A lost friend's journey

Chapter 19

Guess who's back, back again ~
SO, CHAPTER 19 IS UP!!!!
This time my long absence was due to my lack of motivation and the extremely hard "Stuck in Enkanomiya" arc.

No for real this arc will be the death of me :|

ANYHOWWWW, I'm super excited to present this chapter and I hope you'll enjoy it!!!

Thank you for being sooo faithful to my fanfic and sticking with me even with my irregular updates, it's making sooo happy and giddy you have no idea! You guys are the best!

PS: I officially announce that the fanfic should have around 35 chapters in total, so hang tight and prepare tissues because the ride is going down, and it's going down badly.

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When Venti opened his eyes for the second time that day, it was to a blank, grey ceiling. The first one he had seen when he had first woken up in this place.

Venti was starting to get sick of it, and his headache was certainly not helping him. His head was pounding lightly, his whole body felt heavy, and Venti hoped this wouldn't become a new habit. He was not very fond of it, to be honest.

He tried to fight the sleepiness that still clung to him, his eyes a bit heavy. He felt like the world around him was going particularly slowly, and he wasn't sure if it was because of the sudden drowsiness he was feeling, or if it was something else.

It was probably the first, he reasoned.

Then Venti suddenly shot up, startling those around him, two persons he only just noticed. He tried to fight the traveler as he put his hands on Venti's shoulders, frowning, trying to get him back to lie down.

If Venti could help it, he wouldn't comply. Not only didn't he feel tired - he was sure his drowsiness was only a side effect of whatever spell had been put on him - he wasn't injured either.

Or, not anymore at least.

"Let go of me," he weakly said as he tried to shake off the traveler's hands.

Venti tried to ignore the other person as much as he could, even if he knew very well that confrontation would happen sooner or later, whether he liked it or not. But for now, he was contempt by simply ignoring the presence of the very one who had ignored Venti for centuries.

"Would you just-"

Let go of me.

Venti felt inexplicably betrayed. Has the traveler known? Were he and the archons in the known of something that very much concerned Venti and they simply didn't want to tell him about it? Or was it simply them knowing about something Venti didn't know and wasn't a part of? He wasn't sure which one was worse, because one put him in the dark concerning something that he should very much be privy to, and the other implied that they didn't trust him, that none of them did.

Then again, Venti didn't exactly expect the archons to trust him; he could laugh at that idea. It wouldn't be too farfetched, if he was being honest. Would even be close to reality, and Venti wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if that was the case.

Sure, he would be hurt, but that was just how Venti was, overly sensitive on matters he should have long gotten used to already. He couldn't help it. But if anything, he would rather die than let them know they had hurt him once again. Go and appear weak in front of people who already saw him as such? He would only be looked at with immense disappointment and anger, and Venti wasn't sure he could swallow that pill just now.

It was already hard enough to digest the first time, and Venti was sure it was still lingering somewhere in his body. If he were to take a second one now, it would absolutely destroy him.

Pathetic.

Maybe they would think he ought to have grown up, and would discover he was still the same childish God they had known long ago. Or maybe they wouldn't be disappointed, far too used to whatever made them despise Venti in the first place.

Oh, he knew why they didn't like him, but sometimes he liked to think it wasn't because Venti was just like this, liked to pretend it wasn't his personality they despised, but rather his actions.

Or his lack of. After all, they did accuse him of not doing anything, and completely ignoring his duty.

Was it naïve of him to hope it wasn't Venti's personality they didn't like?

The Archon knew that was it though. Or part of it, at least. It was Venti in his entirety they didn't like, and of that he was pretty sure.

But all of this - all of Venti's personal problems with the archons didn't matter right now, not when Mondstadt was in danger and Venti was stuck in Enkanomiya, unable to help his people because some deity thought he couldn't.

Even if said deity played a part in raising him. Heck, she had also abandoned him, she had no say in what Venti wanted to do.

"Venti, please," pleaded the traveler. Venti didn't want to listen, he wanted to get away.

