Chapter Text
Deities could not dictate their realm of power. It was assigned to them through a strange mixture of fate, personality, and where their divinity spawned from. The divine beings in mention had no control over their own livelihood. Yet, they were expected to live it to the fullest and gain complete control over their seat. Thus, it was completely unfair for the pantheon to be upset with Kaeya for simply following through on his responsibilities.
His brother and father had not thought so. Apparently, turning the well-renowned God of Rock's horns into the branches of a sandbearer tree had been a touch too far. And the explosion in the pavilion. But Kaeya thought it was primarily the horns. Even with his reputation, he failed to avoid any responsibility this time. A meeting had been called to discipline him. In the end, the punishment was left up to Lord Morax himself.
Crepus had told Kaeya how lucky he was to be getting off this easily. Even the other Lords had questioned such a light sentence, including Lord Barbatos, Kaeya's own occasional partner in crime. A thousand years. Seven hundred. A hundred. Or even just thirteen. But seven years in the mortal world was barely a slap on the wrist.
Lord Morax had apparently been confident that this little excursion would curb Kaeya's reckless tendencies. At least, as much as you could for the God of Mischief. He had even allowed liberties such as visits from his family and friends, and a yearly visit back to the divine realm. Still, it was a punishment in his eyes.
And Kaeya's. Seven years was barely a blink of time in his lifespan. It would primarily be a banal and vapid experience. Nothing to be overly concerned about. Lord Barbatos, to rub salt into the wound, had suggested a 'quaint little village' within the nation he had come to protect. It was the capitol. Though that was not as pertinent as it would seem, considering the state of stagnation it found itself in, and how Port Dormos had flourished in comparison. It would still manage to be mind-numbingly dull.
Kaeya was not concerned about the boredom, though. There were things to occupy him in the mortal realm. If all else failed, he would find a mortal job, despite having no need for such things as food or mora. His dread was due to his family. The divine realm would be so far away. Mortals pretended to see it, but, truthfully, all they saw was stardust in the heavens. Kaeya would be agonizingly far away from home. Even with seven years passing by in the blink of an eye, there was still time. Time to forget him.
He didn't say as much. He apologized to Lord Morax with laughter in his voice and accepted his punishment as it was.
Crepus did not seem to notice that he clung all the bit tighter as they embraced for the last time. Neither did Diluc. His brother clapped a hand on his back. "It will not be nearly as torturous as they say. My visit centuries ago was pleasant. Honestly." Kaeya snorted and bit his tongue. Crepus and he exchanged a look and rolled their eyes. Diluc's journey had been caused by a willing fit of youthful angst. He came back quieter and much more composed.
It had been good for him, all things considered. Even with the expedition being only three years long, he came back a different man. His fury was quieter. His justice was more refined. And for a god of passion, Diluc portrayed startlingly little of it in his daily life.
Also, pleasant wasn't the word Kaeya would use to describe personally interfering in a rebellion within the Lady of Love's lands. Diluc would always be a strange one.
"I am sure of it. Besides, I would not be remiss to say the mortals have no knowledge of my name. It'll be good for them. Keep them on their toes." Diluc wrinkled his nose at the thought. Kaeya threw back his head and laughed. "Please, 'Luc, you look like you're about to vomit. I will reign it in, I swear."
Their father sighed. "You might need to, Kaeya." His tone was lighthearted, but Diluc and Kaeya could both hear the concern seeping in. "Do not misplace Morax's trust in you."
"Trust? I think he just has far too much faith in the younger generation due to Jean and I," Diluc droned. Kaeya flicked him in the forehead and he pouted. Kaeya pouted back. "He obviously hasn't spent enough time around Kaeya."
"I resent that."
"I resent you." They both leaned closer toward each other, obviously about to start something, until-
"Boys." Diluc and Kaeya turned towards Crepus in an instant. All notes of mischief were gone, replaced by a small smile and Diluc's resting frown. Crepus took a step forward and smoothed the hair away from Kaeya's face in a gentle motion. "We will miss you, starborn."
Tears threatened to prick at the corners of his eyes. Kaeya held himself back from such a display just barely. He smiled far too widely and placed a hand over his father's. "I will stay safe. I swear. There is nothing to be concerned about, unless humans have become much more competent over the past few centuries." His father sighed fondly.
"Here. Before I forget." The redhead pressed a bundle of cloth into his hand. Kaeya unwound it.
The object wasn't instantly familiar. He had seen it before, but only occasionally, when he peered into the mortal realm and saw pirates and those scarred by war. It was a small circle of cloth designed to cover the eye. The string was supposed to wind around his head to be tied into place. An eyepatch.
The implication of the item didn't instantly hit him. But it did, quickly enough. Kaeya's hand reached up towards his right eye. "Thank you." His voice was quieter than it had been a moment ago. He was grateful, though. It had failed to occur to him that one of his eyes would not be so easily hidden, even in his mortal form. And unlike the other gods, part of Kaeya's divinity was not to be worshipped.
He fumbled with the string at first. For a moment, he thought about asking Diluc or Crepus to tie it for him. Then he remembered he would need to learn how to do it for the next seven years.
It was strange to only be able to see out of one eye. He would get used to it, though. Mischief could do nothing if not adapt to the situation provided to it.
"Give me at least a month before you come to fret over me," Kaeya teased. Diluc flushed a bit and looked away.
Crepus chuckled. "Alright. See you soon, starborn."
Kaeya turned away and took a step out. In times like this, it was all about intent. If he didn't mean to leave, he wouldn't. Unfortunately, intent was a bit different than the wants of your heart.
It felt like falling, at first. Kaeya could see the world below him. He hovered millions of measurements about the ground, unable to fall, even as the breath felt like it had been sucked out of his lungs. He took a step forward and willed himself over Mondstadt. The ground got closer as if he had pulled up a more detailed map. He could see the roads and villages dotting the green countryside of Lord Bartbatos's land.
There was a small fork in the road outside of the capitol. Far enough away that only the most attentive gate guard could see him. Kaeya took one last step forward and landed on the ground.
His divinity felt strange on such a weak plane. His magic pulsed out in every direction, urging him to do something. Even if his appearance was close to a normal human, he would never be mistaken for one. Kaeya sighed and waved his hand. In an instant, his mortal form took over.
His hair turned from shades of the night sky to a normal dull blue. The words on his cloak that would drive mere mortals made slipped away to make a simple black garb, and the swirling patterns of green and blue in his clothes made way for a white tunic and brown pants. He looked like any ordinary traveler apart from his eyepatch. It was probably why Barbatos had suggested he come here. Mondstadters were friendly. Too friendly to pry into something as personal as a blinding injury.
Kaeya could feel the itch of his nature wanting to feed off something. It was only natural his domain would be begging for something. Unfortunately, Lord Morax had given him a stipulation. He couldn't just cause mischief wherever he wanted within the mortal realm. There was a sense of order that had to be kept.
There would be small acts of magic he could do. Encourage the wind to muss someone's hair, rile up the stray animals that populated every major village, and so forth. But nothing that would satiate him. No divine acts of magic for him.
It meant Kaeya would be bored for these next few years. Barbatos had suggested he started causing mischief through his words. Jean had said that. Mostly the talking to people part, but it was similar enough. He could do that. He did plan to do that.
If only he could find a natural source of chaos. Alas, humans weren't that stupid. No one was going around causing explosions or tampering with the magic of the world.
Kaeya walked up to the city gates. There was only a guard on one side of the gate. He was asleep. No one noticed the strange man walk through and arrive in their city. Yet, Kaeya had a feeling they would soon know who he was.