwards. 

He shook his head. “Don't bother with that one. It's too risky."

"But it's right there,” she argued. “I could climb up real quick and grab it”

“No, the rock is crumbly there and if you fall you'd be landing directly on top of that mud pit."

She waved off his concerns with a playful grin. "That's why you'll be at the bottom to catch me if that happens. Not that I think it will. I've climbed more precarious spots than that before. It'll be fine."

Dorian's mouth tightened. She was really starting to get on his nerves again. “I said no.”

“Oh don't be such a sourpuss. Where's your sense of adventure?"

Dorian bristled. "I am not a sourpuss. I am in charge of healing people who need it, and you are making my job more difficult every time you slip away or attempt things that are unsafe."

"Whatever you say,” she said with a roll of her eyes, reminding the cryo-user very much of an errant teenager.

“Let's just go find a different one.”

The woman begrudgingly followed him, and he made the mistake of assuming that was the end of it. In hindsight, he should have kept a closer eye on her when they passed by the area again on the way back. He only noticed she had slipped out from behind him when Negredo started pawing insistently at his leg. Looking over, he saw Zhiqiong nimbly climbing up the cliff and onto the narrow ledge, where she began to shimmy towards the stalactite.

“Zhiqiong, get down from there! It's not safe!"

"I'll be down in a minute! I'm already up here so I might as well grab the lumenstone.”

Dorian growled in frustration. Did she never listen? He was tempted to just walk away and leave her stranded in the dark when he noticed the rock beneath her beginning to crumble as she stretched out onto her tippy toes to reach for the ore..

“Zhiqiong! Get down now! That ledge is about to collapse!"

She ignored his warning. “Just a little further. I've almost got it!”

Dorian assessed his options. He doubted he could climb up to reach her in time, and even if he could, his added weight would likely speed up the collapse. That meant he would have to catch her from below, putting him standing directly next to the tumor. He glanced at the lumenstone adjuvant. It was running low, likely only having enough light to clear the mud once. Maybe twice if he was lucky. It was not a good plan, but as the ledge began to crumble further he knew he had to act.

He rushed to the base of the cliff, activating the adjuvant to clear away the mud. Its effects didn't last as long as he hoped. Almost immediately it began to well up again, pooling around his boots. At the same time the ledge gave way, forcing Dorian to drop the adjuvent in favor of catching her. What little light it still possessed was quickly snuffed out. He tried to step forward with arms outstretched, only to trip as the mud sucked greedily at his legs, preventing him from moving. 

As he went down he just managed to send out a blast of ice, creating a platform to catch her before landing face-down into the mud. He tried to push himself to his feet, but the tar-like substance was already beginning to adhere to his clothes and skin, trapping him in place like a mouse in a toxic glue trap. His Vision wasn't helping either, only forming a temporary crust before the rising mud overtook it. By then it was starting to flow over his head and back. Panic set in when he realized it would soon block his airway. 

He lifted himself just enough to get in several frantic breaths before he was pulled down again. The mud continued to ooze over him like some giant slug until his face was completely obscured.

Suddenly he felt hands grabbing at him. He figured Zhiqiong must have made her way down and was now trying to extricate him from the virulent sludge. It was to no avail however, and the more they both struggled the faster the mud seemed to flow. Dorian's lungs begged him for air, but he had to fight the urge to breathe in. Knowing he had to preserve what little air he'd managed to take in, he stopped his struggling.

Zhiqiong still seemed determined to pull him out, despite the fact that it was clear she was unable to and she was likely hurting herself in the process. He should hear she was saying something but the words were too muffled past the mud in his ears to understand them.

‘Just leave me and get help’, he thought desperately. At this rate she was going to get them both killed, and he refused to die by suffocation.

He was just starting to lose consciousness when two more voices appeared as Zhiqiong's became louder, and seconds later the fetid darkness that was oozing over him rapidly dissolved. 

He gasped loudly as his airway cleared and he was free to fill his burning lungs again, then started coughing until he gagged. Despite his best efforts to prevent it, some of the mud had gotten into his nose and mouth. While the vile substance had been dispersed by the adjuvant, its assault on his senses lingered. It was so bad that the only thing worse he'd ever tasted was Durin’s... no, best not think of that. Not when the cavern walls already reminded him too much of the dragon's stomach.

Albedo offered him a hand and helped pull him to his feet. “Dorian, are you alright? What happened?"

Once he had recovered enough to speak, Dorian pointed at Zhiqiong and said hoarsely, “Ask her," before immediately proceeding to double over and vomit. 

The woman was not in particularly good shape either. Her skin was burned where the mud had touched it, and she was struggling against a coughing fit of her own.

“I *cough* I was trying to get the *cough cough* lumenspar, but *cough* the ledge broke and I fell. Dorian caught me, but *cough* I guess he tripped and fell into *cough* the mud. I tried pulling him out but I couldn't.”

Dorian wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and glared at her. "I told her repeatedly not to go up there. She ignored me."

Jinwu, who was looking her over, threw up her hands in exasperation. "How many times do I have to tell you, girl, before you actually listen. You could've gotten the both you killed because of your carelessness."

Zhiqiong looked at the ground contritely. For once she didn't have a snappy retort. “I'm really sorry. I didn't mean this to happen."

Jinwu sighed deeply, knowing that was the best she would be getting from the younger woman. “Come on, let's get you two back to camp.”

Dorian cleared his throat, his voice sounding rough from both the coughing and the irritation caused by the mud. “I'd actually prefer to go up to the waterfalls so I can wash the rest of this gunk off.”