"You won't be able to go to the surface without my permission," said Kairos.

This successfully got Venti's attention who froze, staring at her in disbelief, allowing the traveler to push him back into the mattress. Venti didn't push back to sit again, too stunned. His throat suddenly felt very dry. He had a bad feeling, and he didn't like this at all.

He didn't like anything of what was happening to him recently. Rightfully so, he thought.

With difficulty, he managed to crack out a few words only when he was sure his voice wouldn't break. "What do you mean?"

Kairos looked at him, gaze unwavering. She reached out, putting a hand on Venti's head.

He flinched, she removed her hand.

"This place is entirely under my control. A being who is unable to use the teleport waypoints cannot come and go as he pleases if I don't allow it."

Her words held such a tone of finality. Kairos was telling him he just had to suck it up. He couldn't escape Enkanomiya, she wouldn't allow him to. She would let him stay in this wretched place until she deemed he had been stuck long enough. Is that what was going to happen?

Venti furrowed his brow, clenching his teeth. "And what if I don't want to stay here, what then?"

"As long as Celestia is still after you, I will not allow you to go to the surface."

Venti wanted to laugh. He also wanted to bang his head against a wall. And cry, maybe.

Yes, yes he would very much like to cry right now.

Because how dare she? How dare she say that to him? Was she pretending to want to protect him after leaving him alone for so long? Is that what it is? She left him alone, for centuries, with a city to rule on his own, archons who hated him, and no one to support him. And now, only now, did she feel she could come back in his life and pretend like nothing happened? Pretend like she always had his best interest to heart? What a joke.

"I don't want your protection," he said between gritted teeth.

"You need it."

Venti did laugh, this time. He laughed so hard he had to sit up in order to not choke. Venti put a hand on his face in disbelief. He sounded like a maniac. He didn't care. He probably was. How many people had voices in their head, he wondered?

"Venti..." he heard the traveler say.

The God didn't react. It wasn't until he felt the traveler putting a hand on his shoulder did he finally move.

Venti abruptly stopped laughing. He sent a violent wind in the direction of the traveler, pushing him back. He heard a gasp, saw from the corner of her eyes the way Kairos quickly shot up to her feet. Using this opportunity, Venti jumped out of the bed and ran. He didn't know where he was heading, he just knew he wanted to get away from everyone, he wanted for people to leave him alone.

He wanted to go back to Mondstadt.

It wasn't until he was far enough from the Dainichi Mikoshi that he felt satisfied enough. He wanted to get out, he wanted to return back to a place he was familiar with. Not this dark, gloomy place.

Standing at an edge, looking down at what seemed to be void, Venti breathed out a sigh of relief.

His thoughts were a mess. He wasn't sure as to how to procced next.

He could try to get out from this place, but Kairos had told him he wouldn't be able to, not if she didn't want him to. Going from there, any attempt he might make would be useless, a waste of energy he could focus on something else, on another issue.

He had plenty of those right now, he thought bitterly.

Venti could not, however, ignore the small part of his brain that told him Kairos might be lying to him, only to indirectly force him to stay in Enkanomiya. That same part of his brain whispered to him that she had already abandoned him once. It told him Kairos wanted nothing to do with him, Kairos did not care about him.

It told him Kairos wouldn't have left him all alone to deal with the hardships that were thrown at the newly born Archon if she truly wanted what was best for him.

That same part of his brain was telling hem Kairos was leaving a big portions of things out. It was telling she was more than she claimed to be.

Not that Venti didn't have his own doubts, already.

How did the archons know to take him here? He assumed they were the one who transported him to this lonely and dull place. After all, they were the ones he was fighting before he lost consciousness in Mondstadt.

How did they know about Kairos? Why were they here, instead of trying to take him back to Celestia?

Venti couldn't possibly imagine why they would stay by his side after he woke up, risk facing Celestia's wrath when the deities could wipe out their nations or kill them, choosing new archons to take their place and rule over the respective nations of each God.

