Chapter Text
Kaeya was left for dead on the night of Crepus's death. Diluc never left the killing blow, just stopped fighting the moment Kaeya received his vision.
Kaeya then stayed in the dirt, still covered in all of the wounds from the fight. So many cuts and burns left over him. Little pieces of ice scattered around.
He couldn't move from all the pain. Everything just hurt so much. He couldn't do anything at all to stop Diluc. Just let it happen.
While the pain was bad, what hurt the most was Diluc's hate.
He just wished there could be a day Diluc could love him again. He kept hoping, but he figured it could never happen. He betrayed Diluc's trust. Hurt Diluc so much. So Kaeya just deserved to feel all of this pain. It was all just too much. Kaeya stayed there still in the mess, let himself cry.
After some time, through all the pain and the loss of blood, Kaeya finally passed out.
For just a moment, he hoped he would die here. Then he wouldn't have to feel anything anymore. No more pain, and no more of Diluc's hate.
He woke in an empty white plane. A light blue sky above him, white clouds scattered around.
A tall white throne was in front of him. A woman sat there, just watching him. Her appearance was hazy. Hard to tell exactly what She looked like, no matter how close he got to her.
"Child of Khaenri'ah." The woman greets him. "You definitely are an interesting one. I don't always recognize those that receive my power, but you really have caught my interest." Even without seeing her face, it was easy to tell She was smiling. "I haven't seen a Khaenri'ahn child in many years. And for you to even receive a blessing from the archons, you must really be special."
She talked about his life. How he was left behind by his first family and taken in by a new family. Loved and cared for by those who were not even his blood in a new land.
"If I gave you the choice now, which would you choose?" She asked him. "To return to the land of your birth those who left you as just a pawn, or continue to live in this new land with those who loved you."
It was always a hard choice for Kaeya. He still felt the loyalty to Khaenri'ah and his father, but there was always the warmth and love he received from his new family and friends in Mondstadt. It left a little pain now, but he knew what his choice should be. Even though he was hurt by this new family, and that could have easily soured every memory he had of this land and those who cared for him, he still felt his own love for them all. There was no love from his birth land or his real father, just from those in Mondstadt. Even if it now carried sorrow.
She gave him a new question. "Despite all of that pain, would you still choose that love?"
An easy option. "I would." Even if things hurt now, he still preferred the people that actually cared for him and shown him love. Even if it was just in the past.
She smiled again. "Then let me give you my help then." He had already received a vision of her power, but that wasn't enough now. Instead, She would give him some of her own personal power. Not all of it, of course, She was not ready to leave this world just yet. But the Khaenri'ahn child is interesting enough that should would like to try something with him.
"Only one thing in return for this gift." She added. "Assist my children when you can." She mentioned a job She gave them. He would just need to help them out a little. Not too much for him.
"Would you accept my offer?"
Kaeya thought for a moment. Remembered all of the love She mentioned. The love others had for him, the love he had for someone else. That love that hurt him and pained him so much.
Maybe her power could help stop that pain. And maybe he would still be able to love after that. Maybe he could talk to the one that hurt him, apologize for what he's done, and still love him after.
All of that pain can finally go away. Just by accepting her power.
His answer was already known to her before he even spoke it. She smiled again.
"I'll take it."
She stepped off her throne and walked towards him. Her appearance is still hazy, but Kaeya barely focused on that now.
She stopped in front of him and leaned down. Placed her hands on his cheeks and kissed his forehead.
Her power is his now. With that now, he can finally wake up again.
She will talk to him at times, sometimes asking things of him, but that is not important right now.
Right now he just needs to wake up. And then he can continue to live and love.
Kaeya woke up in the church's infirmary in the city. Groaned as he sat up, startling a young lady near him. Must have been the sister who helped treat him. She ran off, mentioned something about finding help now that he was awake.
Kaeya looked around at his surroundings. Looked down at the bandages covering his body.
Couldn't remember anything about getting hurt.
He tried to search his memories. Had to remember something about why he would be in the infirmary. The last thing he could remember was telling Diluc about Khaenri'ah, but that was it. Everything after is gone. What happened?
In a few minutes, a couple of sisters came in and started checking over his wounds. Removed the bandages and saw that everything was almost completely healed. Kaeya didn't know what it would have been himself, but by their reactions, it sounded rather serious. Probably a great surprise that the healing was so fast.
Jean walked in only a moment later.
She immediately asked him few questions about what happened to him, but he didn't know how to answer. He didn't even know what it was. And he definitely wasn't going to mention the last thing he did remember. So he stayed quiet. Tried to just wait until he could figure it out on his own.
Jean told him what she knew. He was found unconscious near the Dawn Winery horrible injured about a week ago. He's been getting treated at the church ever since, but that's as much as they knew.
"Where's Diluc?" Kaeya suddenly asked. It's been on his mind since he woke up. He's just wanted to try talking to him again. Try to figure out what Diluc actually thought of what Kaeya told him.
"He's gone. He left sometime before you were found."
He was found about a week ago. And Diluc's been gone for about the same amount of time. Must have been something to do with his father's death then. Or maybe what Kaeya told him.
What happened that night?
From what he heard about being injured, something must have happened between them. Like Diluc hurt him. But he couldn't have. He couldn't remember how Diluc reacted at all, so he couldn't be sure, but he couldn't imagine it.
He just wished he could remember it all. Hopefully his memory would come back soon. Or maybe Diluc.
