Chapter Text
Mondstadt.
When travelers from distant lands come and see this city, they can only see the people of the wind archon doing what they can to get by. But it's much, much more than what some can expect. It's a place many have called their home, from different nations or places. It is one where they open their arms to those wishing to tell their stories, help the ones that need more help, or share the good memories each citizen has. And most importantly, it is no different from other nations when it comes to their troubles that people overcome. Whether it be, harrowing storms or attacks from monstrous beings, or maybe the addicted feeling of greed overtaking someone to get what they want by any means, the people here have always been able to hold strong against it. But it'd be very naive of you to believe, they can solve ANY problem. For most, those problems are a daily basis on living. And it's a given if you come out unscathed at most. For few, their problems are much bigger, and they wait for it to become too much to handle to ask for help and at that point, its too late.
And for one particular boy? They must deal with theirs for possibly the rest of their life. Being ostracized by those he wishes to grow closer by, only relying on the comforts on some who tolerate his curse and coming to terms that its apart of his life, and the only way out of it is to hope for the best. Even if his luck, decides otherwise.
Kaeya, the calvary captain for the K.O.F. (Knights of Favonius) is on his daily 'patrol' which is a keyword for him stating; he is taking a longer break than needed. When he isn't at the tavern getting his wine intake or doing what little work he is willing to put effort in, he is possibly seen in Mondstadt walking around and taking in the sights of the city he calls home. The faces he seen on the regular beam with peacefulness and safety, knowing that they don't need to worry about trouble while a Knight is on duty. But in the case of Kaeya, he isn't. Still though with the abundance of faces he sees; he'd be lying to himself if he didn't find it odd to not see a particular one. One that would always smile the brightest to him, one that he had grown close to, one that he had trained, fought together, and even protected. This one smile was one Kaeya had a joy of seeing since, he saw the light in that one major downside everyone looked at first.
It's not like this downside was a direct cause of this person's actions, far from it once people start thinking. But with the incidents the person has made, accidental or not, it's hard to not think what people's first impression of said person were. Some say they gotten struck by lightning when on adventures with them and some say they got really terrible food poisoning. Most have had to clean up the mess of said individual, and some had to be locked in a Ruin for hours. But even with all these complaints, the downside isn't the person's fault. It's more like they can't control it entirely, since it's their luck that makes their actual approach so terrible. Yet, even with this curse of theirs, they still want to follow their dream and be something more than, the one people avoid because of their insanely bad luck. And if Kaeya knew them best, they'd probably would've already been exploring somewhere, so off to the guild to see where that somewhere is.
The Adventurer's Guild.
When you have skills to overcome to harshness of outside the walls of Mondstadt, and want a challenge brought to you by life itself, become an adventurer. There, you can have tasks that aren't so eye-popping like deliver food to tasks which will test your might entirely like, defeat an entire camp of Hillichurls. They treat to any type of adventurer as well, whether it'd be a newcomer or seasoned veteran; they will most likely have the task for you to do that fits what you are willing to do. And this person Kaeya is trying to find, is willing to do just about anything handed to him and earned himself a nice reputation for it. So, when he asked the receptionist named Katheryne on the where abouts of this person, Kaeya was ready to hear about them taking on a mission that was an hour ago or they just returned and were probably around Mondstadt doing something else, or maybe being healed up at the cathedral. What he didn't plan on hearing or was prepared to hear entirely, was:
"Oh, did Bennett not tell you? He decided he was done adventuring entirely since he couldn't formally make a team. In fact, he did that yesterday and went out for a stroll.
...
"He what?"
Well, his daily break just turned into something he really didn't expect.
A few days after, Kaeya was still dumbfounded on what could've made Bennett give up on his career and his dream. It was so nerve-racking towards his usual demeanor of being level-headed, that most people he works with or are acquainted towards began to share their concerns for his wellbeing. Hell, even his brother Diluc was showing little concern on what got Kaeya so nervous. But he just blew it all off. He was overthinking something that probably isn't nothing to worry about. All he has to do is just find Bennett, get an explanation, and try to solve it. That's what led him to the Adventurer's Guild HQ for Mondstadt. There he could talk to the branch master there, Cyrus who Bennett called his dad, amongst other males there. Not for an inside joke but, because each adventurer there had help raise Bennett to what he is now, despite what he caused. So, if Katheryne didn't know where Bennett was or why he quit his dream, Cyrus and anyone else there would. Couldn't be too hard, right?