Venti already knew this was his own fate. Celestia wouldn't stop chasing him until they managed to turn him into their own little puppet to control as they pleased. And only once they were satisfied, Venti would be killed and replaced by another, another who didn't know anything about Celestia's deepest, darkest secrets. Some of which Venti had been privy to, all thanks to Kairos.

And that thought alone made Venti shudder. He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to make sense of Kairos, of the archons, of the traveler. Trying to understand what was going through their mind.

Had the traveler betrayed him? Venti sure felt like it. Otherwise, why wouldn't he help Venti get back to Mondstadt? Why would he side with the other six archons when Venti was pretty sure he had barely had time to go to Liyue, didn't get acquainted with any of them other than the Anemo God before everything seemed to fall around him?

Even worse, why did none of the archons scream at him yet? Why did none of them show the animosity he was so used of receiving?

Aym had seemed distraught, but whether or not that was an act Venti wasn't sure.

The Pyro Archon wasn't called the God of War for nothing. She knew how to act, she knew how to approach her enemy. She liked to jump into actions without any consideration, but Venti knew very well that it would have gotten her killed sooner or later in the Archon War. Hence, she had learned, somewhere along the way of becoming the Archon she was today, how to approach her enemies more subtly.

And Barbatos was on that list of hers. He had no doubt about it.

...Or rather, he used to have no doubt about it. Now, he wasn't so sure. A tiny, minuscule part of him wanted to believe she was sincere in her emotions, back in the Dainichi Mikoshi. She had been so gentle and caring with Venti the bard, and he wanted to think this affection got extended to Barbatos over the years he was absent.

But he wasn't so foolish as to believe it was truly the case. Maybe. Maybe it was. But what were the odds?

He wasn't ready to gamble such a possibility.

Venti would rather think the six archons still wanted nothing to do with him.

And didn't that make him lonely?

Really, who did he have in Teyvat other than himself?

Kaeya? Venti had already done too much to the knight. He had made too many bad decisions, could have done so much more than what he did. He didn't want to burden Kaeya with his troubles.

The Traveler was already too preoccupied with trying to find his sister.

Dainsleif was probably dead, lying somewhere in the abyss. Venti would have tried to go there, if he wasn't blocked by whatever kept him from going back to Mondstadt. Dainsleif deserved a proper funeral, if nothing else.

And Kairos... Venti would rather not think about her further. She already occupied too much of his thoughts.

"Can I sit here?"

Venti startled, turning around abruptly. He lamented the loss of the wind, his familiar companion who was no longer by his side in Enkanomiya, whispering sweet songs in his ears, telling him when someone was approaching, or simply dancing around him in a gentle and soothing manner.

Upon seeing Kaeya, Venti relaxes slightly, glad it was him instead of any of the others. He wondered briefly if Diluc was also nearby. The Archon turned his head back to the void in front of him, staring at it while gesturing to the space beside him, inviting Kaeya to sit down.

And the man did, putting a hand on his knee, resting his head in his palm as he also stared at the horizon in front of them.

They stayed silent, none of them speaking, none of them initiating a conversation.

It was Kaeya who broke the silence first, a few minutes later.

"How are you feeling?"

Venti shrugged, contemplating the question, wondering whether or not he wanted to answer it. How did he feel?

Trapped.

Betrayed was also a word.

Betrayed not by the archons who had long since abandoned him and made it clear they would never have his back, would never stay by his side. No, he felt betrayed by Kairos, if that was even her name.

He settled on a very simple answer.

"I don't know."

Kaeya simply hummed, he did not seem to want to push the question further. Venti felt glad.

The silence lingered for a bit longer.

"I'm sorry."

Kaeya turned a questioning gaze on him. "Oh my, what are you apologizing for now?"

Venti turned his head to the other face, not wanting to face Kaeya, picking softly at the grass underneath his hand.

"Dainsleif," he simply said, not elaborating any further.

