Back in Time (Genshin Impact)

What Happened?

'Ah!' A collective yelp sounded from around Kaeya. Where was he? Who were these people? He appeared to be in... Mondstadt. At least he was still home. He stood next to a sort of stall with a crafting bench and some potions, while everybody gave him weird looks. What had happened?

'Uh-' A man with tousled white hair and intelligent eyes caressed his chin in thought. 'He has... De-aged. The captain has gone back in time, yet it is only him, not anybody else around him. It will take a while to fix...' 

'Hi, cutie.' A woman with bright green eyes and a large purple hat waved slightly at him. He didn't like how she felt. Like she- she knew... 

'It's alright, Albedo. I'm sure we wouldn't mind having a cute baby Captain Kaeya around, would we.'

Kaeya scanned the crowd. Other than the weird lady and the blonde man, there was a woman with honey-coloured hair up in a ponytail, who stared at him with concern. Kaeya found comfort in her motherly feel. 

'Uh, let's all calm down.' The blonde lady said. 'Lisa, could you... fetch Kaeya here some clothes? I doubt he'd be able to continue wearing these...' Kaeya looked down. He was drowning in a pile of elaborate clothing with shades of blue, black, and white. What was that glowing thing? He reached into the clothes and brought out a blue crystal orb, adorned with gold detailing. A snowflake symbol shone in the middle. 

He recognized it... A vision! It was his first time seeing one up close. It was everything he and his brother, Diluc, wanted. Kaeya had always admired the gifts from the gods. 

'Of course,' Lisa said, winking at Kaeya. I'll be right back.' 

'Ah, his vision,' The blonde lady said, gently taking it from Kaeya's small fingers. 'We'd better keep it safe. Albedo, doesn't remember anything from the present day, does he? He only knows what's happened until that point in his life?'

'Yes, Jean. It is as if he was pushed into the future, you could say.' Wait. "His" vision? He- He had a vision?! That was amazing! 

'Okay, Albedo, how do we get him back to the present?' Jean asked. 

'Considering the potion I used, the only thing that can do so is time.' Albedo replied. Albedo had piqued Kaeya's interest. He had a symbol on his neck, like a tatoo... But it wasn't just any symbol, it was the yellow 4-pointed star symbol of his homeland: Khaenri'ah. 

Jean sighed. 'Alright. Kaeya, come with-'

'I'm back with an adorable outfit for the cutie!' Lisa exclaimed, handing Kaeya the clothes. 'C'mon, I'll take you to a place you can change.' She offered, taking the boy's hand and dragging him away. 

It didn't seem like any of these people knew his secret, and he was still in Mondstadt but... where was his brother and father? 

'What is it, sweetie?' Lisa answered as Kaeya tugged at her clothes. 

'W-Where is my brother? And dad?' 

'Your brother...' The woman got a tensed look in her eyes, as if she knew something bad that he did not. What happened to his brother? 

'I- I'll take you to visit him.' She said plainly. 

'And my father?'

'Uh... Look, here we are. I'll fill you in later, hmm?' She said, avoiding the subject. Kaeya started to feel a sense of dread. What was happening?

Lisa led him down the hallways of a building called the Knights of Favonious Headquarters. He knew the knights. He and Diluc were training to becomes some themselves. As they passed a corridor, Kaeya stopped cold in his tracks. There was a picture hung on the wall, except... The picture was of him. An adult Kaeya. Atleast, that's what he thought. The man in the photo had sparkling, diamond-shaped blue eyes, deep tan skin, silky blue hair, and wore a confident smirk. He didn't recognize himself there, yet the man looked almost exactly like him... 

'Oh, that's you, cutie, as a grown-up.' Lisa said, placing a hand on Kaeya's shoulders. 'How about we get back to it later, okay?' 

A short walk later, Lisa nudged him toward a room with the clothes, telling him to get changed. He scanned himself in the mirror. He wore a white button-up shirt tucked into some navy blue shorts along with knee-high boots. There were two navy bows, which he tied around his hair and collar. 

Then, he stepped out, and Lisa, waiting for him at the door, cooed in a high pitched voice, which Kaeya did not feel comfortable with. 

'Aww, you look so handsome, Captain Kaeya!' She exclaimed. Wait. Captain? Everybody was calling him "captain." First Albedo, and twice Lisa... 

'Well, I didn't think you'd know how to tie those bows by yourself, so I was going to give you a hand but... Seems this darling knows how to do it!' 

'We were all taught this long ago, in Kha-' Kaeya stopped, scolding himself internally. You fool! You were just about to give yourself away! Kaeya didn't actually want to be a spy for his hometown, he just didn't think it was right. Khaenri'ah was ruled by a dynasty, and he was next in line for the throne. He was a young prince. But first, he had to complete this assignment... Even if it meant throwing his position away, Kaeya's heart was too pure to bring harm to the people who loved and cared for him. 

'What was that, sweetie?' Lisa asked, leaning down a bit to hear. 

'Uh, nothing, nevermind.' Kaeya said quickly, trying for a nervous smile.