Jinwu frowned at him concernedly. “That's a long walk there and back for someone in your state. I'd rather see you rest first.”

“I'll rest better when I don't smell like rot and abyssal pollution,” he countered.

The woman was about to speak again when Albedo stepped in. “I can go with him. He should be able to manage the walk up, and we'll rest a bit at the old camp before making our way back down.”

“I suppose that would be alright,” she relented. “Just make sure you only come back when you are ready. I don't want our only healer out of commission because he pushed himself after Zhiqiong's mistake.”

“I will.” He walked over to where the drained adjuvant lay on the ground and picked it up to be recharged once they passed a lumenlamp. “Are you ready to leave, Dorian?”

“Gods, yes. The sooner I can wash myself the better.” He just started to leave when the sight of Zhiqiong's injuries reminded him of something. His Vision had already begun healing himself, but the cartographer had yet to receive any. He summoned his owl which flew over to land on her shoulder until the marks on her skin faded, then dispersed into a small flurry of snowflakes.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Chapter Text

Dorian did not speak much on the way to the Ad-Hoc tunnel. Nausea was still swirling around his stomach like a fish in a bowl that was too small for it, and he didn't want to risk throwing up again. After what felt like an eternity however, they finally made it to the base of the waterfall. He quickly stripped off all but his innermost clothing before diving into the cold, dark water. Goosebumps rose along his limbs as the icy liquid bit into him, but in comparison to the waters of Dragonspine its fangs were dull and only mildly unpleasant. 

He was in there for nearly half an hour, constantly scrubbing himself and his clothes with vigor until he was certain every trace of that vile ooze was washed away. Once he was finished, he used his warming seelie and the power of Khemia to dry his clothes before slipping back into them with a contented sigh.

“Better?” Albedo asked, putting away the sketch he'd been working on while Dorian bathed.

“Better.”

“Good. We can head up to the camp then.”

It was a much easier walk to the old camp than it had been from the new one, and before long they found themselves at the now barren site. Only a few heavier pieces of furniture had been left behind. He sat down on one of the benches with a sigh of exhaustion, wishing his cot was still there instead of having been taken with the rest of their stuff. 

A thought suddenly popped into his mind. “By the way, how did you know to find us?”

“Negredo came bolting into the camp while howling until we followed him back to where you were," Albedo explained. Hearing his name, the black feline swished his tail and meowed in what Dorian could have almost sworn was pride. The alchemist gave him a stroke on the head before continuing. "I admittedly was worried when I saw you almost completely submerged and not moving while Zhiqiong was knee-deep in the mud trying to pull you out with no adjuvant. We didn't know how long you'd been under or whether you’d inhaled any.”

A wry chuckle escaped the other. “I was worried as well. I wanted to tell Zhiqiong to go find you instead of trying to pull me out herself, but alas my face was covered and I've yet to learn telepathy. I really ought to add that to my to-do list.”

Albedo hmmed contemplatively, as if seriously taking Dorian's statement into consideration. Then he shook his head and said, “I'd like to check on our data monitoring devices while we're already up here. Will you be alright to stay here and rest while I do so? I would need to take the adjuvant with me.”

Part of Dorian wanted to assure Albedo that he was fine and they should check the devices together, but the other part of him that was still battling the lingering nausea and growing exhaustion won out “Yeah, that's fine. I'll just lay down and close my eyes for a bit.”

Satisfied, Albedo departed, leaving Dorian to his own devices in the gutted camp. Though the bench was far from comfortable, Dorian figured this was as good an opportunity as he might find for attempting to get some actual sleep without risk of frightening the others should he wake with a nightmare again.

He swiveled himself to lay flat on back and closed his eyes while Negredo curled up on the ground beside him. Tired as he was, however, sleep didn't want to come easily. It was difficult to ignore the sick feeling in his chest and stomach, and the whispers had only seemed to grow louder since he'd been in the mud. 

Frustrated, he tried tapping a rhythm on his chest with his fingers, counting the notes in his mind. It was a tactic that he found often worked when he had difficulty falling asleep, but this time it didn't seem to help much. Eventually he gave up, pulling himself back into a sitting position with a huff and rubbing his eyes. Gods he was tired. He'd have to try again later he supposed. Letting his hands fall, he noticed a figure approaching out of the corner of his eye.

“Back already? That was…” His voice tapered off as he turned to find no one was there. “Albedo?”

Only silence answered him. Nobody was there, yet there came a feeling that he was being watched. It did not originate from any one place, but seemed to be all around him. As if the very walls were staring at him with unseen eyes. It made Dorian feel uneasy.

Then something along the walls seemed to shift. They looked… off, somehow. He stepped closer to the nearest, then hesitantly reached out to touch the stone. Suddenly it parted to reveal a giant eye staring directly at him. More eyes appeared all along the shadows, all pointed towards him. Startled, he tried to step back but ended up tripping over one of the benches. Pain flashed in the back of his skull as it hit the hard floor. When he looked back up, the eyes were gone.

Dorian pulled himself shakily to his feet and studied the wall again, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. Negredo lifted his head and looked at him curiously, unsure of why he had suddenly reacted like that. 

So he was seeing things now. Great. Why not? Maybe the visual hallucinations would keep the auditory ones company. 

With little else to do he paced around the camp in an attempt to walk off the effects of the adrenaline. It took longer for his pounding heart to settle than he would’ve liked. Even though the eyes were gone, he still felt like he was being watched and it was keeping him on edge.

‘It’s not real. It’s not real. Just calm down.’