Kaeya stayed silent. Venti felt his eyes burn straight through his skull. He swallowed, waiting for Kaeya to say something, but the man seemed determined to keep silent. Venti bit his lip slightly, swallowing.

Why was Kaeya silent? Why wasn't he saying anything? Venti couldn't interpret the silence that suddenly sat between them. He didn't know what to make of it.

He needed to address the big elephant that weighed on both his and Kaeya's mind, and yet the latter wasn't saying anything, seemed perfectly contempt in waiting for Venti to make the first move, to speak his thoughts first, before Kaeya intervened. It made Venti even more nervous than he already was, chill crawling on his skin, on his arms, all the way to his back, to his torso, seizing his heart, fear squeezing it.

Venti couldn't stand the silence any longer. He voiced the thought that was sitting heavy on his mind ever since his disastrous confrontation with Celestia.

"I don't know where Dainsleif is."

Venti shut his eyes firmly, dreading Kaeya's answer.

There, he said it. Kaeya had trusted him, Kaeya had let him leave with Dainsleif. Venti even left Mondstadt without informing Kaeya, refusing that the knight knows anything about it, refusing that he joins them.

Venti had saved a child five hundred years ago. He had no wish to see that same child killed by the very one Venti had saved him from.

"Why aren't you like them?"

Venti turned his head around so fast he almost got whiplash. He stared wide eyed at Kaeya, who was looking at Venti in the eyes, without a single trace of animosity. It was as if he knew what Venti wanted to tell him, as if he had prepared himself already to the possibility that Dainsleif was long dead. Venti felt his heart sink deeper.

Somehow, Kaeya being prepared for Dainsleif's death hurt more than the knight's reproachful stare.

"What?" he whispered, incredulous, disbelieving.

Kaeya repeated his question. "Why are you so different from the other archons?"

He spat the names, sneering when he said it, but Venti knew that it wasn't directed at him. This thought didn't make him feel better in the least.

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean..."

Why was Kaeya treating him so differently from the other archons? Why wasn't he mad at him? Venti had helped in the destruction of his home, Venti had taken away from him everything, Venti had caused the death of who he assumed was a good friend. Because of him, Kaeya had to live in the abyss. Because of him, Kaeya had lost Dainsleif.

So why? Why wasn't he being viewed by the knight the same way the man saw the other six archons?

"Why would you save me?"

Venti was stunned. Kaeya had asked him the same question not long ago, back when Venti was still fighting the corruption in Windrise. And Venti had evaded the question. He hadn't answered.

Now, however, he felt like Kaeya deserved an answer. That was the least Venti could do.

The Archon inhaled deeply, turning his head back to the void. He glanced nervously at Kaeya before returning his gaze to the empty scenery sitting in front if them.

"When Celestia orders you to do something... You cannot say no."

Venti blinked a few times, recalling the day Celestia had told them to attack the nation ruled by humans. The Godless nation.

"They told us Khaenri'ah was a threat." He paused. "I'm sure you can guess what happened then."

Venti resolutely refused to look at the expression on Kaeya's face, not sure as to what it would be. Would he find anger? Resentment?

"I didn't want to, but I also did not dare go against them."

He laughed wryly.

"Kaeya, do you know what happens when you oppose Celestia?"

Venti put two hands in front of him, bringing his palms closer to each other slowly, before suddenly clasping his hands together, imitating someone crushing something.

"That's what happen."

Venti laughed again, thinking about Mondstadt. He had tried to steer clear of Celestia the first time, but it seemed like now Mondstadt would suffer the consequences of his actions, become a new Khaenri'ah and he could do nothing to prevent it.

Venti would rather die with his nation rather than watch it crumble from afar, stuck like he was in a place he couldn't leave.

There would be no more Mondstadt, and there would be no more Barbatos.

"So I went to Khaenri'ah," he continued as he put his hands down, back to fidgeting with the grass.

"I went to Khaenri'ah, and I tried to fight the other elements with my winds as subtly as I could, while looking for people I could save."

