Chapter Text
It has only been a day after the long fight to free Dvalin from corruption. But Venti has already felt drained, whether it was physically or emotionally. He was woken up abruptly from 500 years of sleep by the cries and pleas of his people just a few weeks ago. After that, he worked almost non-stop to find a way to save both his friend and his nation. The free time he had, he spent it in bars, singing and drinking and trying to keep himself from drowning in the deep sorrow and guilt that had constantly followed him ever since his awakening.
Meeting the traveler was like breathing fresh air for the first time in a long time. She introduced herself as Lumine. And after weeks of desperate searching for the right solution, she appeared out of nowhere with an unbelievable gift that provided not only a solution for his current problems but also his future ones. Technically, he could actually solve the stormterror problem without her help. But it was very risky, and he's afraid to admit that if the plan fails, he would have to end his best friend's life with his own hands. Just thinking about it will make him shudder.
Thankfully, the traveler appeared at the right time and the right place, so Dvalin is fine now and Mondstadt is saved. And here Venti was, along with the traveler and the acting grandmaster of Knights of Favonius, standing in his own church presenting his own broken lyre to the hydro-vision holder deaconess before him. To the surprise of no one, she is not happy.
Actually, she is pretty hysterical about it that Venti began to feel somewhat guilty. He tries to placate her by 'fixing' it by placing a temporary illusion while making a promise to himself to fix it for real in the future, once he has the energy to do it.
They have barely left the church when the winds pick up a few newcomers teleporting right into the heart of Mondstadt. Venti hears footsteps coming not far from him, and it distracted him enough that he almost didn't notice the two fatui agents attacking him from behind. Lumine saves him from the attack with a swirl of anemo energy, and Venti leaves her to deal with them as he senses other assailants coming. With the sounds of sharp stilettos heels meeting the pavements, to his left appeared a woman with long white hair, a dangerous-looking mask, and hollow blue eyes that instantly lands on him. Along with the woman, there are two Electro-Cicin Mages that stand silently behind her.
He recognizes the woman as La Signora, Sixth of the Fatui Harbingers, and a former citizen of Mondstadt by the name Rosalyne-Kruzchka Lohefalter.
La Signora snaps her fingers and froze Venti's legs to the ground with a swift cryo attack. From the way her eyes look at him like he is a mere prey, he knows that she is after the one thing that makes him an archon: his gnosis.
Lumine is being held back from helping him by the two fatui agents that she fought before, and Paimon is blasted away encased in ice.
Looks like Venti is alone in this one. He contemplates silently about what he should do when his chin was grabbed roughly by the harbinger.
“At last, Mondstadt’s rodent ruler in the flesh.” La Signora said condescendingly.
Venti holds back a laugh. The nerve of this woman, treating a god like they were merely a housepet. Did the Tsaritsa neglect to warn her soldiers about the danger of underestimating the power of a god? From the way La Signora behaves now, it seems like she did.
He composes himself enough to mock her back, “Resident rodent.. beats invasive vermin!” The harbinger smacks him in response, but he revels in the frown that deepens on the harbinger's face. “That smirk you wear looks out of place. Did you steal it from your master’s face?”
His words seem to enrage her, and she winds up a punch with the hand wearing her Delusion. It aims straight for his chest, where his heart should've been. But before the hand managed to come into contact with his chest, she stops.
"I don't know If you'll die from this or not. But you deserve to suffer as I did years ago."
La Signora makes a few hand signals to the fatui agents who hold Lumine tightly in place. Without a word, the agents move to stab Lumine with their daggers.
It all happens so suddenly and so unexpectedly that all Venti could do was stare as blood pours out of Lumine's body and she falls to the ground. He faintly hears someone screaming, before he realizes that the sound was his own.
For a while, all was silent except the ringing in his ears and the heavy gasps of breath coming from his friend laying bonelessly on the ground. With a lot of effort, Lumine raises her head enough to look at Venti in the eyes and chokes out, "Venti.. Run."
Looking into the pool of blood before him, all he sees was red. The wind stirs as images of a winged version of himself, hands drenched in blood and the smell of death flashes through his mind.
