Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

seeds: 1.

Celestia is theirs for the taking.

Aether links his arm around hers. They are together once again! Teyvat is saved, the true sky is revealed, and the world celebrates its freedom. Fate has no hold on them anymore.

This is the world their friends wanted.

"This could be our new home. I like it here," Aether tells her as they admire the view of Teyvat from above. They have been drifting from world to world, witnessing the birth and death of many stars. Teyvat is one such star, but it is now a star that can survive its own supernova. "What do you think?"

Lumine stares at the dark sky above them. What is a home if you can't take care of it and shape it with your own hands? What is a future that can be enjoyed alone, without the friends that brought her here? She didn't even get to know them very well. In her single-minded search for Aether, Lumine regrets not sparing a moment to give the people of Teyvat a chance to endear themselves to her.

She should have gotten to know them better. They should be standing with her right now, enjoying the future they worked hard for.

Surely, Teyvat deserves better than this?

The abyss stares back at her, refusing to answer her questions. Venti catches her eye instead.

He takes pity on Lumine and hands her the hourglass that resides in the center of Celestia. It is a small thing, adorned with metal, its golden sands dripping slowly — drip, drip, drip — as time marches forward. It is the device that controls the fabric of spacetime within this world.

Venti places it in her palm, wraps his hand around hers so her fingers would curl around the neck. "You don't look happy, Lumine. I understand how you must be feeling — more than you could ever know. But take heart. You're a god of this realm now. If you're not satisfied, you can always remake it to your liking."

Venti has always been a mystery to Lumine. She is sure that there are still more sides of him she hasn't seen. He is not just a bard, and not just the anemo archon.

The hourglass trembles in Lumine's hand. "If I do, it will be as if this world never existed. It will change. It might become unrecognizable."

Venti smiles. "I trust you. I want you to live in a world that will make you happy, Lumine. I'll meet you wherever that is, in whatever timeline takes us there."

He probably won't remember this conversation, but the sentiment gives Lumine the courage to try. Even if Venti resets with the world (because he is just as much a part of Teyvat as everyone else), the thought that she'll always have some version of Venti around in every timeline comforts her.

She'll do better next time. Teyvat deserves so much better.

When Aether distracts himself with touring the palatial towers of Celestia, conversing cheerfully with Paimon and Dainsleif, Lumine doesn't hesitate. She tips the hourglass.

Time rewinds.

seeds: 7.

Teyvat isn't her first world, but Lumine is determined to make it her last.

She draws up a plan on the seventh run. The conditions are simple: nobody has to die. Nobody has to wipe their memories. Nobody has to destroy civilizations to usher in a new future.

Simple, really. When she can no longer meet one condition, she can always reset the world. She can always try again.

Lumine packs up her things, trying to hurry from one nation to another, when Venti stops her at the entrance of the inn they're staying at. "Why the rush?" he asks. "I know I said that you should see the Rite of Descension, but you still have a month to get there. Liyue's not going anywhere."

Lumine falters in her step. They are on the seventh timeline, but it always hurts to hear Venti talk as if everything is fine, as if they've never had this exact conversation six times before. He doesn't know. Time rewinds, and rewinds, and rewinds, and he doesn't remember.

"I need to resonate with the Statues of Seven from different nations as fast as possible," Lumine says. Once she gets all of her powers back, she'll be better equipped to prevent certain tragedies from happening. Prevent certain deaths.

Besides, she can't keep wasting time like this. Venti gifted her with the power to change the world, and Lumine still hasn't made any difference. When she changes one event, a different catastrophe follows. There must be a way to save Teyvat without sacrificing someone's fate.

Venti tilts his head to the side. "Why? It's not like you're running out of time, right? Look, it will only take a couple of days to reach Liyue Harbor, and there's a Statue of Seven on the way in Dihua Marsh. We have plenty of time. Take it easy, Lumine, or you might not get to enjoy the journey you're on!"

Venti drags her by the hand to enjoy the mundanities of life. He asks her to buy sticky honey roast for Paimon, to scout the cliffs with Amber, to go fish-blasting with Klee.

"Albedo would love to have your company," he says. "And I'm sure you'll miss everyone once we leave. Why don't we stay for a little bit? We still have time."

