Chapter Text
Today was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. His family was supposed to be celebrating Diluc's birthday. It was the perfect time to laugh and sing.
Instead, the sky was mourning the loss of a hero who had saved his son's life at the cost of his own. The falling rain reflected the pain both brothers were suffering, and the thunder roared as if it could feel Diluc's anger while he tried to cut the bond between them with the edge of his sword.
Nothing could repair the trust destroyed by his concealed truths and fabricated lies. All Kaeya could do was beg his brother to hear what he had to say while focusing on keeping Diluc from murdering him. The flames burned furiously, evaporating the rain instantly.
In tears, Kaeya had to wield his sword against his brother, with whom he had once fought by his side, an inseparable duo, the same Diluc who swore to protect his little brother from any threat. That brother was the same one who was screaming at him with hatred and rage to fight, to defend himself from the searing flames.
"Please, Diluc, just hear me out. I can explain everything; I'm just asking you to listen to me..." Kaeya tried to speak but was interrupted with contempt.
"I will not listen to another one of your lies. You are a traitor and always have been," Diluc shouted at the top of his lungs until his throat couldn't take anymore. "Everything we've lived through, our whole lives, was a sham for you."
Kaeya couldn't hold back the tears that began to flow, but he had to convince his brother of the decision he made.
Desperately, he tried to move closer, but it was too hard to evade every blow thrown his way, dealing with the pain he felt as he saw the look in Diluc's eyes; he could only find spite and fury in his face. "I am not a traitor!" Kaeya insisted on focusing on the fight; he was reaching his limit and couldn't keep fighting any longer. "Diluc, please, I beg you to listen to me. I don't want to fight, just listen to me!!!!".
Kaeya was so focused on getting to his brother's heart and trying to reason with the redhead that he couldn't see the sword wreathed in flames approaching his face.
It was too late when he realized that Diluc's sword was aiming for his blind side, cutting him and causing severe burns to the right side of his face.
He couldn't help but scream from the deafening pain of the impact. He couldn't believe what was happening; his brother didn't hesitate to hurt him. The sore throbbed with every beat of his broken heart at the lie revealed. The red liquid from his eye was as warm as the family that once took him in and showed him what love indeed was.
For a moment, all was silent; all that could be heard was the halting breaths of both siblings and the murmur of the storm that raged across the lands of freedom.
Kaeya could not see his brother's face, his sword resting on the muddy ground. The redhead lifted his face for a moment and could make out the emotions he was do hard trying to hide: confusion, fear, surprise, and sadness, all replaced by hatred and anger. Diluc swung the blade of his sword at the bluenette again. "Defend yourself, coward," he hissed as the pent-up fire emanated from his body.
Kaeya held the wound caused by Diluc's flames with one hand. He didn't know what to do; his mind was blank. "Luc, why did you...?" his voice was trembling; he tried to understand how his brother had hurt him. He tried to speak again but was cruelly interrupted. "Don't ever call me that again!" Diluc's voice was raspy after all that shouting. "A bloody traitor like you has no such right, now fight back," was the last thing he said before attacking again.
It was clear that there was no way out. With a heavy weight on his chest, Kaeya understood that he had to fight Diluc in this battle.
He had to show his true face and come out of the shadows he had hidden in for years out of fear. Now, he understood what his biological father always said.
" The gods have taken it upon themselves to generate fear in sinners like us, and they are the ones who will never let us be happy ."
He was naïve to think that a sinner like him could enjoy the family he once had. Kaeya finally understood that a villain like him could not have a happy ending.
He allowed his emotions to be dampened to endure this ending. So he took up his sword with determination, enduring the pain in his eye. This time, he was going to fight with the goal of showing his beloved brother what he was really capable of.
Swords crossed again, but now both of them were plunged into a trance of pain and fury.
~•~•●•~•~
Time passed with each clash of swords, and it was no longer clear when the fight had begun. The rain washed away all traces of it.
With every breath he took, his chest cried out in agony. There were bloodstains on his torn clothes, the wounds burned relentlessly, and his soul shed deep tears from the pain of having lost everything he loved.