Figuring he wasn't going to be falling asleep any time soon, he pulled out a small device he'd tinkered with the day before and waved it around in the air for a few minutes before checking the meters on its face. All in the green. Satisfied, he set the device on the bench beside him, then retrieved his warming bottle prototype and activated it. The artificial sprite bobbed lazily in the air in front of him, bathing the darkness in its warm light. He'd been unable to tinker since entering the Chasm on account of Jinwu’s worry that it would ignite the ambient gas, despite the device he'd created to test the air quality for it. 

It frustrated him how easily he'd been able to design it. Surely someone else could have done so long ago, if only to spare the poor canaries from being forced to live in small cages just to die in silence. When they finished their work in the Chasm, Dorian intended to take the canaries with him and leave a couple devices in their stead.

Several hours passed before Albedo finally returned. He looked disappointed that Dorian had clearly been awake for a while, but didn't say anything about it. Instead he joined Dorian's side to inspect his project.

“Have you made any progress on your warming device?”

Dorian nodded, satisfaction blooming in his chest. “I have. In fact I think it's finished. When we get back to Mondstadt I'll start making more of them for the Knights and Adventurer's Guild.”

“I'm sure Cyrus and the Acting Grandmaster will be quite pleased to hear that. Perhaps if the Traveler returns while we are still here, he would be interested as well.”

The statement was likely an attempt to alleviate Dorian's anxiety regarding the outlander, but it was ineffective. Eager to change the subject, Dorian put away the warming bottle and stretched. “Well, I’m ready to head back if you are. I’ve rested as much as I can here.”

“Are you sure?” Albedo seemed doubtful at the statement. His brother did not look particularly rested, but then he didn’t appear to be on the verge of throwing up again either. So there had been at least some improvement while he was gone.

“Yes, I’m certain. In any case, I don’t want to worry Jinwu and the others on account of us being gone for so long.”

“Very well then,” Albedo relented. “We can head back.”

The camp in the main mining tunnel was silent when they finally returned, broken only by the idle twittering of the canaries in their cages. The rest of the exploration team was sound asleep save for Jinwu, who appeared to have been waiting for them. 

“Ah, good to see you both,” she said in a hushed tone so as not to wake the others. “You’re looking in a much better state, Dorian. I’m sorry you had to experience that on account of Zhiqiong’s recklessness."

“It’s alright. It’s not like you had any control over it. How is she now?”

Jinwu glanced in the direction of the younger woman’s cot. “Physically she appears to be fine since you healed her, but I believe her pride has taken a blow. She hardly spoke the entire time you were gone. Hopefully this has been a lesson that will actually stick, but only time can tell.”

‘It had better,’ he thought bitterly. ‘Because next time I might just let her fall.’

It was a terrible way of thinking, and he knew if it came down to it that he would save her again regardless of his feelings. Still, the events of that day had significantly deepened his dislike of her.

~ ~ ~

The next several days went largely without incident, much to everyone’s relief. The two brothers continued their research, and though Zhiqiong’s tendency to wander had not completely left her, she at least did not venture as far.

On the third day since they’d moved camp, Dorian stumbled across a cluster of small red gems hiding in the rock as he was checking one of the data-gathering devices. Upon freeing them from the surrounding stone using Khemia, he realized they were plaustrite fragments. Or at least he thought they were. They weren’t levitating like some of the larger pieces he’d seen above ground, but he could feel the latent energy within them. 

Later that day when he and Albedo returned to the camp, he brought the gems to Khedive. “Excuse me, Mister Pursina? I found these while collecting data earlier today and was curious if they are plaustrite? I’ve never seen that material up close before.”

“Oh?” Khedive inspected the red jewels with interest before returning them to Dorian. “Those are indeed. I’m surprised you were able to find any. The shifting of the Chasm must have exposed them sometime after the miners left.”

Dorian had figured as much. Now that his curiosity had been sated however, he wasn’t sure what to do with them. It wouldn’t be right for him to just take them. “I see. Where would you like me to set them? I don’t have a mining permit.”

Khedive waved his hand dismissively. “Keep them if you like. They are small enough pieces, and I’d say you’ve earned them considering the fiasco with Zhiqiong earlier.”

Dorian felt a ping of excitement, his mind already swirling with ideas on how to use them. “Really? I’d been hoping to procure some when I had the funds. Thank you so much.”

He wrapped the pieces in some cloth and tucked them away for safe keeping, then strolled back back to his and Albedo’s workbench.

“I see he let you keep them,” Albedo said, noting the other’s pleased expression. “Any ideas of what you’ll use them for?”

Dorian bit his lip. “A few. But first let’s get this job over with. I miss the sun and fresh air already.”

What he didn’t say was that he missed being able to sleep, too. The last time he had actually done so was the night before they left Liyue Harbor, and though he was doing well to hide it, the lack of proper rest was getting to him. He knew he ought to have said something by then, but if he did, they might make him return to the surface before the job was done, and that was something he didn’t want to risk. Not when it would mean Albedo would be forced to leave as well on account of him being Dorian’s probation officer. 

Besides, he wasn’t at the point of losing his functions yet. He could still run the experiments and fight when necessary. He was just tired. That was all.

Turning to his work, he spent several hours decoding the data, comparing it to previous samples, adjusting his calculations, applying it to their other sample sets, then jotting the new data down. Eventually he set down the pencil and rubbed his face with a groan. Fatigue aside, it was difficult to concentrate past the unintelligible voices clamoring for his attention. They’d gotten bolder since the incident with Zhiqiong, especially whenever he stood near the collapsed tunnel leading to the strange rock. He wasn’t looking forward to opening that chamber. 