As Kaeya entered the building however, he was surprised to see Cyrus with a few men of his own already heading out, each with a sword or bow in hand. Kaeya seemed to have come at a bad time since Cyrus pushed past him and was screaming for the others to follow his every move. If there was a word out there greater than the anger that struck from his voice; Kaeya would describe that to be Cyrus' emotions plain as day. Whatever had gotten him all riled up, Kaeya would be delighted to help, then question him afterwards anyways about what happened to Bennett. He grabbed hold of Cyrus' arm and held it tightly gaining an absurdly disgusting look thrown at him by Cyrus who didn't seem ready for anything Kaeya had to say, but Kaeya wanted to poke the bear some more. He asked Cyrus why he was in a rush and in a rage for that matter, and why he needed so many people with him. To which, Cyrus only stated.
"And you're supposed to be one of Bennett's closest friends?! Have you seen him for the last couple of days?! No one has! And then I hear from one of the other adventurers that Bennett decided to quit adventuring without notifying ME after Katheryne, that is why I'd so hot headed. Now unhand me. Unlike you, I have to go and find out where Bennett is and what's gotten into him."
Cyrus then frees himself, yanking Kaeya towards him alil from the force of the tug. And with him giving out one final order to follow his lead, him and his group of men blitz down the pathway and possibly towards the outside to see if they could find Bennett.
Wait...did he say find Bennett?
Di-Did he say no one has seen him for the last couple of days?!
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It has now rounded up to a week. A week after Bennett quit his dream. A week after no one has seen Bennett or even a trace of him. And one long damning week, Kaeya has been on edge by the fact of it all. To make matters worse, Cyrus' team had come back with squat. And when Kaeya went to see firsthand if that was true, hoping it wasn't, he saw Cyrus in the local tavern. Drinking his failed attempt to find Bennett, with his men urging him to not give up so soon. Kaeya approached the drunken branch master and tried to console him, only to be met with hostility. Kaeya only tried to console him on his attempt but was told the same words Cyrus had told him the day he was given the news.
"WELL UNLIKE YOU, I AT LEAST TRIED TO FIND BENNETT! WHERE WERE YOU HUH?!"
'Unlike you.'
Unlike him? That nearly made Kaeya punch that asshole in the face. Last time he checked, Bennett didn't copy his whole sword fighting style from him. Or even spent countless days with Bennett so he could perfect it either! Kaeya may be a lot of things wrong, but him not caring for Bennett like he was a sibling that loved him back is a stretch, and very descriptive. But enough about how he felt, he was on a mission. It's been too long since Cyrus and his small search part went out looking for Bennett to no such luck, so now it was Kaeya's turn to show Cyrus how to look for someone. Kaeya marched into the HQ for the K.O.F. and barged right into Jean's office. He must've forgot there was a meeting there since not only was Jean present, so was Amber and Lisa and...Diluc for some reason. But that's not who he was here for. He had to be there for Bennett.