"And did you?" Kaeya finally spoke, startling Venti once again. "Did you save anyone other than Dainsleif and I?"

Venti nodded. He heard Kaeya gasp. "Someone."

Venti flinched when Kaeya put a hand on his shoulder. Only then did he turn his head to look at the man.

Kaeya seemed breathless, Venti wasn't sure why. Saving three people wasn't a feat. Especially when one of them was probably dead and he had no idea what happened to the other.

Either dead or living out there, somewhere.

Venti hoped it was the latter.

"You mean there's someone like me out there?"

The way Kaeya said this... Venti felt his heart hurt even more. The sheer hope he could here...

Venti nodded.

Kaeya abruptly hugged him, and it was his turn to gasp.

"K-Kaeya...?"

The grip he had on Venti tightened.

"Thank you, Venti, for doing your best," he whispered wetly.

Venti felt his tears coming up. His lips wobbled. He wasn't sure why Kaeya was thanking him, he did nothing extraordinary, he only saved three people out of hundreds of others. And yet here the Khaenri'ahn was, thanking him.

Venti returned the hug just as tightly, resting his head on Kaeya's shoulder as the man rested his on Venti's.

"I try," Venti's voice cracked, and Kaeya's hug tightened.

Venti imagined that one Khaenri'ahn he saved was considered as family to Kaeya. Was that how it felt, discovering you still had family somewhere, out there? Venti couldn't know, but he was at least happy Kaeya still perhaps had someone.

Venti raised his head slightly, vision blurred by his tears. He could hear Kaeya's hiccups, right by his ears. Venti rested his head against Kaeya's, gently stoking his hair.

Kaeya was not Mondstadtien by birth, but to Venti he might as well be.

When he saved that child five hundred years ago, he had not expected for him to resurface back to Mondstadt with a young Diluc and their father. He had not expected he would get to see any of the three Khaenri'ahns he had saved.

He hadn't asked about Dainsleif at the time, but he had seen the recognition on Kaeya's face when he had laid eyes on Venti. The God had winked at him, put a hand on his lips and walked away after Kaeya's shy smile.

It had been their little secret, and Venti had happily watched over Kaeya whenever he was in Mondstadt, never directly interacting with him, not approaching Kaeya. He hadn't wanted to, not until the man himself approached him.

And he did, eventually. From there, they became friends. Or at least, that's what Venti would like to think. Kaeya never brought up the topic of Khaenri'ah, even when in private, even when it was just the two of them, so Venti never brought it up either.

And then Dainsleif appeared again, and Venti decided that maybe, just maybe, it was finally time for them to rebel. Two of the three Khaenri'ahns he had saved where still alive. It was for him a big success, a big victory, especially now that he was felt alone against the world, without anyone by his side other than Dvalin.

He let himself dream, he let himself believe he could maybe, just maybe, try to against Celestia. He was too arrogant, and now Mondstadt was probably gone, Dainsleif dead somewhere, and the only children he had left where Kaeya and Diluc.

Venti horribly felt like he had jumped back to square back, and managed to get in the negative, even behind square one, somewhere he could never hope to catch up, right his mistakes and save his people from the tragedy he had caused.

"I'm so sorry Kaeya..." he whispered in his child's hair, still stroking his hair.

"It's not your fault, it's not-it's not..."

Venti tightened his hold on Kaeya, weeping uncontrollably.

"Please forgive me..."

Kaeya sobbed harder. "There- There's nothing to forgive, you did nothing wrong."

Venti held Kaeya close against him, closing his eyes, letting his tears fall like they never did before, contempt in holding his crying child against him, embracing him, protecting him against the world the way Venti wished he had been.

It seemed like an eternity had passed before his tears stopped streaming down his face. Kaeya had also quietened.

"Kaeya?" he gently whispered.

He waited a bit, wanting to see whether or not Kaeya had fallen asleep.

"Mm?"

His voice was raspy and low, but it was enough for Venti.

"Let's go back, okay?"