“Everything alright?” Albedo had looked up from his own portion of the work and was observing him with a faint air of concern.

“Yeah, I’m fine. My eyes are just tired. I think I’m going to take a few hours to meditate once I’m done here.”

The alchemist hmmed and returned to work, blissfully ignorant of the phantoms tormenting his brother. A dark shape moved from the corner of Dorian’s eye, hovering just behind him, but he ignored it. It was just a hallucination. The people watching him weren't real. Neither were the eyes in the walls. They couldn't hurt him. As long as he kept reminding himself that they were hallucinations, he would be fine. At worst he might be seeing lost spirits, but even those were harmless. Probably. 

He fingered the slip Hu Tao had given just in case. 

Minutes later another figure approached him, but this time it was only Jinwu, who presently had the look of someone who was on their final straw. "Sorry to interrupt, Dorian, but can I borrow you for a moment?." 

The brothers exchanged a look. "Sure, what's up?" 

“I'm afraid Zhiqiong needs your Vision healing again.”

Ah. That would explain the look. And here he had thought they were past this. After taking a glance to the other side of the camp where Zhiqiong was standing, he stood with a long sigh. “Alright, I’ll get on that.”

Though she’d only been gone for the day, the cartographer looked sickly pale as her body was racked with a coughing fit. It made Dorian’s mouth go tight. She had promised that morning that she was just leaving to add more detail to her maps from the safety of the areas they had already cleared of mud and enemies, but her present appearance told another story.

No words passed between them as he activated his Vision to heal her for the umpteenth time in as many days. It was only as the gem’s power faded and color returned to her that he asked tersely, “What happened?” 

The cartographer looked indignant at the accusing tone of his question, or perhaps it was merely left over from whatever lecture Jinwu had likely given her prior to his arrival. “I found a new tunnel that connects to another chamber and was just checking it out, alright? I mean yeah, there was mud and stuff but mapping is what I’m here for. And it’s not like I didn’t have an adjuvant with me.”

“That’s not—” Dorian pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a breath to steady his tone. It would not do to lose his temper here. “Zhiqiong, if you found a new passage you should have told us first. Especially one that is tainted enough to leave you this ill in such a short period of time. What if you had been attacked while you were in there? You know fully well how the abyssal energy makes monsters stronger, and I’ve yet to see you fight competently enough to ward off more than a couple small slimes.”

Zhiqiong let out a petulant huff. "Would you just get off my back already? I've already had enough nagging from Jinwu, I don't need it from you too. I'm not some baby or helpless civilian that doesn't know what they're doing. I've grown up in the mines so I can handle myself just fine."

Anger bubbled up in his chest as the woman yet again refused to be reasonable. Honestly, she truly was acting like some toddler that he had to keep scolding because she refused to listen to him and kept putting herself in danger. "If that's the case, then why am I over here healing you yet again instead of doing the work I was brought here to do?"

She didn't have an answer to that.

"Just because you grew up with other mines doesn't make you invincible in this one. There are a lot more dangers here, including the toxic mud that you can't seem to stay away from despite being warned repeatedly. You are going to get yourself killed at this rate, and what's worse is that you are putting everyone else at risk in the process. Nobody wants to be the one who has to tell your family their daughter is dead because she was being too fucking stubborn to stay in line."

Zhiqiong looked stunned for several moments, her jaw snapping shut. Then she shook herself and countered, "W-well what about you two? Why are you able to go near it without getting sick then?" 

"Because our master made—" He caught himself. He couldn’t exactly tell her their master had created them to be able to withstand stuff like that. "—us take potions to increase our resistance to it." 

She folded her arms incredulously. "That's your excuse?" 

"No, it's a fact. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work that still needs to be finished." Without waiting for a response he turned on his heel and walked back to the workbench, sitting down with a small huff. He was not in the mood to deal with that woman.

Albedo, who had been watching the interaction go down, gave Dorian a knowing glance and said, "A bit hypocritical don't you think?" 

"It's not. Our situations are different. Me working while sleep deprived is not comparable to her going off alone, with no Vision and minimal combat skills, into a dangerous environment where people have been going sick or missing. I know my limits, she doesn’t.”

He picked up his pencil and set it to the page, then paused. “Besides,” he added, his voice hardly more than a whisper, “I’m not a human.”

Albedo didn’t argue.

~ ~ ~

A yawn stretched over Dorian’s mouth the following night as the group was gathered for dinner. Albedo had determined that they’d gathered sufficient data from the surrounding caverns to warrant reopening the tunnel to the strange rock, and with that announcement had come an air of both excitement and trepidation which settled over the camp. Reports of what exactly lay within the closed off cavern were inconsistent, and thus none of them fully knew what to expect. 

Zhiqiong unsurprisingly had expressed the most excitement over the prospect of exploring the new area, and though it was not as outwardly visible, Dorian knew that Albedo was also eager to proceed with their investigation. Under normal circumstances he himself would have been equally thrilled about the opportunity to venture into a place of such mystery and intrigue. The hallucinations and lack of sleep put somewhat of a damper on his enthusiasm however, and he found himself growing restless with anticipation. 

“So Albedo, what would you say has been the coolest place you’ve ever explored?” 

The question came from Zhiqiong, who was seated on the bench next to Albedo and looking at him expectantly. Albedo put a hand to his chin in thought, his gaze growing distant as his mind sifted through centuries of experience. “Hm. I don’t think I could single out any one location as being the ‘coolest’. My master and I explored many fascinating regions and domains during my time with her. I can tell you about some of my favorites however…”

The others of the group all listened intently as Albedo began to recount some of his adventures, each one seeming even more mystical and captivating than the last. Dorian tried to follow along, but the look of reverence on his brother’s face as he spoke of their master left a sour taste in his mouth. Eventually he’d had enough, and without saying anything he stood to retreat to his cot.