In front of Kaeya, there was no longer the brother who cared for and protected him with absolute warmth and trust. No, in front of him was the executioner who would take his life tonight.
As the minutes passed, he felt how his strength left him; the fatigue began to be extreme, and he could not continue fighting. No matter how much he wanted to live, he knew that these were going to be his last moments.
It was the end of a frightened child seeking refuge in the person he trusted the most.
His biological father...
His adoptive father...
Diluc...
After a while, the attacks stopped for an instant; the only thing that could be heard were the gasps of both brothers.
Kaeya was on his knees and out of breath. His sword, stuck deep in the ground, supported him. His vision was blurred, and he had a strange feeling in his chest—it felt colder and colder. Diluc was slowly approaching his target. The sword was dragged, marking a faint line in the mud. "Let's end this deception once and for all," he growled, wielding the sword high to deliver the final blow.
"Diluc, please wait!" Without thinking, Kaeya raised his sword, trying to cover his face so he would not see the end that awaited him. He could feel the flames of a bird rising from the ashes, rapidly approaching to complete his sentence.
However, his verdict never came. Instead of the fiery phoenix, icy air began to emanate from its mouth, creating an explosion of ice that caused the elements to become entangled in whirlwinds.
Everything became quiet.
"W-what happened?" Kaeya muttered, shivering and confused, as he surveyed his surroundings. There was an icy haze everywhere, and a subtle blue hue surrounded him as if it were a protective shield.
He could only hear the beeping sound of the impact caused by that strange energy. Still confused, he tried to move when he felt a strange object in his hand. Heart racing, he looked down and, with anguish, confirmed what he feared: a bluish stone lay in his palm, a cryo vision. It all made sense. "No, no, no!!!" Kaeya cried out in tears. The tears couldn't stop flowing, the pain he felt was immense, a tightness in his chest prevented him from breathing, and his hands shook unceasingly.
At that moment, the seventeen-year-old became the frightened child he once was, fearing everything the gods could offer him. He was a little boy who longed for the shelter and warmth of his older brother. He tried to find comfort in his arms, imagining that the embrace he was attempting to receive was from Diluc.
He could no longer bear the pain of the physical and mental wounds caused by the fire. He no longer wanted to feel the cold emptiness lodged in his chest. All he wanted was to remember the children they once were. Although the memories were painful, he allowed himself to feel every moment to say one last goodbye to the life he would never get back.
~•~•●•~•~
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The sun was shining in the clear Mondstadt sky. In the distance, two children were playing by the Cider Lake. They had spent a long time playing until a wild animal startled Kaeya, who slipped and fell into the lake's crystal clear water.
Quickly, he tried to pull himself out of the water, struggling to hold back the tears that filled his one visible eye, as getting wet had ruined the clothes his adoptive father had given him.
"Kae, are you okay?" a reddish-haired boy asked as he hurried into the lake to help his brother. Kaeya knew that if he spoke at that moment, the tears he was trying to hide would fall at any instant. Instead, he nodded his head.
"Let's go to our father so he can help dry you off, so you'll be more comfortable," Diluc proposed, grabbing Kaeya's hand to lead him back home. As he tried to move forward, he noticed that his little brother was shivering from the cold. He tried to find a solution to stop Kaeya from shivering, so he removed his sweater and put it on his baby brother's shoulders.
"Don't worry, Kae. With my sweater, you won't be cold anymore." Seeing that his brother gradually stopped shivering, Diluc took his hand again, and they headed home.
"When I get my vision, I hope it's pyro," he recounted, hoping to break the ensuing silence.
He thought his strategy hadn't worked for a moment until he heard Kaeya's shy and confused voice, "Why do you want a pyro vision?"
Diluc, seeing that Kaeya didn't let the silence take over the whole way back, smiled and answered him truthfully. "Because then I'll be able to protect all the people I care about with a warm light." Kaeya was silent for a few seconds, thinking of what to say. When he found the words, his shy, almost imperceptible voice asked again. "Does that include someone like me?"