He felt Kaeya nod. He removed himself from Venti and kept his head low, furiously wiping his tears. Only when this was done did he raise his head to look at Venti.

The Archon only smiled at him and stood up, holding out a hand for Kaeya to take.

In all honesty, Venti wasn't sure why Kaeya wasn't mad at him, but he was glad nonetheless. He didn't feel he deserved the love the knight directed at him, but he knew he liked it. He cherished it. It was nice to feel wanted, and Venti needed Kaeya just as much as the man probably needed him.

The walk back to the Dainichi Mikoshi was quiet, peaceful. Venti didn't know what they would find there, he didn't know how he should act around the other archons, around Kairos, but he figures he would think about this later. For now, he only had to worry about going back to Mondstadt, about walking into the abyss and search for Dainsleif.

When they arrived in front of the Dainichi Mikoshi, the traveler came rushing to them, looking at them both worriedly. Venti guessed their eyes were still red rimmed, but he couldn't care less.

He had needed some space, now he needed to find a way to get back to Mondstadt, to the rest of his children. None of them deserves what is coming their way, and Venti would make sure they don't pay for his own mistakes.

"Venti, Kaeya! You've been away for so long! Diluc actually went searching for you," the traveler announced.

Venti turned to Kaeya who raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" Then, he smiled slightly. "Don't worry, we're fine."

The traveler seemed hesitant about this statement, but did not press further. The three of them walked up the stairs leading to the center of the Dainichi Mikoshi, and Venti felt uneasy once more, sensing that the traveler had something to say.

Finally, he spoke. "Hey Venti," he paused, as if looking for the right words to say. This did not bide well with Venti. "I think you should have a talk with Kairos. She's not..." he paused again. Venti tensed. "She has something important to tell you."

Venti did not want to. But by the time they arrived at the top of the stairs, she was already waiting for them inside the Dainichi Mikoshi, and Venti knew he couldn't really escape this conversation.

Kaeya put a hand on his shoulder, and upon looking at the traveler, Venti found him looking at him anxiously. Ultimately, he knew Aether only wanted to help him, and Venti trusted him, he really did.

It was Kairos he no longer trusted.

Venti understood very well this was a conversation he needed to have. He could not escape it, no matter how much he wanted to. What was worse, it seemed like it was a really important one, and Venti had the feeling that putting it back would only put him in a even worse situation.

The traveler looked stricken, and Venti was inclined to think that he already had a conversation with Kairos prior to her wanting to talk to him.

He wondered if it was about the thing he felt was hidden from him, he wondered if the archons knew what this was about.

With resolution, he walked the rest of the way, heading towards Kairos, leaving behind him Kaeya and Aether. Kairos nodded her head towards him and lead him up the stairs towards the mechanism in the center of the small room. She looked at it, barely spending Venti a glance. It wasn't until Venti asked her what this was that she looked at him.

"This?" she chuckled. Venti didn't know what there was to laugh about his simple question.

"Tell me, Venti, what do you know about Enkanomiya?"

Venti stayed silent a few seconds, looking at Kairos, searching for the reason she would ask him this question. Finding nothing, he looked back at the mechanism, aware of Kairos' gaze on him.

"My knowledge is limited to what you told me about it," he simply replied.

She hummed, and Venti guessed easily she wanted him to elaborate. So he did, wondering where this was going.

"You told me Enkanomiya is a nation that sunk a long time ago, back when the Seven Sovereign where still a thing."

He paused briefly.

"You also told me this was your home, when I asked about the environment around us, in my dreams."

"That is correct." Venti looked back at her, tried his best to not flinch when she put a hand on his shoulder. "I wonder... do you remember what I told you about the Shades?"

Venti nodded. He remembered all that. He kept a hold of everything she ever told him, holding on to those memories and all the information that came with them as if his life depended on it.

At the time, his sanity did, at least.

"Barbatos," here, Venti did flinch. She pretended not to notice. "You are a wisp of the Thousand Winds."

He knew that. He already knew that. He wondered why she was bringing it up.

