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The first time I heard the melody of a song
I still had a little spirit form.
The notes carried by the gentle wind
In the middle of the storm, unkind
Our fates had intertwined.
What is a little wind spirit, weak, one that can barely fly, doing in the kingdom of the Lord of the Storms? Easy. Reaching for the sound that the wind carries, a gentle and warm melody that has an unknown origin, but it’s strong enough to make itself a path through the storm and the loud city of Mondstadt.
“Find him! Quickly!”
Steps, metallic spears, thunders, the screams of a near market, the cry of a child, and still the melody is audible, coming from an unknown source, but so beautiful that the spirit doesn’t understand how these people don’t stop their work to hear it.
The spirit searched and searched, letting his body be carried by the wind, until the source appeared in front of his little eyes. In the middle of a half abandoned bell tower, which bell seems to have lost his bright and use, there is a boy, not much older than the flowers from Starglitter Snatch, his eyes of a blue color similar to the sky, impossible to see behind the dark clouds and unkind wind that surrender Mondstadt city. Even the birds are unable to fly there, and the wind spirits try to avoid it. The winds are too strong and if one has no control, it’s so easy to get carried in the wrong direction.
The boy has in his hand a particular object. It has the form of a middle moon, a few larger than it, and there are strings similar to the silk flowers which the boy touches with gentleness and makes the air vibrate with his hands, producing that beautiful sound that made the little spirit to be there.
“Are you going to pay for this, little one?” His blue eyes look at his hiding place, and the spirit hides more. Then, a melody more beautiful than the previous one sounded, and then the spirit peeks over the window, only to see it’s produced now by the human’s mouth. “It’s a joke, come here. You’re a friend, right?”
Shyly, the spirit obeys and approaches the boy, who smiles.
“You’re so cute, do you have a name?”
The spirit looks at him without knowing what he means.
“Okay, I assume you don’t have one… You’re a wind spirit, aren’t you?” The spirit nods, glad to be known. “I knew it! I read many books about the creatures out there… It’s the first time I see one of your kind!” He caresses the wings with a finger, a comfortable touch if you ask the spirit. “Can I give you a name?” How to say no to those blue eyes? “Perfect! Then…” He thinks for a while. “How about Venti? It means Wind in an archaic language. It’s pretty simple, but since you're a wind spirit…”
Venti? It is pretty. Venti caresses his cheek to show him that name it’s okay.
“You’re tickling me! Stop!” But he seems to be happy with it, so the spirit doesn’t obey him. Also, the melody it’s so comfortable. “Venti! Stop it!”
“There you are, little bastard!”
The guards Venti had seen before appeared in front of them. Venti hides in the scarf of his new friend, and tries to make them blow away, but his breath it’s just strong enough to make their hair barely move.
“I was only talking with a friend, is there something wrong?” The boy hides the object behind him.
“Don’t fool us, you were playing that song. You know it’s forbidden to play the song of the rebels”.
“Which song? I don’t know what you are talking about. I’m just a poor bard trying to earn my apples. I only play the songs I know and the ones I compose. Also, there’s no one here aside from us.”
“You are here only to be heard for all Mond. Give me your lyre.” One guard extends a hand, and the boy takes a step back.
“No, it’s the only one I have.”
“Just give it, you don’t want this to be heard by our lord.” The other one says.
“He’s not my lord, I don’t have any lord!” The boy screams. “And one day, you’ll see you don’t have to have one.”
“Just give it, bard!”
But he doesn’t comply, taking another step back and suddenly… Venti sees how the body of his friend falls from the tower, his hands still holding the lyre and his eyes looking at the dark clouds with fear. It became pretty obvious he can’t fly, he hasn’t wings as Venti.
If he can’t fly, then Venti has to make wings for him.
So he starts blowing and blowing, flying behind him, with all his forces, he tries calling the fierce and strong winds around to help him. Fortunately, it works, and the boy arrives softly on the ground.
“How…? It was you?” The boy looks at him amazed, while he extends his hands to him. “Thank you… But now we have to run!”
Catching Venti inside his hand, he starts to run through Mondstadt streets, avoiding the different guards and facing the fierce winds that come at intervals. At the end, he loses them hiding over a tree, the lyre over his legs and Venti floating in front of him.
“You’re amazing, Venti!” He says, and from the bag he has on his hip he takes out a rounded fruit. “I think I don’t have anything else… What wind spirits like anyways…? Hmm, Venti, do you like apples?”
Venti looks at it, and decides to give it a try.
That was also the first time I ate an apple
And I felt I could win any battle
It was a flavour that me, little wisp of wind
Before him, has never been able to find
“Wow, you seem to like it a lot...” He smiles while caressing him, and with his other hand he takes out another apple, offering it. “It’s called an apple. There are so many out there. Only if I can pass through this storm…”
His longing gaze looks to the blizzard, watching the leaves from the trees being lost inside it. A barrier few can trespass, only those granted with the grace of the gods, the gods themselves and elemental creatures like spirit winds or anemo slimes.
“Anyways! You like music, don’t you?” Venti flies around, showing affirmation. “I can’t sing for you now, but do you want to hear a tale?”
Venti returns to the apple, waiting patiently for him to start.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” He says. “Once, Mondstadt was not like this, you know? Once, we were free as you are, little wind. And there was a kind and beautiful princess, her hair white as the snow, who once in her throne, she governed with kindness and justice for all citizens. But then a war, unlike others before, came to Teyvat. The queen left her throne to protect Mondstadt, and her daughter was also left behind.” Venti hides before the apple. “Her snowy hair was tainted with bloody red, and since then, different gods fighted over Mondstadt. For centuries, the God of Storms has secured our land by locking us inside a wind cage, and we mortals can only pray for the legend of the white savior, the descendant of the queen, to appear and liberate us with her bow from this eternal storm.”
Venti approaches his cheek to clean the water that is over his pale skin, and the boy smiles.
“Thank you, little… Achoo!” Venti is almost wiped from the sudden airstream. “Oh, I’m… Achoo! I’m sorry, there must be… Achoo! A cat near here. We should… Achoo! We should go…”
Venti ends the apple and follows him, enjoying the tune that he does between teeth while walking. Little the boy knew back then, that he would be the main protagonist of his own tale, and that his little friend would be the representant of his biggest dream: freedom.