Negredo followed suit, happily planting himself onto Dorian’s chest as he laid down. He stroked the feline with eyes closed, trying to focus his mind on the rhythmic purring instead of Albedo’s stories or the whispers in his ears. It would be wise for him to sleep, he knew. Or at least attempt to. There was no telling what they would find when they opened the tunnel, so he needed to be prepared both physically and mentally. He feared what new horrors would be waiting for him in the land of dreams however. They had been bad enough before. How much worse might they be while he was surrounded by darkness and decay? 

Sensing his internal struggle, Negredo shifted on his chest so that he could rub against the other’s cheek before resting his head beneath Dorian’s chin. 

“You’re a good kitty Negredo,” he whispered softly. “Wake me up… if I have a bad dream…”

…

…

…

His room was empty and grey like always, having little more than a bed and dresser with the same sets of off-white clothes he always wore. The fabric was soft against his skin. When did he change into them? He tried to remember but his mind felt hazy. 

Why was that?

He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, but only vague images flashed past his inner eye before slipping from his grasp like fish in a stream. There was stone, and darkness. Faces he couldn’t quite place. There was also light. A cold, pure light. Not like the sun’s warm rays.

The sun? How could he remember the sun? He’d never seen it in person before. So why did he know what it was like to lay in grass while the sun shone down on him, a warm breeze brushing against his skin as birdsong and the scent of dandelions filled the air. 

And why did his heart tell him that was home? He racked his brain for answers.

‘Think, Two, think.’

He opened his eyes. No, that wasn’t right. That wasn’t his name anymore. His name was Dorian, not Subject Two. Durin had first given him that name, and then Kaeya. 

Kaeya! The memories began emerging from the haze. Memories of Mondstadt and the people living there. Kaeya, Jean, Eula, Amber, Klee, Albedo…

Shit, Albedo. They had been in the Chasm together. If Dorian was back in their master’s lab, then where was his brother? He needed to find out. He needed to escape.

His heart pounded in his chest as he carefully tested the door's handle. It was unlocked. Peeking outside, he didn't see anyone in the corridor. That was unsurprising. His master kept minimal staff in her facility, especially after Celestia’s invasion of Khaenri'ah. 

Barefoot, he crept quickly but silently through the halls, making his way towards Albedo's room. If his brother had been taken as well, he figured that would be the most likely place to find him. Upon reaching the room he cautiously knocked on the door a couple times before opening it. He was relieved to see that Albedo was indeed inside, sitting on the bed and looking confused. The alchemist sprang to his feet at the sight of Dorian.

“Dorian? Oh thank the gods. I didn't know what happened to you. Do you know how we got here?”

Dorian nearly asked why Albedo hadn’t gone to look for him like he had, but then he remembered that his brother had never bothered to figure out where his room was while they lived there. Dorian was always the one to seek the other out. Or at least he had until the day Albedo had ratted him out to their master. He shook his head in response to the other's question.

“I was hoping you would know. I guess we'll just have to focus on escaping and figure out the rest afterwards. Come on, I know the way out. Assuming she hasn’t changed the layout…”

It wasn't a reassuring thought, but he was fairly confident that wouldn't be the case. Rhinedottir liked for everything to be in its place, exactly as she laid it out to be. It wouldn't make sense for her to change the interior so drastically.

And yet Dorian struggled to find the exit. 

The facility became more and more like an endless maze the further they went, the smooth walls warping into crumbling stone and vines. Sludge began to ooze from the floor, reaching out towards them with dark fingers. Then they came to a bridge, or at least what remained of one. Beneath it was a seemingly bottomless pit from which came a sickly pinkish red glow. It reeked of corruption. 

Dorian peeled his eyes away from the sight of it. “We have to jump.”

Albedo went first. He took a few steps back before making a running leap, narrowly sticking the landing at the other side. Dorian took a deep breath. It was his turn now. Just as his brother had, he retreated a few steps, giving himself enough room for a running start. He too managed to cover the distance, but as he reached the other side the stone crumbled beneath him. He scrambled forward but wasn't fast enough. Only his arms were keeping him from falling down, but his grip on the dusty stone was poor at best.

“I've got you!” Albedo grabbed his arm and began pulling him up, only to suddenly freeze as he looked back at the way they had come. 

“I'm disappointed in you, Albedo.” 

A chill ran up Dorian's spine at the sound of their master's voice. He couldn't twist his head around far enough to view her, but he knew her voice by heart. And bone. And flesh. And every other part of him that she'd hurt. He tried more desperately to pull himself up, but Albedo might as well had turned to stone and the ledge he was dangling from was beginning to crumble.

“Mother…” 

There was a longing in his brother's voice that made Dorian's stomach twist. He tugged at the other. “Albedo, help me. Please.”

“Don't.” The woman's tone was sharp. “He is a failed experiment, and as such he should be disposed of. You, however, you are the perfect being I intended you to be. You belong at my side.” 

Albedo's grip on his arm loosened and his heart skipped with heightened adrenaline. “Don't listen to her! She's just trying to trick you. She doesn't care about you. Just pull me up and let's leave.”

“Make your choice Albedo. The failure, or your own mother.”

Surely Albedo would choose him this time. Surely he wouldn't betray him. Not again. But the other's hesitation made him falter in his certainty.

