Chapter Text
The air in Mondstadt is just beginning to become warm again, the dreary February finally becoming a crisp March. Collei and her friends from Sumeru are visiting, Kaeya knows―mostly because Amber has refused to shut up about it for the past several weeks.
However, after his recent experience in Sumeru, Kaeya has decided he doesn’t really want anything to do with the nation for a while and has instead opted to spend the vast majority of his time hanging out on Dragonspine in Albedo’s lab. You know― festival of love and all that.
(Or, at least, that’s the excuse the two of them have used to provide a socially acceptable reason for hiding on a mountain for an entire month.)
“I hear Sucrose is collecting test tubes of people’s breath?” Kaeya says, attempting to make conversation with the otherwise silent Albedo as the latter immerses himself in his work.
Albedo nods. “It is strange,” he admits. “I don’t quite understand why she would find an interest in collecting samples of other people’s carbon dioxide, but Sucrose has always been a bit odd.”
Kaeya snorts. “Says you.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Albedo challenges, raising an eyebrow.
“You’re a bit strange yourself, you know.” Kaeya waves a hand vaguely, gesturing to their surroundings. “Living on a mountain in these conditions while you experiment with an ancient and forbidden art.”
Albedo narrows his eyes. “You know full well why I have to use Khemia, right?”
“Yeah, I know. Something about keeping it alive in case there’s a repeat of the Cataclysm, et cetera et cetera. I just―”
“I know.” And Albedo does, Kaeya knows. He has a strange way of reading him that others do not. It slightly unsettles him, he’ll admit.
“What are you working on today?” asks Kaeya, his voice cutting through the silence like a knife through butter.
“I’m trying to figure out the extent of Khemia’s power,” Albedo answers as he raises his left hand and brings it down swiftly, creating a faintly vibrating gash in the air, shimmering a deep violet.
Kaeya lifts an eyebrow. “Albedo, what are you―”
His question is cut off as the rift widens and begins to behave like a vacuum, sucking everything around it inward. Kaeya yelps as he, who is standing far too close to the rift, begins to get dragged in along with several of Albedo’s various odds and ends.
Albedo curses under his breath and darts forward, grabbing Kaeya by both his hands and trying to drag him free. However, Albedo’s feet begin to skid along the ground as the gravitational pull of the rift begins to drag him in as well.
“Albedo, let go!” Kaeya exclaims.
“Why the hell would I do that?”
“Because we don’t know where this thing is going to take me! At the very least, I’m going to need someone on this side to bring me back!”
“But what if I can’t?”
Kaeya smiles softly. “I’ll find you. Remember what I always tell you?”
Albedo nods and Kaeya smiles again.
“Then let me go.”
And so, Albedo does.
Kaeya wakes up on the cold, hard ground. Rising to his feet as he reorients himself, he casts a glance around at his surroundings.
The first thing he notices is Albedo’s absence. Kaeya is the only person at the familiar Dragonspine camp, which is odd. He vaguely recalls an experiment gone south and deduces that he’s been knocked out cold for a while.
“Can’t believe he left me here, the idiot…”
That’s when Kaeya notices the time. He glances at the timepiece on one of the tables, and not a minute has passed since…whatever just happened. Meaning something is wrong. Something is very, very wrong.
Maybe Albedo just went into the city, Kaeya reasons through his paranoia. He might’ve gone to get help after Kaeya blacked out, and he probably glided to save time. Yeah, that must be it.
Reassuring himself that there isn’t anything drastically wrong, Kaeya deploys his wind glider and heads down to the city. Below him, he spies a familiar figure at the city gates and gently lands.
As soon as Albedo sees him, he narrows his eyes and rests his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Who are you, and what is your business here?”
Kaeya rolls his eye. “Cut it out, Albedo. Why did you leave me on that mountain?”
“Leave you on a mountain? I don’t even know who you are.” Albedo frowns, dropping his hand. “And how do you know my name?”
Folding his arms across his chest, Kaeya sighs irritably. “Albedo, this isn’t funny.”
“I’m not trying to be,” Albedo argues. “I’ve never seen you in my life.”
Kaeya’s breath catches in his throat. Has Albedo finally lost control? He steps forward and tilts Albedo’s chin up slightly, exposing the diamond birthmark at the latter’s throat. It’s still glowing a warm gold, and Kaeya breathes a sigh of relief.
“Albedo,” Kaeya starts. “Did you hit your head or something?”
“Why would I―”
“It’s me. Kaeya. There’s no way you―”
Albedo’s eyes widen and his hand shoots out and grabs Kaeya by the wrist. “We’re going to the Dawn Winery.”
Kaeya shakes himself free from Albedo’s grasp with little effort. “No, Albedo, you know I can’t go there―”
“There’s only ever been one person named Kaeya to ever live here in Mondstadt,” Albedo interjects.
“Okay, and?”
“And he’s been dead for five years.”