Jean with some an angered expression on her face from Kaeya's absence and sudden abrupt entering on their meeting, demanded to know what gave him the right to do such a thing. Kaeya, with a stern face back apologized for his actions genuinely, but he did it within reason of haste involved. Jean and the others took into account of Kaeya's tone and were waiting for what that something was, knowing him it probably was something small and all that. However, he then slammed a poster on Jean's desk. A missing person's poster. Bennett's in fact. It seemed that got the other's attention as Jean looked up at Kaeya with a surprised look. She as well as everyone else knew about Bennett's antics. But seeing how this one specifically was made from the Adventurer's guild, was a surprise. Kaeya then stated how it's been a week since Bennett went missing and people are on edge on where he is, also adding on how Cyrus and his search party couldn't find squat. Now he wishes for her to gather up some Knights, as well as themselves in the search. The kid did indeed have a track record of getting stuck and lost from time to time but always found his way out of it. This though, was entirely different
Jean was on the verge of denying Kaeya's proposal but could also hear how serious his tone of voice actually was. Normally, Kaeya would sound a bit sly as he slipped away from duties or responsibilities of any kind. To be frank, there were only a few select time has he ever gone serious for a certain reason. One alone being his team, friends, or family. Still though, even if Jean was thinking on his proposal, she couldn't just have the Knights pull a chunk of their force just to search for an adventurer known for getting into trouble. That would be the case, until a soldier burst into Jean's office, asking for her and the others presence in the Cathedral. From the few details Kaeya listened in on, a lost boy covered in bruises and blood had made his way towards Mondstadt but collapsed due to exhaustion and his injuries. When the soldiers stationed at the bridge looked closer, they saw he had something in his hands and needed could only make out from his weakened voice that he needed help. Kaeya then asked on this mysterious boy's features. Hair color and other characteristics. The soldier answered the following.
"He has silver hair, somewhat ragged and unkept."
'Oh no...'
"He had a necklace of bones and some partial clothing just enough for warmth."
'It's not him.'
"A-And his red eyes! Plus, the pale skin. It's really hard not to nervous."
Kaeya immediately ran out the room and made haste towards the Cathedral. If that soldier's description was anything to go by, this person should know where Bennett was. And he was hoping he was safe. As he entered the Cathedral, he was greeted from the soft singing of the choir and the few voices speaking to one another, possibly people asking for prayers or help with their lives. Kaeya couldn't care less on it all and made his way to where the medical ward was. He entered it slowly, being greeted by the healer there, Barbara, nursing a somewhat conscious boy. Kaeya asked Barbara to leave the room for a bit so he and the boy could talk and once she did, Kaeya looked at the boy. He's been crying and is malnourished as well. They kept their head to the floor, where Kaeya could only hear them cry softly and repeat murmurs to himself. Kaeya wanted to exit the room right then and there, but he just needed to know or the thought of not gaining any information was going to kill him.
"Razor."
The boy looked up at Kaeya, visible bags being seen under his eyes.
"You said you needed help, right?"
Razor shook his head, reluctant to even start in the first place.
"Please, tell me what's wrong. I'll help you if you tell me."
Razor was quiet at first, but after being promised a hot meal that Kaeya would personally pay for, he decided to sing. He stated that Bennett was in trouble, and he knew where too. When Kaeya asked how he knew, Razor told him what happened according to him. He was in Wolvendom collecting Wolf hooks when Bennett met up with him. He seemed more upset than usual and asked to stay with Razor for a while. Razor didn't know why and still doesn't since Bennett couldn't give him a proper reason since, they were attacked out of the nowhere. Kaeya asked what he meant, already sensing a bad feeling towards this question. Razor said when him and Bennett were walking, a large group of Hillichurls came out of the bushes, like they were waiting for them and chased them. Him and Bennett had slain 10 of them, but more kept coming, so they ran. They didn't know where to go, so they kept ducking and weaving the trees to throw their pursuers off to avail. Once they got to a clearing, they thought they were home free until they reared a cliff's edge. Hearing the incoming horde and with no way out, Razor said with his voice becoming shaky that Bennett pushed him down it, possibly as a last-ditch effort to save his life. Razor was shocked and cried out for Bennett only to hear screams of fighting being heard before he was knocked out on impact. When he came to, his lupical found him and nursed him to a better state than he was then, before they all returned to that cliff edge to find Bennett and take revenge on the Hillichurls. But they only found his broken goggles, and a blood trail. They tried to follow it or get Bennett's scent, to no such luck.