“Don't you want to make me proud, my son? Release him.”

Albedo looked torn, his gaze moving from Rhinedottir to Dorian and back again. Dorian saw the truth then. He knew who Albedo would pick, even if he didn't want to believe it. Albedo would choose her. He would always choose her. 

“Albedo please. Please don't let me fall.”

His brother looked down at him one last time before averting his gaze in shame. “I'm sorry. I won't fail her.”

Then he let go.

Dorian clawed desperately at the stone for purchase but there was none. The last thing he saw before slipping off the edge was the sight of his brother backing away with a cold expression.

Then Dorian fell.

He fell,

and he fell,

and he fell, and he fell, and he fell,

down, 

down,

down,

down into the pit below.

There was a great splash as he finally hit the pool of viscous glowing liquid at the bottom, and immediately Dorian's entire body was engulfed in pain as the liquid began eating away at him. A scream escaped him as the thrashed, desperately trying to escape it. It burned him, flesh melting from bone in the soup of acid and corrupted dragon's blood. His eyes rendered useless only a minute or two in, he clawed blindly at the fleshy walls for any semblance of a handhold that he could use to climb out, but there was nothing. Before long he wasn't even able to keep himself at the surface of the liquid anymore. It burned down his nose and throat, dissolving him from the inside and out, stripping away his senses until there was nothing left.

“Dorian!”

Bodiless, he was unable to move or perceive or form thought, and yet his spirit was aware of its imprisonment in the nothingness. 

It was aware there was no escape, that he was caught in a swirling limbo with no means of reaching out or crying for help. It was aware he was completely alone and left to drift for eternity. No longer living, yet unable to truly die. 

No, this wasn't death. This was a place less than nothingness. This was a crack in the fabric of the world that he had fallen into, a place so deep not even ghosts would find him…

“Dorian, wake up!”

Something cold was shaking his nonexistent shoulders. Dragging him from the darkness. The cold spread across his body, biting into him with icy fangs. It hurt. It hurt, it hurt, it hurt. 

“Dorian, you need to wake up!”

His eyes suddenly flung open as someone shouted his name again and he tried to scramble away, only to tip over his cot with a loud crash. His heart hammered in his chest as he fought the frost-laden blankets that had been wrapped around him until finally he was free of them. The air was frigid, causing his panicked exhalations to come out as puffs of mist as he struggled to breathe. He clutched the sides of head, not yet sure of where he was. It was dark, there was stone all around him. It was closing in. It was trapping him.

“No… no no no no. I can't go back. I can’t go back.”

A hand reached out for him and he recoiled when he recognized to whom it belonged.

“Dorian, calm down. It was a dream. You're alright.”

The alchemist seemed worried, yet all Dorian could think of was the look on his brother's face moments before he let him fall. Albedo tried again to reach towards him in a reassuring gesture but Dorian slapped his hand away before struggling clumsily to his feet and retreating a few steps. “D-don't touch me! Get away!”

Hurt and confusion flashed across his brother’s face as he withdrew his hand, having been taken aback by Dorian's sudden outburst. “Dorian, it's just me. It's Albedo.”

That was the problem. 

Dorian grabbed at his own hair, trying to wrestle his thoughts away from the panic they were spiraling into. There were people all around them, staring at him. It was hard to breathe. Ice was forming in the air like diamond dust.

“I— I need- to t-take a walk.”

“I'll come with you. I can't let you wander around alone. Not in your state.”

“No!” The word came out louder than Dorian intended, causing his brother to flinch. “N-not you. I want— I want to be alone. I want to be alone. Just f-for a walk.”

When Albedo stepped forward in protest a jagged barrier of ice burst from the ground between them. Dorian really couldn't bear to see him then. Not until he could calm himself down. He used his memory of the cavern's layout to flee into the darkness, leaving the others far out of his view before sinking to the ground with his back against the hard stone wall. His knees curled up against his chest and he buried his face in his arms. His whole body was shaking as he struggled to keep his breathing in check.

‘It was just a dream. It was just a dream.’ He pressed his fingernails into his palms while reciting the mantra in his head. ‘It was just a dream. It was just a dream. It was just a dream.’

Something brushed against his legs before butting its furry head against his hand. Without even looking Dorian grabbed the cat and hugged him tightly like a frightened child clinging to their teddy bear. 

How much more of this would he have to take? It felt like his dreams had only been getting worse the more time went on. When was the last time he had even managed to get a full night's sleep? He couldn't remember. He was so, so tired. This place wasn’t helping. The miasma of abyssal taint which permeated the Chasm just seemed to exacerbate the nightmares, extending them even while he was awake. It had been a mistake to come there. He wished he hadn't. He wished his memories had remained locked away where they couldn't haunt him. But that would mean forgetting Durin, too. And who else could carry the memory of Durin as he used to be, before the corruption had eaten away at him until nothing but pain and destruction remained?

Dorian growled and pounded his fist against the rock, anger and frustration twisting into his chest like a hot dagger. This was his master's fault. She was the one who tortured him over and over again. She was the one who turned Durin into a monster. She was the one who threw him away to die in his own brother's stomach and be left drifting in the ether. Every memory that plagued his mind with fear and anguish, it was all her. And there was nothing he could do about it. No revenge he could take. No just end for her. She was untouchable, and that frustrated him beyond belief. 

He forced himself to take deep breaths until his heart rate finally slowed. Now that he was calmer, a tinge of guilt wormed inside him for his outburst at Albedo. It had only been a dream. He knew Albedo wouldn’t betray him like that again, even if he did still hold a sense of loyalty towards their master. They hadn't known each other that well the first time, but now it was different. They had gone through a lot together. They were truly brothers now. He was almost certain Albedo wouldn't throw that away. 

