Blown To You - [Diluc Ragnvindr x F. Reader]

6 - Prelude of Tomorrow

The sky was painted blue, the color of the ocean, and as the vast heavens stretch into the horizon its hue faded into white. The air smelled of grass and dandelions, and the gentle swaying of Cider Lake was like a lullaby to my ears.

Sir Kaeya and I stood on the left side of the courtyard, overseeing Cider Lake from atop Mondstadt's wall. The stair was beside us, and Barbatos' colossus loomed beyond the roofed pathway that encircled the courtyard.

People were scarce in this area, making it the most suitable place for clandestine conversations. "I have two news for you. One's good and the other is bad. Which one do you wish to hear first?" Sir Kaeya asked.

"The good one."

"Darius was captured yesterday."

My head snapped towards him. The affectionate demeanor he showed in the apartment showed no trace in his current expression. It was as if I was looking at a different man. "What did he say?"

"Unfortunately, he didn't."

"Why?"

"That leads to the bad news," he said. His voice trailed off as if in search of the perfect words to say. "He didn't admit anything because his tongue was cut."

We exchanged conversations many times; and being the perceptive man that he was, I presumed he knew of the tender spot in my heart for absolutely everything. So his words were said in the gentlest of manners, hoping that it could mitigate the impact on me but it did not.

My eyes dilated as I listened to him with mounting horror. "Who would have the heart to do such a thing?"

"Someone very cruel and dangerous."

Warmth enveloped me when he wrapped his arm around my shoulder, guiding me to the nearest stone bench. We sat, the cathedral was on our back and the stairs and Headquarters of the Knights of Favonius were before us.

"You can give him a paper and make him write it down," I suggested.

He squeezed my shoulder. The hardened skin in his calloused palm created a sensation that felt like something between a scratch and a tickle. After that, he retracted his arm and moved a few inches away, giving back the personal space that he took. "That's not possible."

"How so?"

"Because both of his hands were chopped," he answered. "I apologize if it took weeks for us to give you an update, the little rascal was good in hiding."

"Where did you find him?"

"Albedo found a man who fits the description you gave in Dragonspine. Then Jean confirmed it. He was bloody and incapacitated, [Name]."

"If he dies, the truth will die with him."

"The Knights will not let that happen. Barbara is attending to him right now. She will not let him enter death's door," he assured, smiling.

I gripped my shawl tightly while I forced my thoughts to remain in the conversation, preventing them from wandering into Darius' mutilated tongue and chopped hands; for I could not think of it without shivering–– it's too grotesque, too brutal.

The news began and ended there. I was starving for truth, but it couldn't be helped. If our suspicions were correct, I wouldn't mind Darius getting punished as long as it was not death. He at least deserved to live. After all, no fault was too grievous to merit death unless the Archons said so.

There was ample time before lunch, so we lingered in the courtyard. Once the church's bell rang, the crowd dispersed as they went to participate in the mass. Helen, the self-proclaimed bard, was the remaining performer in the courtyard. She stood underneath Barbatos' open palms, surrounded by a small number of listeners.