The cellar was pitch black, a deathly silence cloaking every corner, making it feel as though even the moonlight lacked the courage to seep inside. In the dense darkness, only the steady, rhythmic drip of water onto the cold stone floor could be heard an echoing, hollow sound like the knock of the Grim Reaper.
Diluc stood motionless on the stone steps, his eyes glowing red like burning embers as he stared intently at the Fatui prisoner chained to a wooden chair in the center of the room. He said nothing, but his silence was more terrifying than any threat.
Diluc approached the weathered wooden table where a solitary candle stood. With a flick of his black-gloved hand, a tiny spark ignited from his fingertips, lighting the wick.
The flickering yellow light danced across Diluc’s cold features, casting his massive shadow against the damp, moldy stone walls, making the space feel even gloomier.
The Fatui looked up, his eyes filled with hostility. Despite his body being covered in wounds yet to scab over and his ragged breathing, he managed to snarl through blood-stained teeth:
"Kill me! I won't tell you anything. I will never betray my faith in him!"
Diluc didn't respond, his expression remaining ruthlessly calm. He slowly picked up a stack of papers bearing a vivid red seal and threw them directly at the man. The Fatui stared blankly as the papers scattered everywhere; one sheet slid from his lap and landed right against his tattered boots.
Curiosity led his gaze over the paper. In the dim light, the jet-black ink seemed like venomous snakes slithering across the page. A sense of impending doom welled up within him.
"You think you can use this garbage to bribe me?" he sneered, though his voice had begun to tremble.
"I do not bribe a dying man."
Diluc picked up the candle and stepped closer. With every footstep, the temperature in the cellar surged. The dry heat radiating from the Pyro Vision at his hip caused the moisture in the air to evaporate, creating a stifling, suffocating atmosphere.
"How much do you think the lives of pawns like you are worth in Dottore’s eyes?"
Diluc lowered the candle. At this distance, the Fatui could finally read the single line on the report stamped with the Harbinger’s mask: "Progress on purging those who failed the assassination attempt in Mondstadt: 90% complete."
The Fatui’s pupils constricted. His long-standing, unwavering faith crumbled like a sandcastle before a raging tide. Dottore’s seal was impossible to forge, and the cold indifference within that report was quintessentially "The Doctor."
Diluc’s imposing shadow loomed over him, swallowing his last shred of hope. He stepped indifferently onto the paper, crushing it beneath his heel.
"This is your only chance. Do not make me lose my patience." Diluc’s voice was steady and level, yet it carried the weight of a thousand pounds of glowing iron.
The Fatui bowed his head, his body shaking uncontrollably. The betrayal from the one he worshipped most was the final, fatal blow. His faith shattered in an instant; he realized a nameless nobody like him wasn't worth a single mora to Dottore. His lips twitched, whispering through parched, cracked lips:
"The mission... aside from assassinating you... Lord Dottore also ordered that the woman with you be captured alive..."
Diluc’s eyebrows twitched slightly. The killing intent in his eyes flared up so suddenly that the candle flame flickered violently. His hand clenched into a fist, and the temperature in the room rose another degree, causing the Fatui to wince from the searing heat.
"Capture her alive? Is that all?"
"He wants... to research something about her... that's all!" he answered firmly, but his eyes avoided Diluc's probing gaze.
Diluc remained silent, staring intently at the face before him. His gaze seemed to bore into the man's soul, peeling back layers of lies until only the raw truth remained. The stare lasted so long that the Fatui actually thought the man believed him.
Suddenly, Diluc turned away and strolled back to the table. He picked up the candle and blew it out. Darkness instantly rushed back in, swallowing everything.
He let out a cold, low chuckle a sound like a death sentence.
"It seems I gave you too much time, didn't I?"
Deep within the cellar of Dawn Winery, a scream of agony and despair rang out, tearing through the silence. But above, amidst the lush green vines, Mondstadt remained submerged in its usual, peaceful night.
---
“Three days later — inside a guest room at Dawn Winery.”
“Ugh... hic...”
Mei’s voice caught in her throat, her chest constricting as if an invisible hand were squeezing the life out of her. The sharp pain and suffocating pressure forced a miserable groan from her lips.
“Moco... easy... I... I can't breathe,” Mei stammered, each word heavy and fractured.
Seeing Mei’s deathly pale face, Moco couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy, her voice soft and consoling:
“Please bear with it just a little longer, Miss. Once we’re past this stage, you’ll feel much more comfortable.”
Mei had to white-knuckle the bedpost to keep from collapsing. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and a few stray hairs stuck to her temples. She gritted her teeth, mentally cursing Diluc a thousand times over. If it weren't for his stubbornness and that terrifying aura of his two days ago, she wouldn't be in this breathless, torturous situation.
Two days ago.
