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Between us, longing was a messenger and a drinking companion with a raised glass confiding.
So many hopes and dreams we had built around us.
Had love seen two intoxicated as us?
We walked on the moonlit path, where joy would skip before us.
We laughed like two children together, running and racing our shadows.
After the euphoria, we came to our senses.
An awakening that shattered hopes and dreams.
If only we did not awaken.
****
The people of Mondstadt knew Cape Oath to be popular among young lovebirds, for the area had a fantastic view and an even more amazing story. Legend has it that two lovers swore to each other here and left behind a deeply touching story.
Once upon a time, a star fell from the sky and was found by the great Anemo Archon, Lord Barbatos. He offered her protection while she healed and a home to not be alone. Before they both knew it, they fell in love.
It was no surprise to anyone, for everyone saw how the star brightened day by day under the care of the gentle archon and did not miss how the little star lightened up the archon’s life.
But the star had a purpose; once she healed, she had to continue her journey. Thus, the two lovers made an oath by the anemo archon’s statue under the night's twinkling stars.
Wherever life takes the two lovers, their love for each other will remain unchanging.
According to the legends, despite the missing statue and dimming stars of the night, you could still hear their whispers of love in the wind on the peak of Cape Oath.
A little over 500 years ago…
Venti laid on the grass with his eyes closed, under the shade of his own statue, simply enjoying the nice breeze and the light humming of his companion.
“So, Lord Barbatos~, what are your plans from here?”
Opening one eye with a chuckle, a fond smile appeared on his face when he found the sparkling eyes of the person behind the voice, “So I’m Lord Barbatos now? Not, Broke-ass Bard? That’s one hell of a promotion, Lumi. What gives?” Venti felt warm inside hearing Lumine's laughter, the things he would willingly do just to hear it on repeat.
“Maybe I hoping to receive a certain Archon’s blessings,” Lumine stuck her tongue out.
Venti flipped on his stomach, rested his chin on his palm, and used his other hand to tease her calf, fingers lightly tracing her skin, “Does that make you my devotee now? Maybe you should make an offering to make it official,” he playfully smiled.
He felt her shiver under his touch and smiled, knowing what was next. Lumine hated being unable to control her body’s reactions and always tried to fluster him to make it even. However, he still froze when she replied, eyes twinkling with mischief despite her flirty smile and sultry voice, “Would I be worthy enough as an offering to the great Lord Barbatos?”
Lumine yelped, she tried to smack his hand away, but he was quick enough to catch it, pulling her down by her calf. Venti kneeled between her legs, his arms now caging a blushing Lumine. He teased softly, “I never expected to have such a pious devotee.”
The Archon’s breath on her ear caused Lumine to shiver. She tensed as she tried to mentally prepare herself to resist any teasing touch her lover might make, no matter how much she secretly enjoyed them. However, Lumine wasn’t prepared for Venti to lick her cheek, so she squealed at the sudden action. Venti saw the blonde gawking at him, and he couldn’t help but burst into laughter, breaking Lumine from her trance. Lumine wanted to be annoyed, but she couldn’t help but feel amused at the archon’s actions; plus, hearing Venti’s beautiful laughter had her joining him instead.
The two calmed down a few moments later and simply stared at each other. Venti couldn’t help but feel drawn to the golden eyes of the girl lying under him. Her feelings of joy lingered in her eyes as their warmth penetrated Venti right through the heart. Venti felt his heartbeat quicken. The shine in Lumine’s eyes drew him like a wanderer at night that seeks a light. All of a sudden, the feelings that had gripped his heart began to rip it as he remembered he would soon be nothing but a lost traveler wandering the nights with no light in sight.
“What’s wrong, Lord Barbatos? Are you not going to accept your offering?”
Lumine words fell from soft lips with a tender voice to match, with her hand extending up towards his face like a hand stretched out through the waves to a drowning person. Venti closed his eyes and held her palm firmly on his face like it was his lifeline. He kissed her wrist before opening his eyes slowly, and he was met with Lumine’s gentle gaze that spoke more than words ever could.
Venti felt his breath leave him, and for once, the greatest bard of Tevyat couldn’t find the right words to describe what he was feeling. So instead, he dove in for a kiss and hoped that he could pour what his heart desired directly into her. He felt her arms around his neck and knew she understood when she pulled him closer and returned his passionate kiss with equal fervor.