Then, it suddenly dawned on him. It all came crashing down on him, the realization of who this spirit in front of him was, the realization that he had ties with her, ties more important than he thought he had.

Snippets of conversations he heard while in Celestia came rushing back to him. Asmoday and her three Shades talking about turning him into a perfect Shade, a replacement for her, someone they could never hope to control. Instead, they said they would take Venti, because Venti wasn't exactly like the other archons.

He wasn't just a simple wind spirit.

They wanted to use him, because he had imaginable ties to Celestia, because he was the perfect tool for them to use, because he already knew about some of Celestia's deepest secrets, hidden even from the other archons. That way, they could make him join them, they would spare themselves the trouble of having to kill him.

Perhaps because they didn't want to have to kill him. But Venti believed they wouldn't stop at that. They wouldn't spare him just because it would trouble them, but because it avoided them another trouble, a trouble to which he was blind to until now, because he was part of Kairos, he was tied to her, he shared a deep bond to her, a bond that would turn into a ferocious force against Celestia if they were to kill Venti.

They couldn't kill Kairos, and they couldn't kill Venti because it would release Kairos from her prison.

So instead, they used Venti.

"Kairos is just a name I go by, Barbatos," she gently explained, as if Venti hadn't already figured it out. "My name is Istaroth, I am the Thousand Winds, the God of Time."

Venti flinched hard, taking a step back and forcing Kairos - because he would not acknowledge her as anyone else - to let go of him.

"Barbatos, you are my little wisp, my little son."

Venti looked at her, shaking his head, denial painted all across his face.

There was a time when he would have loved to find he had a mother, someone who could coddle him to his heart's contempt, someone who could guide him and stay by his side for the rest of his life as an immortal, because that was what mothers did. Was it not?

Now... now he wasn't sure he wanted that anymore.

Venti just wanted to go back in his own little world, surrounded by his people, by those he loved and cherished. Away from Celestia, away from Kairos, away from the archons. Just him and Mondstadt.

He wanted to ask. Why was she telling him this? What did she want from him? Why now? Why couldn't she have told him all of this from the very start?

And then, it all suddenly made sense to him.

It wasn't because she didn't want him.

"Barbatos, I need your help to break the seal keeping me here."

It wasn't because she felt a need to protect him.

"I knew I would get sealed her, one day. So I created a little wisp that would one day grow and be able to help me."

It wasn't because she loved him, either.

"I needed a little wisp who could grow up knowing the reality behind Celestia. A big part of my own power is inside you."

Nor was it because she needed someone to rule instead of him, when she would inevitably disappear.

"Do you understand where this is going?"

Venti shook his head in denial, horror painted on his face.

"I need you to sacrifice yourself. By doing so, the influx of power that would inevitably return to me would break the seal."

She created him because she needed a scapegoat. She created him because she needed to put her powers into a being who had no idea what part he played in all of this, a being who had no idea he was being raised and given secret knowledge just so he could meet his demise to save Teyvat.

"And what if I don't want to do this," he whispered, voice barely audible.

She sighed, as if she knew he would ask this question.

Anyone would ask this question.

"Barbatos," she announced with finality in her tone, "I am not asking you. I am telling you."

The voices in his head were strangely silent.

They also knew it would come to this.

In the end, it seemed he was played by everyone.

.

.

.

And everyone knew about this except him.

~~~~~~~~~
HOW WAS IT????

Chapter 20 should be much easier to write! I'll start with it next week, but if it's not done by Friday I won't be able to write until the 28th due to me going abroad and preparing for Uni.

Special thanks to my beta reader for being so motivated, motivating and for being such a great supporter! I honestly don't know how she's so patient with me but we should all really appreciate her :)

So, hoping I see you soon enough, I also wanted to drop my twitter in case you wanted to follow my works there, because I was thinking of becoming more active there :)

It's @clachallowswork

https://twitter.com/clachallowswork?t=wQTkKLLHDwNvSHnAOv8qeQ&s=09

See you soon!!