Among the Glaze Lillies | Genshin Impact Oneshots and Headcanons

Farewell, Barbatos

Venti is too late to save his beloved Mondstadt from destruction by the hands of agents from Khaenri'ah, people he used to call 'friends'

By the time Venti was able to break out of the cage, Mondstadt was already nothing but a pile of broken wood and ash.

He staggered through the debris, hand slapped over his mouth as he walked the streets he was supposed to protect. Bodies were buried under the wreckage, fingers and shoes reaching out towards him, but Venti made no effort to dig them out. He already knew he could not save them.

Blindly stumbling, Venti found himself face-to-face with his favourite tavern, now just a pile of sticks on the ground. Scorch marks surrounded the area, leaving behind evidence of a fierce battle.

But it was no secret who won. The winner—a tall man with a ponytail—was standing with his back to Venti, his gaze fixated at the ruined bar.

When Venti approached him, he turned around. Blood splatters dyed his clothes and burn marks decorated his arms and neck, but Kaeya was still standing.

"So, the Anemo Archon was too late to save his people," Kaeya said, not a hint of the usual playfulness in his voice or signature smirk on his face. "How does it feel? To have your entire nation destroyed, reduced to nothing but ash?"

"Kaeya..." Venti started. Usually, when he said his name, it was out of greeting, a cheerful shout across the bar. Now, he could barely keep his voice steady. "Where's Diluc?"

The corner of Kaeya's mouth twitched and his eyebrows furrowed together. It was a rhetorical question—the red claymore gripped tightly in the cryo-user's hands answered it for him. The fact it was Kaeya standing in front of the ruined bar instead of his brother was also a sign.

Diluc is no longer in this world.

Venti collapsed to the ground, his legs losing the strength needed to keep him up. If he could, he would scream and cry for his murdered people, but no tears would come out of his eyes.

"'An eye for an eye', or so they say." Kaeya lifted his head, staring at the grey sky. "You archons destroyed our nation. So we will destroy yours."

"Kaeya," a voice called from behind them. "Are you finished? It's time for us to leave."

"I'm all done here," Kaeya responded, turning around to look at the former chief alchemist.

Albedo peered over the taller man's shoulder. "No you're not. Venti's right there."

"He's useless now," Kaeya pointed out. "A god with no people is as good as dead, anyway. Let's go, we still have a lot to do." He put a gloved hand on Albedo's shoulder, giving him a firm push.

Albedo did not budge, narrowing his eyes to glare at him. "No." He slapped Kaeya's hand off of him. "If anything, this could make him more dangerous. An angry god with nothing to lose doesn't have to worry about holding back."

"Our orders were to—"

"Our orders were to leave nothing left. If you will not fulfill them properly, I will." Albedo grabbed the claymore from Kaeya's hands.

Venti clenched his fists, getting ready to leap to his feet and blast the traitors to bits with one wave of his hand. But when he lifted his head to look at the two men, he froze.

Albedo's hair was hastily braided, too messy to be his own handiwork. And Kaeya...well, even if he was looking at him like he was nothing more than a piece of trash now, Venti could not get the image of his charming smile out of his mind.

Ah.

Those two are my children as well.

Upon having this realization, Venti could not bring himself to raise a hand at them.

Instead, he sighed. "I suppose children do take after their parents." He tilted his head back, taking in his beloved sky one last time. A bird was soaring overhead—a falcon, perhaps?

"How I wish I could fly with you all again," Venti murmured.

Albedo gripped the claymore with two hands, raising it above his head.

"Morax..." Venti closed his eyes. "I leave it to you to avenge us."

"Farewell, Barbatos," Albedo said. "May you continue to dream in death."