The two lovers held each other closely for the rest of the day as if nothing could separate them. To Venti, even though physically they might separate soon, he made sure his heart would not separate from her, giving her a piece he would never recover. He looked at the star lying next to him, her head on his shoulder. Lumine’s eyes were closed; Venti kissed her forehead and softly whispered into the wind before resting his chin on her head and closing his eyes. The whisper carried back by the wind caused his heart to flutter as he fell asleep with a warm smile.
‘I love you. Always and forever.’
‘Always and Forever.’
****
Venti found himself sitting in the same spot, by his statue on the cape of Galesong Hills. However, this time, he was accompanied by the night stars instead of the bright blue skies. It was no surprise why he found comfort in the stars, content to sit under their light with his lyre until dawn. The previous conflicting feelings of sorrow and agitation he felt in the air lifted a bit, but not entirely. The winds have been whispering to him warnings of something ominous approaching; his recent meeting with the archons only fed his worries. Celestia was planning something, something that worried even Morax. Before he could spiral problematically, his ears picked up a melodic voice in the winds.
“What’s this? The Anemo Archon is praying to his own statue? Wow, I never thought Lord Barbatos was such a narcissist!”
Venti smiled; the taunt meant to rile him up did the opposite as it soothed his mind. He turned to the voice and was met by the beauty of his lover. The effects of her light immediately hit Venti. If his sorrows were like the glow of a fading dusk, she was the radiance of an unceasing day.
Lumine approached him with a smile on her face and, without a word, held out a hand to him. Venti was entranced by the way the moon framed her head like a halo and how her wings shimmered behind her. He was pulled out from his reverie as Lumine pulled him up from his seat. He looked at her questioningly, but she only grinned with a wink in response before walking away as she dragged him along.
Before he could voice his curiosity, they had already stopped. Lumine had brought him to the peak of the cape. He turned to her but failed again to question her. Venti felt the butterflies flutter from his stomach to his throat, robbing him of his words. For the first time in a millennium, Venti questioned if he would qualify for the title of Best Bard this time around. What bard could ever lose his words just from a look? He watched the serene look on Lumine’s face as her eyes absorbed the sight of the seas in front of her.
“Such a beautiful sight, don’t you agree?”
Venti didn’t move his eyes, “Yea, it really is,” but beautiful isn’t enough of a word to fully describe the scene his eyes wanted to devour to memory. Venti doubted humans had created such a word that would adequately define it. He finally turned to the view of the seas and enjoyed the peacefulness.
Venti felt Lumine turn to him and tilted his neck to meet her gaze. She bowed mockingly and held out her hand, “May I have this dance, Your Grace?”
Venti raised an eyebrow in amusement but still curtsied in response. However, when he moved into position, he was stopped by a hard grip on his hand. Tilting his head curiously, he saw Lumine’s eyes twinkled in mischief as she simply nodded towards the sky in response. Instantly, the dance that was supposed to be a silly gesture became much more.
Suddenly, he felt like a wind sprite yearning to return to the skies. He felt like he was on the mountain peak, being enticed by the taste of the air and a hand. So, Venti gripped the hand back and, without hesitation, jumped before his wings were fully released. The two lovers danced among the stars for the rest of the night. They scaled the highest peaks, where they whispered their love with the winds as the only witness to their secrets. They perceived the unknown from the tallest towers, as the people far below remained oblivious of fate.
It was still dark when they landed back on the cape of Galesong Hill. Venti laid his head on Lumine's lap, enjoying her fingers playing with his hair. He wished this could last forever and unconsciously voiced his desires, “I don’t want you to go.”
They both stiffened at his declaration, and Lumine stilled her fingers. Venti internally freaked as he tried to find a way to fix it.
“But, Lord Barbatos, I will be here~.”
Lumine’s singsong voice cut through his thoughts, and her fingers continued their motions, “Gosh, who knew the Archon of Freedom would be so demanding.” He saw Lumine’s other hand point to the sky, “You just have to look for the stars no matter how dim they are! Just like how you said I can always find you in the winds!”
Venti didn’t turn to face her, unsure if he could look at Lumine without tearing up. So, instead, by the anemo archon’s statue under the night's twinkling stars, the two made an oath—a whisper in the winds between the two lovers.
‘I love you. Always and forever.’
‘Always and Forever.’
*****
Five hundred years later, Present day.