Venti tears his eyes painfully from the bleeding form of his friend as he desperately grabbed onto Venti the bard and his rationality. Anything but the growing rage and madness brewing inside him. His eyes land on the harbinger. Looking so smug and self-satisfied for succeeding in hurting one of his friends to the point of dying.
Something in him snaps.
The winds howls and wings sprout from his back as his eyes glow. With a powerful burst of anemo, the ice on his legs shatters. Smacking La Signora into the wall of the Cathedral, he steps forward. With winds as sharp as blades, a hurricane forms around him.
"You foolish child. Thinking yourself so high, so arrogant. When in truth what you are.. is nothing."
La Signora trembles, trying for naught to hide her fear. If it is any other time, the archon would take the pleasure to laugh at her for it. But seeing this pathetic and bitter woman in such a way gives him no joy.
"Remember your place, Rosalyne. The reason you still live to this second is because I let you.
..Something I'll have to rectify, apparently."
The god of wind and freedom mockingly snaps his fingers, not unlike how the harbinger did to him a few moments before. As the sharp noise of finger-snap echoed along the front of the Cathedral, La Signora and her subordinates falls on their knees, gasping for breath in vain.
Seeing his opponents down, the winds howling quieten to their normal breeze. The anemo archon's eyes glow a little less. And although the wings stay proudly on his back, he could feel himself returning to sanity and Venti.
Venti shakes his head and mutters, "Silly girl did not get the memo. Did she not realize that she breathes anemo?"
Leaving Signora and her underlings to their struggle, Venti rushes towards Lumine's side to check on her wounds. Two deep stab wounds could be found on her front. Thankfully, nothing vital had been hit, though it is a very close thing. Without immediate treatment, she would soon bleed into her death.
It has been a while since he used his powers to heal a mortal, and he is ashamed to admit that he had let the particular skill go rusty. Something that he'll have to correct after this, after Lumine is saved and healthy again. Venti ignores the voice in the back of his head that say things like she won't wake up and he can't save her and he'll lose another friend again and it was all his fault, and with vitriol he pushes his energy to knit back the torn skins and organs of the human under him. What he lacks in finesse, he makes up in power.
Distantly, Venti hears the sound of the Cathedral's door blowing open. A familiar gasp causes Venti to turn his attention towards the newcomers.
The Gunnhildr sisters come into sight along with a few knights, nuns, and fatui members that were stationed around and inside the Cathedral. Aside from them, a handful of bards and citizens who frequently visits the statue could be seen gawking at him. Ah, is that his drinking buddy Kaeya and young Master Diluc? How fun.
"Ehe, it seems that I've gathered such an audience. I apologize for causing an inconvenience."
"..What happens to them?" It was the acting grandmaster Jean who voices the question.
"Ah, I may have revoked their right to anemo. Which.. maybe I should stop doing, else they'll be no more." Venti sets his eyes on Barbara and smiles brightly at her. "Hey, do you mind taking over healing the traveler while I deal with these.. pests?"
"Uh.. sure? I mean.. Of course Lord Barbatos! I mean no disrespect! Please forgive me for my-"
"Oh great! Please take over, then."
Venti floats over to the harbinger and her minions. He creates a wind barrier around himself and the invaders that separate them from the gawking audience. With a grin, Venti allows air to enter their lungs.
He politely waits as they are gasping and inhaling as much air as they could. Once they've managed to compose themselves, Venti sends a quick strike to all of them except Signora which put them into unconsciousness.
His grin widens as he turns his attention toward the harbinger.
"We need to talk."
La Signora, or Rosalyne in this case, was a happy woman once. One of his children, led astray by grief and anger. Seeing her this way, fueled by rage, bitterness and desperation is.. sad. It chafes him a little that the Tsaritsa choose to manipulate one of his in such ways for her own agendas. But they all made their own decisions. And Rosalyne herself made the decision to join the Tsaritsa's mission on her own free will.
As the god of freedom, he can respect that.
