Finding The Real You - Kaebedo

Chapter XII - Long Story

"Albedo, can you explain the second uh, you?"

Albedo shuffled under the blanket, sure he was dry now but it was still freezing in the library sideroom.

"It's quite the.. Long story."

"Well, go ahead. We have time, don't we Kaeya?" Lisa looked over at Kaeya with a smirk, quite a weird attitude considering the weight of the situation.

Albedo ignored it all and started reluctantly.

"I doubt you'd need the full story. The important information is that I have three "siblings", I guess that's how you'd say it. I was part of the Primordial Human Project, and I was the successful one of the two attempts."

Albedo avoided eye contact and looked down. He was afraid that their gaze would tempt him to lie, even though there would be no reason to, and he's never lied about his past. He was never a secretive person, their gazes just intimidated him.

"But, the one you're seeing doesn't seem to be the "failure" either. Does it have a star on it's neck like mine?"

Albedo now looked at Kaeya, expecting him to answer the question, completely ignoring Lisa. While speaking he gestured to his neck, where the symbol was. Kaeya did notice Albedo's strange marking, but never asked about it. He never decided to look for it on the other Albedo either, he wouldn't expect to differentiate the two by something so obscure.

After a few seconds of thought, Kaeya replied.

"No, from what I remember there was nothing there."

There was an undertone of uncertainty in his voice, but they all believed him. The room went silent again, begging Albedo to continue.

"Once the Primordial Human Project was experimented with for the first time, Primordial, well, me, was the result as I said earlier. But it was seen as a failure by Master so she discarded him and left him in Durin's stomach."

He waited for someone to interject, but they stayed silent.

"It seems that it broke free, and created another one. This one was meant to take out the Traveller and I, as we were the only ones who knew. Then the primordial human test subject was supposed to take my place. But you two interrupted the plan by saving me. That should be all the important parts."

Albedo's tone now changed, and it seemed like he was almost guessing, but he also looked sure at the same time.

"Who is this "Master"? Was she your creator?"

Kaeya's questions carried a sense of urgency, but he still attempted to ask them at a slow pace. But his curiosity and lingering dread were getting the better of him. If you looked at him, you would have to be quite oblivious to not see that he had a million more questions dancing around in his head. But Lisa just sat there analysing everything Albedo said. But she did appreciate Kaeya's questions, but she would've maybe delivered them a little differently.

"My master, her name is Rhinedottir. But she has other aliases, such as 'Gold' or 'Great Sinner'."

Whenever Albedo spoke about her, it seemed like there was a sense of longing in his voice. It was like he missed her, but accepted the fact he'd never see her again.

"Why 'Great Sinner'?"

Albedo looked Kaeya in the eye.

"The reason for it is the role she played in the cataclysm of Khaenri'ah. She created monsters of the Abyss, specifically the Rifthounds. Her creation eventually led to the downfall of Khaenri'ah."

Kaeya kept his expression stone-like, cold and emotionless. This was new information but if he were to have a weird reaction, then Lisa would suspect something. He could go process all this at two in the morning in his bed.