This was the worst news Kaeya could've hoped for. First Bennett quits the guild, that was a rough start. Then he goes missing for a couple of days, then a whole week. And now, Razor is saying a pack of Hillichurls ambushed them, possibly with the help of the Abyss Mages, and Bennett saved him but not himself? And to tie it all together in to one knot of bad news, the only things left of Bennett was his goggles, and some dried-up blood. Bennett has always been one to help others, even put himself in harm's way. But this...this almost made Kaeya wanted it to be the other way around this time. He was skeptical to think of Razor was telling the truth, but the wolf boy in front of him seemed to have been through enough. Kaeya then thanked Razor, and as promised, gotten him a hearty meal of hashbrowns so that he'd have some energy. Once he got the information, he fast walked back to HQ where Jean had already had an assortment of soldiers out in the front with some members of the Adventurer's Guild. Seems like his request got accepted. Now's time to try and find Bennett before anything else happens to him...
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Kaeya couldn't believe, he honest could not believe the amount of search parties there were. It was way more than he could ever hope for. Besides soldiers and hardened adventurers, a decent chunk of Mondstadt decided to help look for Bennett. To most here, they probably were just here to set their guilty conscious to rest for how they made him a partial outcast whenever he wanted to help out. But that really didn't care to Kaeya right now, all he wanted to do was find Bennett. He walked up to where the others were at, and when everyone else was discussing on what to do, he pulled Amber and Razor aside. He wanted to explore now and not waste any more time. He told Amber to survey from the high ground, her specialty and had Razor explore the paths ahead of him since he knew this lay of the land better than literally anyone else here. With a plan set in stone, the trio then went ahead, unannounced to the other search parties or their friends.
Kaeya was going crazy, searching every bush and tree he passed by if they made a sound or not. If there was a rustle from a squirrel or a boar charging away from him, he'd been keen on tracking it down. He was so alert that he hasn't touched any wine since Bennett went missing to put it bluntly. All he had on mind was just finding his favorite pyro user, and laughing off this entire situation as if it was just another one of Bennett's wacky adventures. He could picture it now. Him, Bennett, and whoever else wanted to join them in the tavern, drinking that worried feeling away until they couldn't see or talk for shit. Kaeya fantasied on it all, telling Bennett to not scare all of us again, hugging him tightly, and expressing the genuine fear he had for his safety. Kaeya was so in trance on the daydream that he didn't notice Diluc had followed closely behind him. Kaeya only looked at him with a stern look before turning to the direct he was walking in. However, Diluc stopped him and told him they found something, and it's something he needed to see.
This week could not possibly get any worst and yet, here it is. Amazing Kaeya once more on how fucking drastic their situation is. What laid on the ground in front of everyone was some items collected by some search parties, plus Amber and Razor. The first item was one of the gloves Bennett wore, it was torn to shreds and had mud caked all over it with bugs and maggots burrowing a home in it as well. Next was some shredded fabric, possibly his clothes. He must've struggled with them too as some of it had his hair on it. Kaeya didn't want to imagine how that got on it. But the most important item he could see, was the sword Bennett always used. Bennett called it his 'Lucky' sword, as whenever he was in a fight he'd always manage to come out on top. But it wasn't no normal sword with a nickname like that, it was the sword Kaeya himself had bought for him too. He remembers it well; it was all clean and sharp and ready for anything thrown at it. But now? It was splintered, muddied up, blood smeared all over the blade and the hilt. It...It was just too much as Kaeya walked up in a fit of rage. He couldn't look at it anymore, he just- he just wanted to find Bennett. He wanted to see that shining smile whenever he needed to cheer up. He just wanted to make sure, Bennett was okay...just for once.
As the day went on it grew darker and darker, becoming more harder for people to see clearly, which made the search itself a nightmare to try and continue with. If that wasn't the worst of it, more and more land around and inside Wolvendom was explored to no sign or clues. People grew tired and were starting to pack up, already losing hope on to where Bennett could've gone. The soldiers brought with them also pulled back, despite Kaeya's protests towards Jean. She wanted to try again tomorrow, where everyone had some rest, especially him. So, with no luck on others staying, Kaeya decided to go out all on his own. Every minute, every second they weren't out here looking for Bennett, was another minute, another second their chances of finding him would...he couldn't even bear the thought of what might happen. What he didn't expect was to see Razor and Amber sticking by his side. He knew Razor was going to keep going, since this was his home in a way. But Amber...she needed her rest as much as any but decided to tag along. Kaeya just hugged her tightly, letting himself cry abit before composing himself.
