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“When everything gets in the way, seems you cannot be replaced”
- As it was, Harry Styles 2022
“Happy birthday son, I’m proud of you” Crepus cheers to Diluc as he finishes serving the other customers.
“Have a drink with us sir! You’re an adult now! Come!” One cheers as his face is bright red, too much wine it appears. He sees his father smiling softly at him, he’s eighteen now, an adult. What does it mean to be an adult?
He got into Ordo Favonius at 18, a promising young man he was, everyone saw potential in him, and he was a step closer to achieving it. On days and afternoons he would do his duty as a young knight in Ordo Favonius, whether it be patrolling the city gates, clearing off hilichurl camps to simply helping some kid with his cat stuck on a tree, it made him feel something worthwhile. On days where Diluc was not assigned of any duty, he would spend his time further polishing his skills, and sparring with his brother who would gladly do so, and on days where he spend times with his father, his father would teach him the ways on how to bartend a drink, Kaeya couldn’t bother much on the art of making, he says he’s rather be the one who tastes the wine than make it.
His father, Crepus Ragvindr, owns Dawn Winery, one,if not the best winery there is in Monstadt. Crepus would always joke on how Diluc would soon manage the winery. Crepus reminded Diluc of how proud he was of him, he would tell stories on how as a young boy he would dream of one day joining the knights.
Crepus is proud of the young man Diluc has become, he keeps saying how proud he is of Diluc, and for Crepus he will never get tired of reminding him that until the wind shall no longer blow for him.
“Let’s go home before it starts to rain, shall we Diluc?” Crepus says as he cleans up the bar.
“Yes Father” Diluc replies as he smiles genuinely.
Diluc, oh Diluc, always so polite, Crepus wonders just what he did to deserve sons like Diluc and Kaeya. Crepus then goes ahead in the carriage as Diluc readies himself to maneuver the carriage. Diluc notices his father carrying some strange container to which he paid no mind to.
The road was bumpy as expected of a dirt road, they were on the way back to the Ragvindr mansion.
“Diluc, I’m so proud of you son” Crepus says again. Diluc has heard Crepus say those words a thousand times before, Diluc does not say a word as he hears no further words from Crepus, he only smiles to himself as he moves forward the carriage. Crepus inside the carriage opens the strange container.
“I guess you won’t be needing this anymore” He mutters to himself as he stares at the strange ornament, a delusion. A delusion on which he had supposedly plan to give to his son, as his inheritance. Crepus smiles genuinely as he realizes how Diluc has become the man he will never be. Crepus sighs as he hopes on how one day when the sun shall no longer shine on him, that both Diluc and Kaeya shall have both the wind and sun that will guide them both and keep them together as how wool is woven onto another.
And all of a sudden, the carriage stops. Crepus begins to be worried, he realizes then that they were attacked and ambushed by Ursa Drake, a terrible monster it was, Crepus grew furious at the thought of how many that demonic creature has ruined lives, lives of people who had homes, smiles to see, and words yet to hear and say. As he steps out of the carriage he sees the blood spilled out the bodies of the men a few moments ago he was sharing drinks with and laughter.
“Diluc son, stay back!” Crepus says as the monster attacks the carriage, with worry of his son getting hurt he is led to no choice but to put on the delusion. As he put on the delusion he suddenly felt the power and both its darkness, he knows that a great price shall be paid for it’s power one day, but for now he buries that to the back of his mind and went on to save his son.
Black chains then appeared to hold down the monster, Crepus felt the power and suddenly it stopped. Crepus has defeated the monster, Crepus smiles. He feels tired, he felt blood drip from his mouth.
“Great job father, now we have to,
Father?” Diluc stops talking. He realizes his father drop down near the carriage. He rushes towards him. He sees blood drip down from his father’s mouth.
“Father, please be all right, father you’re still going to teach me how to brew that favorite drink of yours right?” Diluc says, he sees large wound on his fathers chest, he tries to stop the bleeding.
“No, no no no, this can’t be happening” Diluc mutters to himself. Crepus feels his energy begin to fade, and so he smiles to himself and Diluc. He can no longer mutter any words, he’s ran out of energy, perhaps this was the price to pay of that power, and if it truly was then he’s glad he never had the chance to give it to Diluc.
Crepus feels himself fading away,
‘This must be it’ He thinks to himself. He still hears his young boy shouting at him, though he could no longer understand what Diluc was saying as his words turned into muffles and the world begins to turn blurry. And though bloody and weak he fixes his body leaning towards Diluc sort of saying,
“I’m proud of you, both you and your brother, and though I am fading may you always remember and know how much I love you son,
I will always be proud of what you will become, and what you’ll choose to be, so thank you for being my son”
Just before truly fading away, and though Diluc must’ve not heard it he mutters the words he have said a thousand times before, one final moment.
“I’m proud of you” The light is Crepus eyes then begins to fade, Diluc realizes he’s father has closed his eyes. He cannot shout, he does not shout rather, he furiously shakes his father’s body, as though this was only one of his jokes.
“We’re here!” He heard shouts, It’s Kaeya. Kaeya runs towards Diluc but halts in his tracks when he realizes his father’s unmoving and bloodied body. He notices Diluc shaking and fists closed, white gloves stained with blood. Kaeya stood frozen he does not know what to do.
All he knows is that perhaps three hearts died that day.
Diluc sells the belongings of his father, no their father. Kaeya grew furious.
“What are you doing!” He shouts, they’re at the Ragvindr mansion, which is now half empty as the belongings of their father was sold off, if not thrown away.
“I’m letting go of objects that no longer serve their purpose” Diluc says, voice filled with nothing at all, only indifference. Kaeya did not retort back, he hates this version of what Diluc has become, so cold, unnerving, and indifferent.
“If that is so, then let me go, after all I no longer serve any purpose to you, I’m no longer your brother seeing my father is dead, this shall be the last day I call and treat you as my brother” Kaeya says, he then begins to walk away. While walking away he wishes Kaeya would stop him and say how sorry he was, or that he did mean anything. How ironic it is that the words Kaeya have spit out of his mouth means the opposite of what he truly means. All he wants is a brother, a family, but as it appears not only has he lost a father but a father as well, a package deal indeed.
Diluc watches Kaeya walk away, he says no words and watches him walk out of the mansion. Diluc later that night practices the art of wine. His eyes are wet as he makes the wine, remembering every step on how his father taught him to make it. He forgets a step and he grew furious, how could he forget such important things, later that night he writes everything he knows of his father, his catch phrases, favorite drinks and everything he knows of his father written in a notebook.
Months later, Kaeya goes to Diluc’s bar. Diluc had quit Ordo Favonius already. He orders what his father’s wine, of course he realizes that no one could make it taste the same as his father did but it was worth the try.
He realizes it was Diluc bartending tonight, Kaeya orders his father’s former specialty drink. Diluc makes it, he doubts Diluc could not make a drink good enough like how his father would make it.
Diluc serves the drink to Kaeya. Kaeya drinks it.
Kaeya froze on the stool bar, It tastes exactly like how their father made it. He savors every flavor, and orders one after one, Diluc does not stop him, he serves and serves. Kaeya goes home to wherever he was staying that night content, as for a moment he saw Crepus in the bar.
Diluc closes the bar, on his palm he realizes a picture of him, Crepus and Kaeya, they look happy. Diluc drinks himself to sleep back at the mansion.