Time is the ultimate gift Venti gave her. Lumine wouldn't have the luxury of time without him.

So, reluctantly, Lumine obliges his requests. How can she say no?

seeds: 8.

Lumine wakes up on the eastern shores of Mondstadt and creates a new plan.

She spends the next four loops exploring possibilities and unlocking domains. It's best to be prepared, after all. She'll spend an eternity memorizing every river and every stone in Teyvat, if it means she can save everyone.

She knows how to visit the Golden Apple Archipelago on her own. She knows how to unlock Khaenri'ah. She knows the secrets to Mare Jivari, the shortcuts through Fontaine's waterfalls, the dangers of Inazuma's storms . She knows how to navigate Natlan's volcano and Snezhnaya's blizzards.

She knows Teyvat like the back of her hand. Venti frolics in their adventures, enjoying the scenery and views as if he never gets tired of them. As if they've never been through the same places eight times over.

Venti is right. There's plenty of time.

Time is all that she has.

seeds: 19.

"Isn't this world beautiful?" Venti asks. This is the twelfth time he took Lumine to admire the Dandelion Sea. "Doesn't it make you want to live here forever?"

"Yeah," Lumine agrees. "This world… could be home."

It's beautiful indeed. It's pretty. But this scenic view won't save Teyvat.

Venti holds Lumine's hand, rubbing circles on her skin with his thumb. "Are you happy here, Lumine?" This is the nineteenth time he asked.

Lumine lays her head on his shoulder and thinks about how Dorian successfully replaced Albedo in this timeline. Mondstadt is none the wiser.

Is she happy? Not yet, she wants to say. But I could be.

For the nineteenth time, she lies, "Yes, I'm happy here."

seeds: 28.

Rewinding becomes second nature. A habit newly-formed, a muscle memory that Lumine can flex at any time, without thought.

When Xiao succumbs to the effects of his karma, when Nahida fails to erase the memory of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, when the Tsaritsa succeeds in strong-arming the other nations, Lumine rewinds.

She keeps all these possibilities in mind and remembers what she did to trigger all these events. Remembers what she should and shouldn't do. Eventually, all of this will come naturally, and she will be able to save everyone. She will bring these people the happy future that they deserve.

She shies away from Venti these days. He keeps pestering her, asking to accompany her so he can chronicle her adventures. He asks if she wants to take a break. He asks if she'd like to take a detour, if she met up with some of their friends yet, hasn't it been too long?

He asks her too many things. Lumine can't fulfill all his wishes.

"What do you mean I can't come?" Venti asks, hurt. "Did I offend you in some way? Did I do something wrong?"

"Mondstadt needs their archon," she lies. You've been with me for 27 loops, she doesn't say. She doesn't want to stay for 27 more. Venti is whimsical freedom, carefree joy, and Lumine cannot afford to slow down on her mission anymore.

She has to be efficient if she wants to save everyone.

"Mondstadt has never seen their archon for thousands of years." Venti pouts, but lets her go. "But I understand. I'll be here when you need to rest. Mondstadt is your home too. You are always welcome here."

Lumine never looks back when she leaves. Mondstadt is idyllic to a fault. They will be okay. Venti is with them.

She has the rest of Teyvat to worry about.

seeds: 35.

Here is a list of tragedies Lumine failed to prevent in different timelines.

Natlan drowned in lava. Inazuma became perpetually trapped in its static eternity, never lifting its Sakoku and Vision decrees. Liyue got swallowed up by the chaotic space of the Chasm. Scaramouche succeeded in becoming Sumeru's god. The Withering took over the forests. Watatsumi's soil was permanently bleached and eroded, leaving its people to suffer through a famine.

Yelan disappeared without a trace in an undercover mission. Collei and Dunyarzad never recovered from Eleazar. Thoma and Kazuha lost their limbs when they foolishly tried to take on the electro archon. Beidou fell into a chaotic space out at sea. Dottore's segments infiltrated every influential government and research institutions of the seven nations. Baizhu never woke up from a grave illness.

Someone always dies in every reset. Chongyun died. Ayaka died. Yaoyao died. Iansan died. Lynette died.

