Pray, for the day when I die in your arms

Introduction

It was on a dark, stormy night that Diluc met the man who would become his sworn brother for the first time.

The wind was howling through the chimneys of the Dawn estate, making the tall windows already assaulted by the pouring rain shake in their hinges. The young heir of the Ragvindr clan was nuzzled in an ornate chair by the fireplace, his little face buried in a book, trying to act like he wasn't scared by the small-scale hurricane happening outside. He had read the same page at least a thousand times (or so it felt) without registering a single word. He was worried sick for his father, who had left under clear skies in the morning to sell some of their vintages at a city fair, now trapped out in the turmoil... The comfortable warmth of the fire and the soporific effects of his book made his eyes heavier by the minute, but he refused to give in to sleep – not before he knew his father was safe and sound.

The mansion was dead silent, apart from the rustle of the dress of a maid dusting up some already pristine clean furniture – she had tried to convince the young master to go to sleep, but he was so anxious about the delay of master Crepus' arrival from the city that she had given up on maintaining his usual curfew. Someone had to stay up to watch over him, but he was past the age for a nanny already. Seeing his crimson red head barely appearing over the chair's back, she sighed. If only Lady Ragvindr was still of this world... When his father wasn't around, little Diluc looked so lonely.

Finally, the silence was interrupted by three loud bangs coming from the entrance hall. Before the maidservant could even react, Diluc had jumped from the chair and ran out. He hurriedly opened the heavy oak door wide, a smile beaming on his face.

"Father!! Welcome back! Did the trip go well? Are you okay? Did you lose your coat? I was wondering if you'd even make it back tonight, with this weather outside..." His cheerful chatter ceased when he finally took notice of the little silhouette standing behind Crepus' reassuring back – another child, probably his age, disappearing under the weight of a drenched jacket ten times too big for him.

Two hypnotically clear eyes looked back at him through dirty wet bangs of dark blue hair, but the stranger quickly looked past him, staring with amazement at the spacious, clean living room that bathed him in a warm light past the open door. He looked as if the very gates of heaven had opened before him. Still, Diluc shivered. There were stars in those eyes, but none of them were shining. For a brief moment, lightning illuminated them from somewhere behind the hills, highlighting the boy's silhouette against the ink-black sky. His face was hollow under the black hood of Crepus' borrowed cape, his expression blank, as if he was in a daze and nothing around could reach through him. Even Crepus had flinched when the lightning struck, but the kid did not.

Something was definitely off about the boy – Diluc felt it, despite having already seen many travelers seeking shelter in the Dawn Winery. Those people never stayed in one place for too long, and were sometimes malnourished and covered in rags, but this kid was a different thing entirely. A deep and permeating sadness seemed to emanate from his young self, as if he was the bearer of all ancient calamities personified. Diluc's heart began pounding faster. For some unknown reason, perhaps ancestral instincts sealed deep within him, he was scared of this boy; scared of something otherworldly, that he couldn't quite grasp yet at his tender age, but that he maybe never would. Deep in his thoughts, and shocked by the strange and unexpected visitor as he was, he barely registered what his father was saying while stepping in the manor and taking off his expensive travel boots dripping with mud;

"Diluc, were you waiting for me ? You should be in bed already. Oh, Kate, good evening – sorry for being so late. Could you fix our guest something to eat?" The maid bowed, and hurried away. Crepus finally turned to see that the kid had not followed him inside, still clutching at his coat under the pouring rain.

"You can come inside, boy. Don't be scared"

No response.

"Come in, you're gonna catch death standing here." He tried to reach out towards him, but the kid stiffened, taking a step back. Crepus frowned, perplexed. Thunder roared in the distance, and yet the stranger seemed more wary of them than of the raging elements. Diluc blinked.

Even years later, he would have trouble expressing what exactly had pushed him to take the first step towards that alien kid. Maybe it was the politeness lessons and etiquette books that had been drilled into his brain by preceptors, maybe it was that thing the grown-ups called fate, or maybe there was no real reason. The fact remains that his body had moved on his own. As he walked past his father and stepped out under the porch, his bare feet made little noise on the cold, wet pavement. He stretched out his hand.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Diluc. What's your name?"

The kid stared at him with astonishment. His mouth opened and closed, trying to grasp words that flew him. He swallowed, but finally seemed to come to a decision, and hesitantly grabbed Diluc's hand. His fingertips were ice cold against Diluc's warm skin.

"...I'm Kaeya. Nice to meet you too."