He suggested they go the path from before, as that's the only one they didn't explore fully. Amber was skeptical at first, since most of Bennett's stuff was found further away from the path Kaeya mentioned. But Kaeya wanted them both to trust him, he had a feeling about this specific path, and he needed to figure out why. So, with Amber and Razor still being skeptical about it, they agreed, and the trio walked along the path. The further they went If the archon of freedom was watching over them right now at this moment, Kaeya would give anything he had for them to find their pyro friend.
The moon was high above them at this point in time and yet, they continued to march onwards. The path was longer than others, with a tall mountain side to their left and thick foliage on their left. They thought they were coming closer to something in the distance, but it only turned out to be a pile of small boulders and rubble. Possibly a dead end. With that being the last path, to explore and their morale was crushed, and Razor and Amber were almost ready to call it quits. Until...
"Wait. I-I see light in the crevice."
Kaeya had to hand it to himself, he's lucky as hell to still have his good eye...
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Kaeya lodged his sword through a tiny hole in the pile and wiggled it around. The rocks motioned slowly as Kaeya tried to make a clearing, hoping to Barbatos none of those big boulders crushed his leg or him entirely. Thankfully though, he managed to make an opening. And to put a bit of light in their life...they found light. Torches actually, in what seems to be a sizable entrance to a...Ruin not yet discovered? Kaeya had his sword at the ready as he trudged onwards expecting the worst. Amber and Razor followed Kaeya, both arming themselves with their weapons as well. They went through a long narrow hallway, dimly lit but torches that were barely sticking to the rocky walls. Once they made it to the other end, they found a sizable army of Hillichurls. And with them was a pyro Abyss Mage, chanting something as the Hillichurls circled around it. It seems they found the ones that ambushed Razor and Bennett, since they couldn't find a single one when searching for Bennett. Kaeya had to hand it to them though, this was a great spot to hide at. Too bad Kaeya's anger was getting the better of him, and why not release it all on some victims?
"Don't get frostbite~."
.
"Let it rain!"
.
"Raaaarrr!"
.
It didn't take them more than 10 minutes to clear them all out, as the dust settled and the dust from their bodies were blowing from the wind, the Abyss mage saw his entire army of loyal Hillichurls destroyed in unbelievable time. He was left defenseless too, crawling away from a fast-walking Kaeya, the Abyss mage tried to burn him alive, but Kaeya just lunged his sword straight through its head. As he slowly took it out, watching the white eyes of the Abyss Mage go dark, he finally got a good look of their surroundings. a large room, with multiple campfires and makeshift huts. These guys most definitely have been here awhile. Kaeya took it all in, on how organized and terrifying the influence and Abyss Mage truly could have if it was left to do whatever it wanted in secret. He already learned about it the hard way, when a whole army attacked Mondstadt not long ago. But who knows what could've happened if this large group had time to recruit more and more. That was a scary thought Kaeya was glad it ended. Now time for the reason they were here, search for clues of
"G-GUYS?!"
That was Amber's voice. And it came from a nearby opening. Possibly another room? Razor couldn't wait as he ran past Kaeya and entered it. Kaeya ran behind Razor who shrieked himself, so he had to be prepared to see what was on the other side. As he reared the corner, he saw...too much. So many cages, so many bodies. This was the worst thing he could've ever thought off. There were skeletons decomposing in most of the cages, possibly unlucky adventurers. Then there were the bodies that were, still there to put it bluntly. All of them laid still, unresponsive as the three looked inside each cage slowly. Some had been here a long time, with most almost completely hallow as their skeletal forms began to show. Others have had their skin and flesh cut off or rotting away, exposing their skeleton. Not to mention pieces of their flesh falling off from the slightest movements of the bugs eating it away.
