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„ I wish I could erase and forget all those millennia that I wasted with you!“
As soon as those words had left Venti's mouth, he regretted them. The pained look in Cael's eyes was too much, stung too deep in his heart. They had been fighting, it had started as a small argument over his drinking habit and slowly became a full-blown fight. One thing led to another and in the end, Venti just wanted it to end, no matter the cost. So, he just yelled out the most hurtful thing that he could imagine. And now, he had to face the consequences.
At first, there was silence, both of the immortals shocked by what had just been said. Then, slowly, Cael's lower lip began to quiver and his dark eyes filled with tears. The teal-haired boy took a step back, the first tear falling. „Okay. If this is what you want“, he whispered. In the next moment, he had turned on his heel and was out of their shared home, Venti heard the front door close. All tension left his body and he sunk to the ground. Dear Celestia, what had he done? In the heat of the moment, he had hurt his best friend, his lover, in the cruelest way possible. He wanted to take the words back, tell Cael he did not mean them, beg for his forgiveness. But he could not stand up, his body refused to listen. He sat on the floor in the living room, like a doll whose strings were cut. Time lost its meaning, not that it ever had much given how long he had lived. What was a day if you were over two-and-a-half millennia old and your lover even older?
A sob tore itself out of Venti's throat, unable to be stopped. Several more followed quickly and before he knew it, he was full-on crying, the most he cried since Himmel had perished.
It felt like an eternity that Venti just sat there, crying. When his tears finally dried, he was still unable to get up. His eyes were puffy and his chest and throat hurt, but it was a pain he would gladly take if it meant that Cael would come back. But alas, time went by, the sun sinking and sky growing dark, yet the Leader of the winds did not return. Venti honestly couldn't blame him, after hearing something like that, it was only natural that Cael did not want to see him. Still, worry was nagging at his soul, making him grow restless. With shaking hands, he pushed himself up, stumbling out of the house. He ran through the streets, calling out for his lover ever so often, but never receiving an answer. Venti checked the Taverns, to no avail. Windrise, the old Mondstadt, Stormterror's Lair, nothing. Dvalin promised to look out for Cael when Venti approached him, as did the Traveler, Jean and Diluc. With an uneasy feeling in his chest, Venti went back home, hoping against all hope that Cael would be there.
The house was cold and dark when he returned, with no sign of life. Nothing had changed since Venti left hours earlier. On one hand, all of Cael's possessions were still there, meaning he had not packed up and left, which was good. On the other hand, it meant his beloved was still somewhere, maybe alone, maybe hurt. It tugged at Venti's heartstrings, fear mixed with regret and guilt. For the first time in eons, he slept alone, without Cael's warm body next to him.
The following days were dark, at least in Venti's eyes they were. Not matter how much he searched, no matter where he searched, he had been unable to find Cael. Even the thousand winds could not tell him where he had gone to, punishing him with deafening silence. He wandered the streets and outside of Mondstadt, praying to Celestia that he would spot his lover that day and be able to make up for his mistake. Yet every day, he returned to their home alone, and the house greeted him with emptiness.
He had stopped going to the tavern, which resulted in a worried Diluc coming to visit him. He had stopped singing, stopped playing his lyre. Every time he tried to sing, his voice was stuck, leaving him feeling like he was about to cry again. When he tried to play his lyre, all that came to his mind were memories of him playing while Cael danced, smiling brightly. Memories about them being happy together. Afterwards, only somber tunes came to his mind and even those he messed up. All of Mondstadt could feel it: the winds were changing and not in a positive way. The sisters at church prayed more, hoping to appease Barbatos. Venti could only tell them that their efforts were appreciated when he went to church to pray himself. He prayed to Celestia, asking for Cael to be safe and to return soon. Venti was the god of Freedom, but he could have never imagined that one day „freedom“ meant „being able to laugh at Cael's side“. He was free, wore no chains or anything that tied him down. But for the last days, he felt more imprisoned than he did ever before.
It had been two weeks since their fight. Two weeks since he had last seen Cael, heard his voice, held his hand. Venti was at Windrise, sitting in the tree's shade, melancholically plugging the strings on his lyre. The winds picked up, informing him of the arrival of three people. He was on his legs in a heartbeat, running towards them. The second his eyes landed on them, he let out a shout of joy when he spotted the familiar patch of teal hair. But before he could tackle Cael into a hug, could apologize and ask for forgiveness, Aether and Paimon stepped between them. Confused, Venti stopped his run. Aether's face showed sadness and empathy, not the anger Venti got when he first told about the reason the boy had left. „What is it, Traveller?“, he asked, slightly nervous. The blond opened his mouth multiple times, yet no words left him. Paimon seemed like she wanted to say something too, but couldn't. In the end, it was Cael who spoke up.
„I'm sorry for this“, he said, stepping in front of Aether. Venti made a protesting noise, wanted to interrupt, it was not Cael's fault! The boy ignored the sound and continued. „I was found by Lady Jean, she said I was badly injured. It seems I have lost my memories and that you are the one who knows me best. Can you help me remember?“ Cael kept speaking, but Venti could no longer hear a word. His ears were ringing and the world spun before his eyes.
He had gotten his wish. Cael was back, safe and sound. But all of the millennia they had shared were erased from him. Celestia really had a fun way of listening to him.
A single tear escaped Venti's eye.