When Aether appeared in front of him, distraught and a mess of emotions between devastation, distress, and disappointment, Venti knew deep down what was the cause.
And, oh, the pain of being right did not compare to the pain of having his worst fears confirmed.
“Venti, she looked so oh so-so, cold,” Venti swallowed hard, watching Aether stare helplessly at his shaking hands, “there was no anger, no joy, no nothing, I’ve never seen her so emotionless- it was scary-“
Like the moon dwelling in the shadows of the night, surrounded by nothing but darkness.
“Aether…”
Aether let out a mirthless chuckle, “You know Lumi was always the cool one between us. To others, she was the more reserved and distant twin. But, only the people who dare to get close find out just how much more she is than that. Do you know what gave it away every single time?” Aether looked at Venti, eyes filled with pain and a sad smile, “You just has to look into her eyes.”
Venti hid his shaky hands, clenching them into fists. Pretending he didn’t know the expressiveness of her golden eyes. As if Venti wasn’t familiar with the mischievous twinkle of her eyes or that slight, determined glint when she refuses to give up on something no matter how many times she fails or how they sparkle with pride and excitement when she finally succeeds. As if he hasn’t seen those same eyes light up with joy whenever they look at him like he hasn’t spent hours staring into them as they become hooded with pleasure.
“Her eyes, Venti,” Aether whispered, voice hoarse, “they were so empty.”
Venti flinched, feeling an ache in his chest at the thought of those gold eyes dulling with emptiness. Since he woke up, Venti had been trying to deny any possibility that the new abyss leader would be her. The leader of the same organization manipulated Daviln and tried to harm Mondstat. The leader of the same organization was hurting innocent people across the nation.
The leader whose golden eyes were the last thing he saw before falling into slumber from being poisoned.
The leader whose sweet voice was the only thing he heard in his mind as he slept for the past five hundred years.
The leader whose ethereal face was the first thing he craved to see when he opened his eyes.
Venti turned to his friend, masking his turmoil to try to help the blond next to him. “How did you find your sister? Do you have any leads to get to her again?”
Aether shook his head, clenching his fists in frustration, “The only reason we ended up pursing the Abyss Herald was because we were investigating the Inverted Statue.”
Venti frowned, “Inverted Statue?”
Aether hesitantly met his gaze, “It was the Lost Statue of the Seven that went missing in Mondstadt.”
Venti’s eyes widened, “Why on Tevyat would the Abyss need one of my statues?”
“According to Dainself, the Abyss was going to use to make a mechnized god to topple Celestia.”
Venti sucked in a breath, going silent from shock. Then, after a few moments, Aether nervously spoke up, “Don’t worry, Dainself said he’ll destroy it, but then again, he did leave with Lumi through the portal,” Aether frowned at the thought.
‘Portal?’ Venti thought to himself and shook his head, “Nevermind the statue, I’ll take care of it. Do you have a plan for what comes next?”
Aether’s bangs hid his eyes, but he couldn’t hide the shaking of his body, “I’m going to finish my journey,” he looked up, his eyes filled with both anger and determination, “And get back my sister no matter what.”
Venti smiled, hiding the sadness in his eyes, “Of course, home is wherever you are together, right?”
Aether turned to him with a grateful smile. Venti shook off the pang in his chest; the twins shared many similarities. Instead, he pulled out his lyre, “If you can get some quality shut-eye at this time, you'll feel a lot better when you wake up.” Then, scooting closer to the blond, he began to hum, “Here, I'll lend you my shoulder.”
*****
Venti looked up at the twinkling stars in the sky. Their light was dimmer since the last time he was here. The cape that had his fondest memories was now known as Cape Oath. That wasn’t the only different thing, Venti bitterly thought. The statue they sat by as they repeated their oath over and over again, was also gone.
‘Just like our oath.’
If a person approached the young bard, they would be confused about why he was glaring at the sky. Wondering if there’s some artistic reason a bard would be mad at the stars. But, despite his connection to the stars, Venti glared at the spiral portal hanging in the air. The portal was invisible to the naked eye; Venti isn’t sure if Aether has found it yet, seeing as Venti only found it based on a hunch. A hunch he wished he was wrong about.
When Venti jumped through the portal, he wasn’t sure what to expect. However, staring at his inverted statue, defiled, was not something he was prepared for. It seems like Aether forgot to mention a couple of details. The air surrounding the area was suffocating; the abyssal energy would make any sane person lose to it. Too focused on the statue in front of him, Venti was caught off guard by another voice.