Without hesitation, Diluc grabbed Kaeya's shoulders and stared at him, reassuringly reaffirming that he was the most important person. "As your older brother, it is my duty to always protect you." The redhead pulled away because he thought he had invaded the bluenette's personal space.
Kaeya was dumbfounded. He didn't know what to say.
He advanced to where Diluc was and hugged him with all his might. Despite not having a pyro vision, he always emanated warm energy that cured the cold he sometimes felt in his chest.
Diluc was surprised to see Kaeya willingly hugging him. His smile grew bigger, reflecting the happiness of having his little brother with him forever. Out of excitement, the redhead forgot how soaked Kaeya was and kept hugging him. After a few seconds, he challenged him to a race. Without hesitation, the blue-haired boy accepted, and together, they ran towards the home they loved so much.
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~•~•●•~•~
Kaeya smiled as he evoked memories of his childhood with Diluc. He looked up at the sky, letting his tears mingle with the rain.
The pain was unbearable, and he had so many emotions that he couldn't express them, his mind blocked for a moment. He began to laugh, as he did when he saw Crepus' body in Diluc's arms. His laughter was hysterical, and he couldn't stop laughing even if he wanted to.
Villains laughed at the misfortunes of others, so why shouldn't he laugh at their misfortunes? He laughed until his lungs ran out of air.
After what had happened, he struggled to find an answer to the question that kept going through his mind: why had the gods saved him? Indeed, it was a new punishment for having hidden the truth for so many years of his tragic life. It was not enough for them to destroy his nation and curse his people.
He sighed melancholy and steadily looked away from the rain falling from the sky to watch her brother. The only word that could describe him was defeated. He was paralyzed as if he were a statue, unable to react and incredulous at the situation. The steam from the now extinguished flames could be seen, a sad reminder of the trust that had been lost.
The redhead threw his sword to the ground and headed for the shelter of the Ragnvindr mansion without a single word.
"Diluc, where are you going?" fearful and confused, Kaeya tried to get up, ignoring the pain he felt. He failed in the attempt, hitting the floor hard and further irritating his wounds. Distressed, he tried calling out to Diluc several times but was cruelly ignored. "Brother, you know I will not betray Mondstadt!!!" he cried in despair. Seeing that those words had gotten his attention, he felt relief that Diluc had stopped walking. That signaled both brothers to forgive each other for the misunderstanding and focus on caring for each other after losing their father.
All those illusions were shattered as he heard Diluc express without emotion, "You are not my brother and never have been." He didn't even consider him worthy of saying it to his face
Kaeya could not believe his ears; he had been denied as a brother, and that statement had thrown away all the years they lived together. He tried to plead and get Diluc to react, not abandon him. All he received was a threatening look over his shoulder. "If you ever had any consideration for me or my father, you will leave here forever." Those were his last words before resuming his march toward the vineyard.
The bluenette stood transfixed, overwhelmed by all the emotions he was experiencing. He moved back into a position that would give him security. This time, he couldn't handle the pain. Little by little, he was losing his sanity. Maybe Diluc did not manage to kill his body, but with his last words, he managed to destroy his soul. Heartbroken, Kaeya began to scream and plead, his voice cracking with anguish. "Diluc, please don't do this to me, don't leave me like this!"
But his pleas fell on deaf ears. Diluc continued to walk away from him, with faltering steps that could barely conceal the storm of emotions that gnawed at his insides. Kaeya's tears in the rain also soaked his brother's face, even though Diluc tried hard to keep his expression impassive.
Both siblings shared a deep pain, though they were separated by anger and betrayal. As Kaeya continued to watch his brother depart, Diluc paused some distance away, unable to pull away completely. Tears mingled with the rain on his face, reflecting his inner conflict.
At that moment, both brothers were caught up in their torments, unable to turn back from what had happened.
Diluc resumed his walk by hiding in the mansion.
The young cryo tried to pick up the pieces of his life that had been scattered at that instant.
After what had happened, he knew he could no longer return to the Ragnvindr mansion. He struggled to his feet, using his sword for support, and began to walk awkwardly towards the city that had welcomed him with open arms. Perhaps there, he could find the help he so desperately needed.