And Aether—

The only thing keeping Lumine sane through the loops is that Aether always survives. She reunited with him for 35 loops. And if nothing else, she will make sure this goes on forever in every loop.

Lumine cannot bear to think that she'll fail this too.

seeds: 44.

The thing is, Lumine doesn't consider herself to be trapped. Not really.

She can stop whenever she wants. She can choose a timeline to stay in forever. If she gets tired (and Venti always asks her if she is, as if he even understands the weight of his question, as if he's never asked the same thing 43 times before), she can always leave the hourglass back in Celestia.

She doesn't have to rewind time. But how can she not, when things aren't perfect? When she has an infinite amount of practice to make use of?

She just needs to try one more time. Just one more.

seeds: 58.

And even if she can exit the loop at any time, Lumine wouldn't be able to forgive herself.

After all, she is in many ways Teyvat's god. She has been for 58 loops.

She has the power to reset the world, over and over. She has the power to make things right. What kind of god is she if she doesn't take responsibility for that kind of power?

She just has to try again. And again.

Lumine gets addicted to starting over and over.

seeds: 70.

When Albedo brings ruin to Mondstadt, Lumine resets.

This is fine. She can save everyone. She has all the time in the world.

Just try again.

seeds: 71.

Xinyan and Kazuha are lost at sea where the Golden Apple Archipelago once was. It would take too much time to find them… and anyway, Lumine knows her mistake this time around. It would be easier to just restart. It would be a cleaner run.

She tips the hourglass. She can do better than this.

seeds: 72.

She took too much time in Sumeru. Scaramouche consumed the Divine Knowledge Capsules before they found him.

The fight goes on longer than she expected.

As a puppet made from the branches of Irminsul, not even Scaramouche is immune to the corruption of forbidden knowledge. Nahida is forced to erase his existence alongside Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's.

Lumine doesn't let Nahida finish before she tips the hourglass.

She can get it right this time. She just needs to be faster.

Just one more time.

seeds: 73.

Again. There are still things to fix.

seeds: 74.

No, this run isn't good enough. Again.

seeds: 75.

Again.

seeds: 86.

They are celebrating in Mondstadt over their victory. The Fatui are gone, the Abyss Order demolished, Celestia has been toppled.

Venti smiles at her, bright and easy. He dresses her in flower crowns, pours her wine, and sings of her heroic tales. He looks at her like she is the sun.

Lumine hasn't seen him this happy in… centuries. How long has she been in Teyvat now? How long has it been since she stayed long enough in a timeline to see a victory feast like this?

Venti asks her the dreaded question. The question he never forgets to ask in each loop. "Are you happy, Lumine?"

Lumine thinks it over. Everyone is alive… but maybe she could have done things differently. She could have finished the war faster. Maybe she could have prevented it in the first place.

No, she isn't happy.

Recklessly, she takes out the hourglass from her pocket and tips it in front of Venti. The stricken look on his face will be burned in Lumine's memories for the next five loops.

But this is fine. This is the burden she'll bear. It's not like he'll remember this loop anyway.

seeds: 99.

She's losing sight of what her goals are.

When will she stop? When can she stop? Lumine has every possible outcome memorized, she knows everyone's scripts and reactions, and yet something always goes wrong, or she's never enough, or—

"Lumine." Venti takes her hand, rather forcefully. He levels her with an authoritative gaze that she's never seen from him before. "I am a very patient person, but even I have my limits. You can't avoid me forever. You can't avoid Teyvat forever. Please, just slow down and let me help you."

Lumine barks out a laugh. Patience? What does Venti know? Lumine is the one who has been patiently practicing, patiently saving everyone over and over AND OVER—

Venti's eyes widen. He reaches out as Lumine procures the hourglass. "Lumine, don't run away again—!"

Sorry, Venti. She can't face this, not now. She wants to be selfish for just one loop.

It's not the first time she resets at the slightest inconvenience.

seeds: 102.

Lumine is tired. She's not thinking straight. She's listening to Tighnari explain Collei's condition for the hundredth or so time that she ends up mouthing his words back to him as he speaks. "Ever since she was a child, she's been afflicted with a disease called Eleazar."

Tighnari stares at her, surprised and immediately mistrustful. Right. Tighnari was initially against revealing Collei's past, wasn't he? He only did so in the first hundred loops because Collei asked him to.