The most surprising part of the whole night was how he received a vision. Jean showed it to him, mentioned it was found next to him, so it must have been his now.
Kaeya took it from her and looked everything over. A cryo vision. Felt so cold, but also looked lifeless. He always remembered looking at Diluc's vision when they were younger. Always a warm pyro vision. But it always looked so bright. Looked like it was moving. Like a real flame was inside at all times. Kaeya's felt so different. Maybe just because it was cryo. That's probably all it was.
He left the church about a week later and got to stay at the knights headquarters for a bit. There was already the plan for Kaeya to come back as a knight, but they told him to take as much time as he needed to rest before he came back to the stressful work.
At least Kaeya was finally alone now.
He kept thinking about that night with Diluc. He told Diluc who he was, but that's as much as he knew. He couldn't even see any expression on Diluc's face in his memories. Like the scene just went to black as soon as the last words left his lips. Nothing else came to him. That was all he had.
Would Diluc have gotten upset with him? Would Diluc have tried hurting him after that? He hated the thought of Diluc going that far.
He looked back at the vision, maybe hoping that something of it's existence could help him understand what could have happened, but it gave him nothing. It was still empty and lifeless.
He held out his hand. Thought of the power he should have from it now. Saw a small ice crystal appear above his hand. So it does work. Interesting.
"The vision is useless. Just a prop now."
Kaeya was startled by the sudden voice inside his head. A woman's voice.
"The real power is now inside of you. But keep the vision with you, others may not accept the power you have so easily."
A dead vision, but he still had the power it was supposed to give him. It was confusing, but Kaeya kind of understood. His cryo power was just different now.
Inside of him.
Brought a hand to his chest. Pressed against it and felt his hand dip inside. Felt something inside and carefully pulled it out.
A small chess piece in his hand. Mainly silver with a light blue glow. Turned it around in his hand. Looked like a pawn. Kaeya frowned.
"A gnosis. This is what holds the power of a god. The power you have right now. You need to keep this with you at all times."
A god's power. The power of the archons. He could remember this a little now. He made a deal with her to have her power.
"All you need to do now is help my children with my goal. And when this is all over, you can bring me your gnosis personally. Then you will be free."
Kaeya looked over the pawn. Such small thing. Holding all of his power now. He just has to keep this and bring it to her when it's time. Who knows when that would be.
There's a knock at the door. Kaeya quickly holds the piece against his chest again and pushes it inside. There it should easily stay.
Took a deep breath before walking over to the door to answer.
Greets Jean.
She asks if he knows when he might return to work. Might be best for him to take a few more days to rest before going back.
Kaeya had originally planned to return immediately. Didn't feel the need to rest much longer, just wanted to get things back to normal. But with this new power, specifically the gnosis, he might need some more time.
At least one more day, he tells her. Doesn't need to say it's to understand his own power now. Once he figures it all out, then he can go back to his training.
He doesn't know much about his gnosis, doesn't know exactly what would be different between what he has and what a normal cryo user would have, but he figured it would be more intense.
The power of the archons... How interesting.
Over the next few months once Kaeya got back to work, he used his new power to easily reach the rank Diluc once held. Became the new Calvary Captain. Had even more power with the knights.
On the side, he tried to start meeting with the fatui, just for the sake of the one who gave him power. They are her children, after all, he needed to assist them in whatever ways he could.
He never really knew exactly what to do with them, though. Just stayed quiet around them.
He helped make them more trustworthy in Mondstadt, though. It was something at least, and She never mentioned needing to do more.
Any other "help" he started to give them was unintentional. Something he started to dread.
Just started from one night sitting at Angel's Share with a couple of them.
He felt how one started to touch his side, then his side. The man leaning closer to him.
Kaeya tried to ignore it, figured the man was just too drunk already. Sipped his own wine. Noticing how it seemed to taste much stronger than normal.
They pushed more drinks his way. Got Kaeya feeling more and more drunk. Definitely gave him too much.
He tried to excuse himself, just try to get himself home finally, but one of the others offered to walk him there.
Kaeya didn't even respond. Just let the man take his arm and pull him along. He was taken a completely opposite direction of his house.
He couldn't even try to stop him. Just felt cold.
Ended up at the Goth Grand Hotel, taken to an empty room. Thrown down on a bed with the man on top of him. His clothes getting removed, leaving him naked beneath the man.
Kaeya didn't say a word. Just felt cold.
Couldn't think as the man touched him all over. Couldn't think as something soon pushed into him, as the man just thrusted so quickly into him.
He forgot the rest of the night once the man opened the door for another to join them.
And Kaeya just felt cold.
He had no way of knowing how much time had passed, eventually they were all just done for the night. He recognized the voice of the first man for a moment. The man only thanking him for the act, saying how much they all appreciated their help. This was just their way of showing him their thanks.
Kaeya just lied there, stayed quiet as the man fell asleep next to him.
He couldn't sleep at all himself, only focused on that pain. And how cold it all felt.
Not even the last time with them. They took him and used him too often, and Kaeya couldn't even stop him. He told himself it was to help them, and She never said anything against it.
He tried to just forget it all. Just ignore it as the men used him and let the cold take over. After long enough, he wouldn't even feel the pain anymore.
Some people in Mondstadt noticed a change in Kaeya's appearance.
His hair seeming to be a lighter color than it was in the past. His eye less bright than it was before.
Anytime someone mentioned it to him, Kaeya only told them he hadn't noticed.
If anyone mentioned how cold he felt, he would say it was just from his cryo vision.