As the three explored the large room of cages, Razor spotted something in one. He rushed towards its entrance, opening it forcefully that Kaeya and Amber nearly thought he'd rip it open with his teeth. But once he got inside it, Razor stopped mere inches from what he saw. Amber stood still while Kaeya went on ahead. Kaeya called out to Razor, to no answer. He didn't want to go in that cage, but he had to see what was so important for Razor to go for. His heart was pounding at this point, his hope was deteriorating at a rapid pace and yet; he still needed to know what was inside. He took careful steps as he made his way in. Once he got close behind Razor, he heard the wolf boy cry softly as he looked down at...a body. Not just any body.
Bennett's.
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It was a day later after Bennett's body was found. The entirety of Mondstadt held a funeral for him and for the other adventurers who had lost their lives due to this sly group of Hillichurls that had gone under their radar. Before this, Kaeya, Amber, and even Razor were all awarded for finding this hidden and powerful group of ambushing Hillichurls before even more victims could be made. It was suspected that they sustained themselves over carving up their prey and then cooking the meat. When counting up the abundance of bodies there...it was nearly 30. Not including Bennett, who became their 31st an last victim. Some may say thanks to Bennett being pronounced missing and a search being held, they could all rest easy on the fact some people would be more careful unless this issued arose again. In short, he was a hero to them. While others just think of it as another tragedy, not to be blown out of the water yet. Basically, saying that it was just another regular death and to move on. Whoever said that, Kaeya had some choice words for them...
During the service though, Kaeya couldn't shake off the state of Bennett's corpse when they first found it. It was rotten, with stab marks and bruising nearly all over. Dried up blood, torn hair, ripped off flesh...for the love of all archons HE WAS MISSING AN ENTIRE ARM! Kaeya remembered himself not breaking down or anything. He just stared at the boy's body for archon knows how long before he was snapped back to reality by Amber who screamed and cried once she entered into the cage. He just walked closer to Bennett's body, picked it up off the ground, and just talked to it. As if Bennett was still alive and they were taking him somewhere safe.
"L-Let's get outta here bud. Me and you, we'll share a drink like you've always wanted. Sounds good right?"
No answer.
"Every...Everyone at the Guild misses you. You're probably the most wanted member for every damn team now, huh?
Still, he heard no answer.
"Just, promise me you'll visit if you ever grow tired of M-Mondstadt...please?"
No matter how hard Kaeya tried to live in his delusion that Bennett was alive, talking to him with a bright smile...all he had to do was look downwards. Just to see the forever saddened look on Bennett's face. He didn't deserve to end up like that, no one does. To be tortured relentlessly, skinned and beaten, and left to rot and die alone. He could only imagine how Bennett must've felt; alone and losing hope anyone would come for him.
He-he just wished he gave Bennett a bit more attention or at the very least, some love to show he was needed. That probably wouldn't solve much but, it sure as hell would deter him from being in a coffin. He just wanted his little brother back, he wanted Bennett to be alive. As he looked onwards at the lowering of Bennett's body, Kaeya cried. He let it all out. Towards his side, Diluc looked onwards at his brother who was usually calm and sly, now crying his heart out. Diluc pulled Kaeya in for a hug and tried to soothe him, to no avail. Then came more crying, from Razor who was being hugged by Amber. Then there was Cyrus. Even some soldiers and adventurers shed a few tears.
Soon enough, the whole cathedral was full of people pouring down a flood of tears, for the boy they once called a nuisance. if they could all agree on one thing though, no matter how terribly annoying him or his luck was, no matter how destructive it would've been, and no matter how many times he was told to just quit adventuring while he was ahead; He at least had the heart to do the right thing overall. They couldn't deny that Bennett wasn't truly malicious to any regard anymore. Not even when the kid couldn't 'bother' them anymore either. But now that he was truly gone? You could say some wished he was still there to server burnt food to his friends again, or have their adventures turn into more challenging disasters.
And for a specific person, he'd just wish he could have a friendly duel with Bennett, one last time. He'd want to know how well he had gotten in fighting. He wouldn't know if he'd be ticked off by him ripping off his fighting style or feel so proud to be inspiration for how he fought in the first place. But he would get that moment ever again it seems, nobody ever will.
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He was never lucky, never needed, never truly loved. But he never needed to die like this.
Rest in peace, Bennett.