When Lumine is ready to visit Sumeru City, Tighnari does not give her the letter of introduction. Not that Lumine needs it anymore when she already knows how to save Nahida without going through a tedious investigation, but still.

Lumine's hand itches for the hourglass. Tighnari went off-script. It unnerves her.

seeds: 111.

Lumine prevents Signora from stealing Venti's gnosis. She's briefly encased in ice, with almost-frostbitten skin, but she succeeds. Maybe she'll have a better run in this loop since she stopped the chain of events earlier.

Venti is stuck in an expression between horrified and fed up. "What are you doing?!" he yells at her. "You're just being reckless now, Lumine!"

Venti never yells.

Is this Lumine's fault too? Has she changed Venti's script too much, just as she changed Tighnari's? What happened to being there for her in every timeline?

No, no, it's not like he remembers. Lumine must have done something wrong. She has to start over. Something is clearly not right. She can't keep forcing shortcuts to fix the problem.

What even is the problem she's trying to fix, anyway?

She locks eyes with Venti as she tips the hourglass. Venti watches her, resigned, and doesn't make a move to stop her.

seeds: 147.

The more Lumine loops back, the less real it all feels.

She feels disconnected from the world. She's lost, she's floating in an endless sea of possibilities.

Lumine rewinds, and rewinds, and rewinds, like tomorrow might never come.

Teyvat doesn't seem like a lovely home to look forward to anymore.

seeds: 166.

Aether is glaring at her. Aether never glares at her.

"You didn't look for me."

And why would she? Lumine always reunited with her brother in every time loop. Even now, they're standing face to face with their hands at the hilt of their swords.

"You've changed," Aether accuses. "I don't recognize you anymore, Lumine. What happened?"

Lumine bites back the tears that threaten to fall. She can't do this. She can accept losing her friend's trust, she can accept Venti's anger, but she cannot accept Aether's disappointment. She can't accept failing her brother, the only thing she's done right in the last 165 timelines.

Just one more time.

She'll calm herself. She knows what to do now. She memorized it all. She just needs to wake up one last time. Do a perfect run.

Lumine tips the hourglass.

seeds: 167.

Lumine wakes up on the eastern shores of Mondstadt and sees bright teal eyes.

"Good morning, Lumine." Venti is smiling down at her. He places her head on his lap and smooths the tangles of her hair away. "You're a mess right now, huh? You're failing to connect with the people you once loved, the people you keep resetting the world for. You have a noble heart, but it appears to be your own undoing. You're destroying yourself, Lumine. And you're destroying Teyvat along with you."

He coos at her. His voice is gentle and soothing, but his words are ominous. Why is Venti here so early? They don't meet in the timeline until later, in the forest…

"Shh, go back to sleep," Venti whispers. "I'm sorry, my love. I thought I was doing you a favor, but I see now that it was cruel to give you this power."

"What are you talking about?" Lumine asks. "You talk like you actually remember—"

Venti shushes her with a finger to her lips. "Enough of that. I promise I'll bring you to a world that will make you happy, Lumine. Let's meet again soon, okay?"

Venti tips the hourglass.

seeds: 168.

Lumine wakes up on the eastern shores of Mondstadt for the first time.

This world is unfamiliar to her. Where is she? What… was she supposed to do here?

Where is Aether?

If she remembers the past events correctly, they just entered this world. The sky turned red, they flew to the heavens, and then there was this unknown god who separated them.

How long has it been since then? How long was she asleep? It feels like she's been dreaming for a long time.

Lumine draws up a plan. She'll figure out the rules of this world, and with that knowledge she will find Aether.

With her mind made up, Lumine stretches and takes in her surroundings. There is nothing but sea and sand. She truly is alone in this beach. How odd. Is this place secluded from civilization?

The only thing that seems to be of note in this place are the two hourglasses sitting quietly on the rough surface of a rock. One of them is broken, with its neck snapped off and its golden sands scattered around. Some of them have spilled into the beach, glittering gold amidst the dull brown of normal sand.

The other is made of wood, carved with decorations that imitate an angel's wings. Instead of sand, the hourglass houses hundreds of tiny little seeds that have settled at the bottom.

