Kaebedo || Where The Cold Doesn't Touch

Snitch- 48

Kaeya is wide eyed. Albedo cups his face, trying to bring him back to reality but gods he looks terrified.

"Kaeya? Seriously what's wrong?"

He takes a breath, "Diluc saw us."

"Shit." Is all Albedo can muster.

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Diluc is sprinting down the mountain. His hands grazing the snow filled ground, face freezing as the air gushes against his skin. His throat feels like ice every time he takes a breath but he can't stop running.

Albedo is alive. But something is wrong. He doesn't quite look like himself anymore.

Diluc didn't want to believe there was anything wrong. But with Sucrose's sudden disappearance a year ago with Rosaria also running after her, Durin making his grand appearance and Kaeya also disappearing- Diluc's guard was up. He couldn't trust Albedo, not anymore.

He finally made his way to Mondstadt. The towns people were gossiping as they watched him, snow covered and a tattered coat, running toward the Knight's Headquarters. He felt himself about to drop until Lisa caught him as he came crashing through the doors.

"Oh my! What's got you tumbling through the doors?" She helps him up, dusting the snow off her dress.

"Jean, is she here? I need to speak to her immediately."

Lisa clicks her heels, "She's out right now, taking care of business with Snezhnaya. Come, sit with me in her office until she comes back."

He grunts, "I can't. This is an emergency."

She raises a brow at him, skeptical of what he deems as an "emergency". But she shrugs and smiles, "Then you can tell me instead, it seems quite important so someone should know."

He eyes her, suspicious of her intentions but gives in anyway. If by some unfortunate circumstances were to occur, at least Lisa could tell Jean for him.

So he sits at the table and starts to talk. He mentions Kaeya being alive but he hadn't aged since his disappearance. Albedo is alive and hiding away in dragonspine. Durin must still be festering inside of him because he looks worse than ever before. Diluc is fidgeting with his vision, not daring to speak a word of his fight with his brother. How their relationship is probably more strained than ever before.

Lisa is watching him, her eyes are unreadable. She walks over to him and sits across from him. "So what are you planning to do? How can you, or any of us for that matter, fight an ancient dragon that's been resurrected inside of Albedo?"

And Diluc can't say anything because he frankly doesn't know. He feels helpless like this. His one and only family member is deciding to help a creature that might destroy all of Mondstadt. Everyone is drifting apart and he simply can't take the stress of it all.

But Lisa grips his shoulder, bringing him back down to Teyvat, to reality. "Diluc, speak with Jean. Call every trusted personnel you know. Put your hatred for the knights aside to work with them. We need all the help you can possibly think of." She gets up and starts to open the office door.

"Wait," his hand is outstretched like he's trying to stop her even though he physically can't.

She looks over at him.

"What are you going to do?"

The question lingers in the air for a moment.

And then she smiles, "I think it's finally time to use up my skills for something good, time is a fickle thing Diluc, you don't realize how precious it is until it's almost gone."