What happens when the unapproachable Xiao befriends Venti?
Xiao a boy who holds in his present a many burden.
Venti a boy who holds a past he cannot erase.
At the same time, the story will also focus on our side characters!
We have-
Kazuha
Ganyu
H...
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Istaroth looked down on every archon in front of her. An act of humiliation.
"Istaroth... you must have a reason for doing all these. Why would you want to destroy Teyvat like this... ", Nahida questioned with a wise tone of voice.
Istaroth smiled. "Why you ask? Then let me tell you all a little story~", She said and froze time around her. Even the floating clouds in the sky stopped. All except for the 5 archons, Xiao and Ganyu.
"I was once worshipped by the people in Teyvat as the goddess of Time and wind. Even before any of you ever ascended to godhood, I've always been there watching over this world from the very beginning. But it all changed... changed with you arrival!", She shouted as she pointed at Venti.
Venti stood unphased.
"... what is the meaning of this Istaroth!?", Nahida sharply questioned.
"Barbatos... how well have you hidden your true nature from these people?", Istaroth spoke.
Venti remained silent.
"Tell them! Tell all about it! About... how you deceived me"
Everyone looked at Venti now. He was still quite. But he finally spoke,
"That's right... I did indeed deceive you Istaroth. And not only you- Everyone present here has been deceived by me."
A twisted smile appeared on Istaroth's face.
"Barbatos... what are you saying?", Raiden asked.
"Let me say", Istaroth said and continued, "Your fellow god Barbatos... is not the true archon of freedom! He stole my wind abilities from me! And I was foolish... i was fooled by his words back then. "Share your burden with me Istaroth and we will be worshipped by our people together " what a pretty lie that was. What meaning is there for a god who is forgotten by its own people? My people... forgot me. Barbatos abandoned me! And I knew his true form when he sealed me away-"
Venti... had sealed Istaroth!?
Everyone was taken aback by what they were hearing.
"Won't you tell them... Venti? Who you really are?"
Venti took a deep breath.
"That's right. I am... Barbatos. Not the god of wind... Not the god of Freedom... But simply the manifestations of all evil... The God of Death"
No one seemed to believe what they were hearing. Istaroth laughed.
"Yes! Tell them! Tell them why you ascended to god hood... why you deceived me!"
"I ascended to Godhood... to simply take over the world. I was the villain all along... I wanted to become the one god everyone worshiped."
"HAHAHAHA! That's Right!"
"And yet- That me is long gone Istaroth"
Istaroth stopped laughing. This was the first time when she seemed angry.
"I was wrong Istaroth. I was wrong for deceiving you. I was wrong for stealing your powers. I was wrong... for sealing you away. And I... am here today to make it just how it was. Because in the midst of my trickery, I ... fell in Love"
Istaroth's eyes became filled with rage.
"I will give everything back to you... take your god hood back from me and turn me into a mortal human... Istaroth. But don't destroy this world that you watched grow until now."
Istaroth had become silent.
Zhongli suddenly a felt a tremor from deep within the grouds. Nahida could feel a disturbance in Irminsul. Raiden felt the sky cracking and Murata could feel the rage within Istaroth.
"After thousands of years of sufferings... you really think I will simply let you go... after being deceived by you once, you tell me to trust you? After being stung by the scorpion once, you want me to wait for it to bite me again!?", Istaroth yelled and the time around them started becoming unstable. The sun kept on rising and going down within seconds.
"Stop this Istaroth! If you continue this... Teyvat will be destroyed!", Venti yelled. But Istaroth was not hearing him. He clenched his fists with a determined look on his face.
"Everyone... protect this world...", Venti said.
Everyone watched his back turned towards them.
"I... am no god... I never was. All I ever did was wait by the doorway of death. And I let my ambition drive me. I... wish I could explain it more... but... For now... hate me. Hate me just how I hate myself.", Venti turned around with a soothing smile on his face. And it was only a glimpse of him that everyone saw before he sealed himself and Istaroth within a void.
"Venti!", Xiao yelled. But he was not there anymore.
"What... what did that stinky bard do!?", Murata shouted.
"He... sealed himself along with Istaroth... within his realm of death", Nahida said.
"So Barbatos... was never the true god..", Raiden said.
The sky of Teyvat looked like it could fall any moment.
"Barbatos... is not evil! I won't ever believe it!", Ganyu yelled. She had tears in her eyes. But she immediately rubbed them. "Forgive me... Rex Lapis... for my rudeness just now"
"Ganyu, Xiao, if both of you Believe in Barbatos... then protect Teyvat. Protect it with all that you have from this impending disaster about to unfold", Zhongli said.
And the moment he did, everything started shaking.
"We... must protect this world... until Barbatos defeats Istaroth!", He comanded and all the archons immediately awakened their sleeping powers within them. Xiao and Ganyu also unleashed their true forms.
"I will fight for this world with everything I have... so please come back safely... Venti", Xiao said in his mind. _
(Within the realm of death)
"So you wish to seal me yet again in this realm of yours!?", Istaroth yelled.
"No... I am not here to seal you away. I am here... to convince you."
"Convince...?"
"Istaroth ", Venti paused and looked at her. "Will my death at least satisfy you? Will it make you stop playing with all the lives in Teyvat?"
Istaroth smiled menancingly. "No... Not only your death! The death of every archon and every human! Everyone who dared to forget about me! Everyone who abandoned me must suffer!"
"And then what Istaroth!? What will you have left with you after you erase everything and everyone!?"
Istaroth paused. "No... don't aim to deceive me with your sweet words again! I am no fool!"
"Istaroth! Don't be blinded by revenge... don't do this to yourself... I... will give up everything i have because it is me who is the root cause of everything. If that still doesn't satisfy you... I will erase my data... from the Irminsul itself.", Venti declared.
Istaroth was now starting to walk backwards. "A...as if! You won't dare to do that! You will deceive me yet again!"