Sighing deeply, Dorian pushed himself back to his feet. He should head back and apologize before they got too worried.

Suddenly Negredo's ears flattened as Dorian felt a prickle at the back of his neck. Someone was watching them, and this time it wasn’t his imagination. He quickly scanned the desolate cavern. There was the sound of small rocks falling, and when Dorian turned, he saw the blur of a person ducking into one of the nearby tunnels. It didn't look like anyone from their group.

“Stay here Negredo.”

Old habits from his early days on the mountain kicked in as he crossed the distance to the tunnel. He kept himself at an angle that would be difficult to spot, and his calculated footsteps allowed him to move soundlessly. It wouldn't do him any good for his stalker to know how closely he was approaching.

He pressed his back against the cavern wall as he cautiously peered around the corner into the tunnel, and his brows furrowed at the sight. The tunnel was braced with wooden scaffolds near the entrance, but it didn't go very deep in. Only a few hundred feet or so before it appeared to have collapsed. Yet there was no sign of the person who'd been watching him. That shouldn't have been possible. He'd watched the stranger enter the tunnel, and from his vantage point he couldn't see any sort of rocks or crevices that a person could hide behind. It was as if they had simply vanished into thin air. That, or perhaps there was never anyone to begin with. Maybe it was just another illusion after all. Another figment of his exhausted mind. But if that were true, then why did Negredo react as well…

He had just stepped into the tunnel when he felt the space behind him ripple. Immediately he whirled around and met his stalker face to face. It was a tall man with blonde hair and eyes nearly the same shade of blue as his own, only his eyes carried the stars of Khaenri'ah within them. He looked different than before, but Dorian still recognized him. 

The Twilight Sword. 

Ice filled Dorian's veins when he spoke. “You should have stayed dead, homunculus.”

The man's titular blade was already drawn, and in his sharp gaze Dorian saw murderous intent. Every fiber of Dorian’s being screamed DANGER. Instinctively he tried to summon his own sword, only to remember he didn't have it anymore. In that moment of hesitation, the Twilight Sword surged towards him. He was fast. Faster than even Kaeya. Dorian barely managed to deflect the first strike with a barrier of ice, and even then he could feel a trickle of blood run down his cheek from where the man's blade had grazed him. 

This was bad. This was really, really bad. His heart was pounding in his chest with the knowledge that he was very likely going to be killed then and there. It was all he could do just to use his Vision to defend and heal himself over and over in a span of less than a minute. The crystalline ringing of steel against ice filled his ears with each swing of the other’s sword. There was nowhere to run to. He barely even had room to maneuver, and soon he was backed against the end of the tunnel. The only real chance he had of survival was to somehow get past the man and run all the way back to the camp where Albedo and the rest of the group were. To do that he needed an opening however, and Dainsleif seemed determined not to give him one. He was going to have to take a risk. 

Waiting for a break between the man’s strikes, he released a blast of ice which coated the stone floor in a slick sheet. As the Khaenri’ahn Knight sidestepped the attack, Dorian launched himself off the collapsed tunnel wall and slid past his assailant on his back. It was a clever move, but not performed quickly enough to fully avoid the man’s next attack.  

Pain and blood spread across his chest as Dainsleif’s blade slashed a deep line from shoulder to hip on the way down, but he forced himself to push through it. Bouncing nimbly to his feet he made a mad dash for the exit while sending out another barrier of ice behind him. 

He’d barely taken more than a few steps before there was a loud crash of ice shattering, and a moment later Dorian felt a dark energy wrap around his throat and lift him into the air. He kicked his legs while futilely trying to fight against his constraints, but there was nothing tangible for him to hold onto. The Twilight Sword circled around him until they were facing one another, his hand outstretched to maintain the Khaenri'ahn magic that was holding Dorian aloft. Hatred practically radiated off the man in waves. 

“Why?” Dorian choked out. He didn't understand why the man was doing this. They had never even met before.

Dainsleif scowled at him as the pressure around Dorian's throat tightened “Sick things should be put down. I don't need another of Gold's abominations to clean up after.”

Black spots started to crowd Dorian's vision as he dangled there. He tried to activate his Vision again, but before he had a chance to manifest its power the other man used his free hand to snatch it from his waist. He looked at the gem for a moment, contemplative, before hurling it outside the mine shaft. Dorian watched with despair as it bounced off the rocks several times before disappearing from view entirely. 

When his attacker turned to face him again, he knew his fate was sealed. He had just lost his last line of defense, and it was clear the Twilight Sword had no intention of letting him live.

Neither of them noticed the dark blur hurtling towards them until Negredo had launched his thirty-pound self at the taller man's face with full force, his sharp claws gouging the man's skin. Immediately Dorian was dropped like a stone as the Khaenri'ahn staggered backwards and attempted to dislodge the angry feline. After a few moments he managed to grab hold of Negredo by scruff, tearing the cat away. He then threw him against the side of the tunnel, only for Negredo to parkour off of it and reattach himself to the man's sword-wielding arm. All the while making horrible noises.

Dorian could barely register what was going on as he gasped and coughed through his crushed windpipe, his eyesight slowly clearing again. Something shiny had landed next to it. It was his Vision. Negredo must have brought it with him. 

