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The third floor of Angel's Share was quiet.
Not the lively, drunken quiet of the tavern below—but the kind that came from thick walls, expensive wood, and a deliberate separation from the outside world.
Two men sat facing each other across a low table.
The lamplight was warm, steady, and deliberately dim. It softened the room, blurred sharp edges, and ensured that whatever was said here would not easily leave these walls.
Kaito broke the silence.
"I didn't come to you because of the Abyss Mages."
Diluc's fingers paused against the armrest.
His red eyes lifted slightly, sharp with interest.
"Oh?"
He leaned back, posture controlled but attentive, as if recalibrating the situation.
Kaito continued calmly.
"I want you to come with us to Stormbearer Mountains."
Diluc's crossed leg lowered to the floor.
The subtle shift carried weight.
He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, gaze sharpening—not hostile, but probing.
"Just the two of us?" he asked.
"No," Kaito replied.
"Lumine will be there. Barbara as well. And Noelle."
Diluc frowned.
"You're bringing people again."
There was no irritation in his voice—only caution.
He remembered the last time.
A certain investigator from the Adventurers' Guild.
A certain raven.
A conversation that had tested his patience more than most interrogations ever had.
"Yes," Kaito said, unbothered.
Diluc studied him in silence.
Then he spoke slowly, deliberately.
"You know my situation. My strength is already brushing against the limits imposed on this world."
His gaze shifted, unfocused for a brief moment—as if he were looking past the walls, past Mondstadt itself.
"The ley lines were sealed long ago. What remains is thin. Restricted."
Even Vision holders were not exempt from that ceiling.
Push too hard—and the world itself pushed back.
"If this is babysitting," Diluc continued coolly,
"I don't have the time—or the interest."
He stopped mid-thought.
Something didn't align.
Kaito wouldn't have come without knowing that answer.
"…Wait."
Diluc's eyes narrowed.
"If you still came here knowing I'd say that," he said slowly,
"then you already accounted for it."
A realization struck him.
His breath hitched—just slightly.
"You agreed."
The words escaped before he could stop them.
Diluc stood up abruptly.
If anyone in Mondstadt had seen him like this—unmasked, unsettled—they would have been stunned.
Kaito nodded once.
At the same moment, a familiar system panel flickered into existence.
[System Notification]
World Level Breakthrough Detected
Mission Accepted:
Travel to the sealed ley line ruin discovered by the Mondstadt Adventurers' Guild.
Break the divine seal left by the gods and restore partial ley line flow.
Reward: Divine-Grade Artifact
Note: The gods anchored the seal through a physical medium.
Destroying it may allow artifact recovery.
Restriction:
Only otherworlders may enter.
Native inhabitants of Teyvat are barred.
Kaito scanned the information calmly.
Half a year ago, this mission had been offered to him.
By the Guild's upper echelon.
By merchant consortiums.
By factions tied—directly or indirectly—to Grand Master Varka.
He had refused.
Because it shouldn't have existed.
A ruin that rejected all natives.
A seal that only acknowledged outsiders.
A system that ignored Teyvat's rules entirely.
And Kaito only had one life.
But refusal had a price.
It meant living forever beneath the gods' shadow.
Accepting ceilings.
Accepting stagnation.
For himself.
For Diluc.
For every Vision holder who would eventually hit that invisible wall.
Unacceptable.
The only reason he'd waited—
was because he lacked something crucial.
"There's another outlander now," Kaito said evenly.
"That's why I changed my mind."
Diluc froze.
Then he laughed—sharp, incredulous.
"So that's it."
He paced once across the room, boots heavy against polished wood.
"The Traveler tipped the balance."
He stopped.
"If this trip is meant to prepare her," he said quietly,
"…then I can't refuse."
He turned back, eyes steady.
"I'll go. Call it a free escort."
Kaito smiled faintly.
"Playing bodyguard should be a new experience for Mondstadt's wealthiest man."
Diluc scoffed.
"We'll meet outside Whispering Woods."
Kaito stood, already turning away.
The door closed behind him.
And the third floor of Angel's Share fell silent once more.
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