“Well, well. If it isn’t, Lord Barbatos ?”
Venti felt bile rise in his throat. The familiar voice angrily spat out his name mockingly, unlike his memories. He turned slowly to the voice, regretting his decision to be here, wishing he could return to his dreams. Lumine stood there, eyes as empty as Aether described them, coldly looking at him.
What should have been burning anger inside him was instead longing. Longing that started when they had to part continued in his dreams and did not stop when he awoke. It only continued to get worse. It cauterized his soul, each tick of time a burning ember in his blood.
“Lumine…” Venti’s voice was barely above a whisper, ‘Where is that shine in your eyes that wanderers seek?’
Venti knew Lumine was no longer his when he awoke. Otherwise, he would have felt the stars in his slumber. There was no reply when Venti sang his longing and pain to the stars. The winds never carried back their oath whenever he whispered them.
“I must say, I wasn’t expecting you to rise again for the Dragon’s sake. Nor was I expecting a ballad every night, either.”
Venti could see the ghosts of Lumine’s eyes. They were looking deep into his soul, bored and empty. Yet, somehow, as her tongue lashed at him to inflict pain like a powerful tyrant, Venti could see the ghosts dancing upon the severed limbs of love and howling over the grave of hopes and dreams. And yet, the longing had yet to disappear.
“Well, this is the first time you’ve been so silent. I can get used to this. Anyways, I am only here to tie any loose ends. Don’t bother with the portal; next time, it will only send you to Musk Reef.”
Before Venti could react, he saw the domain begin to wrap. He panicked, “Wait!”
“Don’t worry about the statue, Dainself, unfortunately, ruined it.”
Venti felt himself get pushed out of the portal. He looked for Lumine and saw her with a blank face and an arm extended as she disappeared. The hand that once felt like a hand reached out to a drowning person was now not only the hand that pushed him into the deep waves but also the hand that held his head down in the water. As he fell, he used the winds to teleport himself to land.
Standing upon Starsnatch Cliff, Venti heaved, clutching his chest, as he tried to catch his breath. The pain was unbearable. It felt like he was drowning underwater, suffocating for air. His heart was being impaled and torn into pieces at the same. His senses were being overloaded, yet his body felt numb. Venti could not make sense of everything he was feeling, but one thing he knew was that something inside him had died today.
Venti held out his hands and could still see Lumine’s chains on his wrists. He was the Archon of Freedom, Lord Barbatos. His element was Anemo, the element of freedom. His very being is tied with the concept of freedom. Yet here he was, chained and tortured by his love for her. He seethed at the stars above him with more hurt than anger.
‘Give me my freedom, release my hands. I gave you everything and left nothing to be given!’
Venti gave her a piece of his heart he would never get back, part of his soul that had been crushed, and all the love in his heart that had died. He could feel tears in the corner of his eye but held back to focus on his raging pain.
‘Your chains have blooded my wrists! Why are they still there when I no longer affect you! Why do I keep them, when you’ve kept nothing of me!!’
Venti doesn’t understand how easily she can discard everything, while he can’t even stop his longing even now. The tears streamed down his cheeks against his bitter wishes; oh, how he wished the tears were tears of anger only. How he wished he didn’t feel anything else towards his ex-lover.
‘Why do I keep promises that you do not honor. What’s my keeping of promises you didn’t protect.’
The winds and stars only heard the broken cries of the archon. Venti just wanted the pain to stop. So, he cried and cried until he could no more and forced himself to sleep. He wasn’t sure if he heard things from his imagination or if he heard the voice of the stars for the first time in 500 years.
‘When a wound is healed, a new wound opens in the memories. So, learn how to forget and learn how to erase.’
Wakefulness ruined the dreams of slumber. When the night came, the night became Venti’s only friend. The light was an omen of the sunrise, and the dawn towered over like a conflagration. For then, the real world returned, with each of them on their own path.
Except Venti was the sleepless one who slumbered and remembered the promise when he woke up.
‘I love you. Always and forever.’
There was no reply.
*****
My heart, may our love rest in peace, ‘twas a fortress made of hopes and dreams now collapsed.
Pour me a drink; let us toast love’s memory upon its ruins.
The memory of our love became of the past, now a story among the stories of sorrow.
A shroud for those hopes and dreams; their shroud folded and kept but they without a trace.