Just as he grasped the celestial gem there came a horrific cry. Dainsleif had ripped Negredo off of himself again and bashed him forcefully against one of the wooden support beams. When the cat fell limply to the ground, he kicked it away with disgust before attempting to wipe away the blood that dripped profusely down his face

Dorian let out a strangled noise as rage and desperation filled him, coalescing through his Vision to form a blade of dark ice in his hand. He charged at the other, but the man easily parried his attack. It only took a couple hits from Dainsleif’s own weapon before Dorian’s sword shattered in his grasp, then he was shoved against the wall with the other’s blade lightly brushing against his throat.

He swallowed hard, his frightened gaze meeting Dainsleif’s. There was no mercy in that man’s eye. No room for bargaining. This was where he died. Unless—

Suddenly he remembered the one other weapon he had left at his disposal. His tranquilizing darts were potent enough to take out a sumpterbeast or geovishap in a matter of seconds, but he had no knowledge as to how resistant someone cursed like the Twilight Sword would be to them. Still, if they could afford him even a few minutes of time to flee, that would be enough.

Dainsleif pressed his weapon deeper, causing a trickle of blood to run down Dorian’s neck where the metal began to pierced his skin.  “Any last words?”

“Yeah,” he wheezed. “Fuck you.”

The dart gun materialized in Dorian's hand as he aimed at the man, shooting both his legs in rapid succession before the other even realized what he'd done. Anger and surprise flashed across his face, and in that brief moment Dorian shoved him away. The man’s subsequent attempt to catch his balance resulted in one of his knees buckling as the toxins took hold of his mobility.

“What did you—?” 

Dorian didn't stick around to watch the other go down. The moment he was free he made another dart for the exit. At the same time the man's gaze turned upward to the stone and wooden support beams near the opening. He stretched out one arm to summon more dark strings which wrapped around the wood, then he pulled it downwards, triggering the ceiling above Dorian to collapse.

Dorian realized there was no way he could cross the distance in time, but he was already running so fast that as he tried to stop he slipped on the dust-coated stone and hit the ground hard. In the second before the falling rubble struck him, he raised his arms to protect his face while drawing upon the power of his Vision.

Pain blossomed across his body as it was battered by the falling rock and earth, its blows softened only by the shield of ice he hastily summoned. He coughed as dust filled his airway, then grimaced when he felt something in his chest crack. Even with his shield the collapsed ceiling had him pinned tightly down. It was a struggle to breathe in, each inhalation feeling constricted and painful. He likely had numerous fractured ribs. And judging by the agonizing pain in his legs, he figured at least one if not both were broken as well. Cryo energy gathered around his injuries, but it would do no good in actually healing him while he was still being actively crushed. He needed to get out of there, preferably before Dainsleif recovered and decided to finish him off. 

He craned his neck to look down the tunnel, but the other man was gone. He must have teleported out somehow. If only Dorian could do the same.

With great effort he managed to loosen his arms so as to help pull himself free of the stone, but as he attempted to shimmy out, he could suddenly hear the ice cracking above him, unable to withstand the weight of the stone that pressed on it. 

Shit.

He couldn't see his Vision, but it was close enough to his side that he could still feel its power. He used it to reinforce the frozen structure before returning to his attempt at extricating himself from his soon-to-be burial site. After a minute or so of squirming and pushing the ice began to crack again. He bolstered it for the second time and resumed his efforts, but before long he witnessed the fractures spread across the ice once more. Again he reinforced it, and again it began to fail just as he started to move. The cycle repeated over and over, forcing Dorian to draw deeper and deeper into the gem's power. He willed it to spread and fill in the gaps between each stone, but it wasn't enough. If anything it was pinning him further as the layers of ice directly above him thickened until they had begun to press painfully against his ribs.

Minutes passed. He was covered in sweat and shaking from the strain of pushing the limits of his Vision. Releasing its power for even a moment was enough to make ice start cracking again. He let out a frustrated cry with what little breath he had and hit his head against the ground. 

Suddenly a shiver ran down his spine as the space at the other end of the shaft rippled and tore open, allowing a rifthound and several of its whelps to pass through it. He went still. The only other times he’d seen rifthounds in person were during Rhinedottir’s demonstrations, and even then they’d been greatly intimidating. 

The sound of them sniffing around the mine shaft and scratching at the ground make his heart pound with fear. They didn't seem to know he was there, but they were getting closer. 

It was one of the whelps that found him, howling at the others to draw them near. Dorian squeezed his eyes shut as the larger one began to sniff at him with a low growl, waiting for it to sink its teeth into him and tear him apart. He had seen firsthand what they could do. Perhaps he would be better off letting himself be crushed instead. 

It opened its jaws and he could feel its corrosive saliva dripping onto his neck, burning the skin where it touched. He held his breath.

The wolf bit down.

But there was no pain.

Instead there was a pulling. The rifthound had grabbed the front of his coat and was tugging at it. Almost as if… No, sure it wasn't trying to pull him free. They were creatures of death and destruction. They did not save people. Only their own kind, as any wolf would. Yet the monster still tugged at him as its whelps began scratching at the stones he was buried under. Not that it did any good. In fact, they were only managing to hurt him even more. He gasped as some of the rock shifted slightly, breaking a portion of ice and sending pain shooting up his body as two more ribs cracked beneath the weight.

‘Please leave me alone,’ he thought desperately. 

They didn't.

The larger of them sniffed disdainfully at the ice he was so desperately trying to save himself with, and perhaps out of belief that it was the reason they couldn't free him, the wolf let out a bone-chilling howl. 

Dorian only had a brief moment to register the fabric of their world tearing beneath him, then he was suddenly plunged down,

down,

down,

into the Abyss.