The twilight sun filtered through the stained-glass windows, casting dappled spots of light onto the winery’s classic patterned carpet. The atmosphere in the infirmary, once still, suddenly became thick and oppressive the moment that man appeared.
Diluc stood towering beside the bed, his broad shoulders blocking out half the light, casting a long, dark shadow over Mei.
“What? My luggage is just... gone?!” Mei cried out in shock, her eyes wide with bewilderment, her chest heaving with agitation.
In stark contrast to her panic, Diluc’s face was as still as a frozen lake in winter, without a single ripple. He looked down at her impassively, his low, steady voice ringing out:
“Correct. I had men search all around the Wolvendom... but your belongings seem to have vanished into thin air.”
Diluc paused for a heartbeat, his crimson eyes narrowing into a dangerous sliver.
“Only this remained...”
From the pocket of his jet-black coat, Diluc slowly withdrew a small object. His gloved fingers brushed lightly over its smooth surface. It was a rectangular card, encased in a transparent material unlike anything he had ever seen in Mondstadt, attached to a blue lanyard.
But what concerned Diluc most was the image on it: a photograph of Mei in a white shirt, accompanied by dense, strange characters etched beside it—a language Diluc couldn't decipher a single word of.
That’s my employee ID! Mei’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head, her pupils shrinking. Her heart hammered like a drum against her ribs.
“Care to explain what this is?” Diluc’s voice dropped an octave, and it clearly wasn't a polite inquiry.
Mei froze. Her brain spun like a frantic windmill, desperately searching for a perfect lie. But under his piercing, eagle-like gaze, every thought became a tangled, jammed mess.
“This is... it’s...” she stammered, her lips parched.
And then, in a fit of desperation, the absolute worst answer blurted out:
“It’s mine!”
A deathly silence immediately swallowed the room. Even the whistling wind outside the window seemed to stop.
Diluc raised an eyebrow—a rare expression of surprise, as if he hadn't expected her to use such a hollow, intelligence-insulting answer. He looked down at the smiling face on the card, then slowly shifted his gaze back to Mei’s pale, trembling face.
“I know it is yours.” Diluc said, taking half a step forward, the heel of his leather boot clicking sharply against the wooden floor.
“But aren't you going to explain why it exists?”
“There’s... there’s nothing strange about it, right? Haha...” Mei scratched her head, forcing the most natural smile she could muster, her eyes darting everywhere but at him.
The man’s face remained ice-cold, devoid of any humor. He stepped closer to the edge of the bed. The sudden closing of the distance made Mei instinctively flinch. From him radiated a scent blended of morning dew and the searing heat of his Pyro Vision.
Those deep red eyes pinned her down, peeling back every thin layer of her disguise.
“There is a great deal that is strange.”
he whispered, yet the words struck her eardrums with the weight of a gavel.
“From your knowledge of ancient underground technology,secrets long buried—to your unusual connection with that Adeptus in Liyue...”
Diluc’s jaw tightened, a flash of danger flickering in his eyes.
“What exactly are you hiding, Mei?”
The suffocating pressure sent a cold shiver down Mei’s spine. Right now, Diluc was like a volcano on the verge of eruption; one wrong word, and everything would be incinerated.
Mei took a deep breath, shrinking back toward the corner of the bed to find some breathing room.
“You’re overthinking it, Master Diluc.” she replied cautiously, trying to keep her tone stable.
“I’ve just happened to read some old books, so I know a thing or two.”
Diluc had no intention of entertaining such a clumsy lie. His frigid gaze stayed locked on her, like a judge presiding over a prisoner. He couldn't read the text on the card, but he could clearly read her avoidance and her trembling eyes; they told him everything.
The tension in the room was pulled as taut as a bowstring, threatening to snap at any second. But then, noticing Mei’s slight shiver and how she pulled her thin shoulders in defensively, Diluc’s gaze flickered. A flash of complexity crossed his eyes. He was cornered a girl who had just taken a hit to save him.
Diluc partially closed his eyes and let out a long, heavy sigh. The invisible aura of oppression surrounding him instantly retracted, returning the room to its quiet state.
Mei seized the golden opportunity, hurriedly changing the subject before he could change his mind:
“Anyway... my luggage is lost. What am I supposed to wear now?”
Diluc watched her in silence for a few more seconds—long enough to make Mei’s skin crawl with guilt. Finally, his sturdy hand slowly placed the strange plastic card on the wooden nightstand.
“You needn't worry about that. Adelinde will see to it.”
He turned,the hem of his black coat drawing a sharp arc in the air. As his hand touched the doorknob, his footsteps stopped. Diluc didn't look back, but his deep voice carried a razor-sharp warning that echoed through the room:
“In Mondstadt, everything has an origin. I hope... you do as well.”
Click.
The sound of the lock was dry and final. Mei was left alone in the room, slumped against her pillow, her entire body limp as if she had just survived a life-or-death battle.