Venti could sense Signora's rage towards him. And he knows without a doubt that the woman blames him for what happened to her late husband, Rostam, while he was otherwise occupied dealing with Durin and afterward trying to get rid of corruption infections on himself. Such a brave man, Rostam was. Knowing his death also brought him to heartbreak.
Seeing Signora's hatred of him, he can't shake off the feeling that it is somewhat deserved. He did after all ignore his children's needs, no matter how legitimate his reasons are. It was a constant guilt he felt by leaving the control of Mondstadt to human's hands only. Letting them become independent and free is not without a price, and it's not his godly powers.
He still remembers until now the shock and the disgust he felt many years ago when he found out that his city was once again being ruled by a tyrant. And this time, it was by one of his own. A noble family that he put his trust in, to keep the people of Mondstadt happy and free, has decided to abuse their own power and freedom to take away others. It was something that could easily be prevented if he was there to put an end to it before it even happened.
That incident taught him to always keep an eye on Mondstadt. Asleep or not, he unfailingly manages to be well informed of the goings-on of his nation at all times. But being knowledgeable is still very different from being present. And it's something he's painfully aware of.
To be honest, if Signora didn't hurt Lumine the way she was, he would've let her take away his gnosis and he won't even try to take it back.
Why? Well.. aside from the fact that he doesn't want to have anything to do with Celestia and he has no need for an archon's powers, Signora deserves a closure, even if it's at his own expense. All these years, she has been hanging on to the pain she felt after losing a loved one just to keep going. It's something he can deeply emphasize with.
But she decided to hurt his friend instead. Someone who is truly innocent in this matter. And it's something he can't easily forgive. In his eyes, that action alone makes her lose her right in vengeance.
La Signora is no longer a lost citizen of Mondstadt. She is a harbinger and a follower of the Tsaritsa.
"So.." Venti begins with a bright smile on his face "What I meant is: I talk, and you listen. So keep your mouth shut, okay?"
Signora tries to open her mouth to say something scathing in response, but found her mouth to be locked shut. It's when she realizes her whole body has been frozen in place, that she can't even lift her own fingers. Venti gives no reaction whatsoever to her struggles, though his eyes glint mischievously.
"I thank you for setting aside our conflict. Do not worry, for I'll make this quick."
Venti's grin disappears, as his face abruptly turns cold and serious.
"Now, Rosalyne. When you get back to your master, I want you to tell her that I said this: I have no intention to interfere with your schemes, but I also won't put my people in danger of extinction by being involved. So take your people in Mondstadt back to your land. Because if you incriminate us in any way in the eyes of Celestia, I promise you.. you will regret it." Venti's face brightens as a small smirk appears, "I'll give Scezhnaya a week to withdraw their people. If they're still here past the due date, then be sure to know that I will take action.
"As for my gnosis, tell her that I'm willing to negotiate. There's no more need to send a harbinger to ambush me in daylight." Venti pauses a little before he gives a clap and a grin adorned his face once more, "I think that's enough. Thank you for listening, and don't forget to give my regards to your Tsaritsa."
Venti dispels his wind barrier and summons a bow. He looks back at the audience crowding around him, and cheerfully says, "Step back a little would you? It's going to be a little bit windy here."
With that, he aims his bow for Signora and fires off an arrow made of countless coalesced winds, creating a huge stormeye that sucks the harbinger and her underlings inside. After a while, the winds go back to normal as the pitch black stormeye disappears.
"Tone-deaf bard! What is that? You can create a black hole?! Why didn't you ever use that before when we fight against Dvalin?!"
The high-pitched voice Venti knows so well by now makes him practically beam as he turns to face the floating girl-creature who stares back at him with a peeved expression.
"Aw, is that our dear little Paimon? I'm so glad you are okay."
"Answer my question, you tone-deaf bard!"
The acting grandmaster Jean clears her throat to get their attention. "I think we all would like to know what happened here. Would you mind if we talk about this in my office?"
Venti is about to respond with an affirmative when another person speaks up, "Before you decide to do that, may I know what happened to that woman and the others?"
"Ah, they went back to their master with a little message from me." Venti smirks mischievously "You can expect the wind to shift directions very soon."
-END OF CHAPTER 1-