"What a curious thing," Lumine remarks.

With nothing to do, Lumine tips the hourglass.

Chapter Text

seeds: 0.

Celestia is engulfed in flames.

The world celebrates as it now bares itself naked to the universal gaze. Teyvat is an egg cracked open, vulnerable but free. And all it took were a few sacrificial lambs.

This is what the people wanted.

"This will make a beautiful story," Istaroth tells him as they oversee the fruits of their work. Teyvat is an experiment concluded, a project completed, and all that's left is to draft the reports. "What will you record?"

He stares at Mondstadt from his place in the Higher Dimension (the Fourth Plane as some of the other Observers called it), memorizing the mourning songs this small nation composed for the pair of travelers they've adopted. The travelers' dull eyes stare back into him from afar, lifeless yet judging.

Istaroth takes pity on him and spins up a seed of the story they just witnessed. It is small and smooth and full of promise. She places it in his palm, wraps her hand around his so his fingers would curl around it. "Here you go. A seed, for when you get tired of this project. I have chosen this one, for this is a beautiful story indeed. But I'll leave it to you to choose which seed to plant into reality."

The seed sits too small and lonely in his hand. "What if I never plant this seed? What if I choose a different story?"

Istaroth smiles. "I trust you. I want you to compose a story out of love. Look into the depths of your heart and stay true to your intentions. We will bear witness to whatever story you choose."

Mondstadt's incessant wailing echo in his ears, as loud as the howling winds of their foolish but loving god, Decarabian. The citizens plead and pray, even as the rest of the world rejoices in their victory.

He pockets the seed and decides that this story does not satisfy him. He doesn't hesitate.

The world resets.

seeds: 1.

He wakes up for the first time with one seed in his possession. He vows never to plant this seed.

There exists a framework of the universe beyond Teyvat's bubble. This is where he used to reside. This is the dimension of the Composers (the "True Gods"), where space and time are meticulously crafted and where stories are observed. Stories that have been observed turn into seeds, and these seeds are planted into the fabric of reality, where they manifest and grow.

For his first revision, he takes up a form — a small little wind wisp — and descends to the Lower Dimension where Teyvat resides. He embarks from the eastern shores and enters the beautiful world he crafted for this reality.

He fumbles as he flies, still unused to the physical sensations of friction and gravity. He gets cold, he hungers, he is easily swept away by the winds. Existing is an arduous and demanding endeavor.

And yet… he wouldn't exchange this freedom for anything else.

He writes himself into the narrative and the world gives him a name: Venti.

This is a good name. He keeps it in the story.

seeds: 2.

He gives it another go.

Venti was created to record stories, but even a lifetime of observations is not enough to substitute for the wisdom of experience.

Living in the world of Teyvat is different from producing it, from recording it from afar. Venti can refine this world to perfection until it is a beautiful performance, ready to be watched. But it pales in comparison to living in the world of his own making.

And so, he learns. He learns how to sing, he learns how to lead, he learns how to love.

It will take him many lifetimes to appreciate the endurance of living, but he will learn.

seeds: 6.

Venti survives long enough in the sixth iteration. He can fly with ease, he can control anemo, and he makes it past the wind barriers of Mondstadt for the first time.

"One day, you will learn how to love," says a young bard to him. He has twin braids and is deft with the bow, even more so with the pen. "You will also learn to grieve, and hate, and despair. You will learn many human emotions as you make human friends. But all of these emotions will be worth it if you gain them out of love. The presence of such feelings are proof that you can love."

Composers of the Higher Dimension are able to write the laws of a world before it is set into motion, but they cannot dictate the events that take place within it. They can only record, then reset. Compose, record, reset.

Venti is not satisfied with this process. He adores this world too much to just observe from afar.

And so, with his lowly form in this Lower Dimension, he interferes. He makes himself a part of this world and writes himself into its history.

In the first iteration of this world, this bard wrote many poems. He was known far and wide for the ballad he penned about a pair of lovers who learned to love and be loved through their adventures with the world around them.

He died peacefully of old age, but his heart yearned for something greater.

In this timeline, the bard fought for freedom. He died young, but with a heart more satisfied than before. He passes his wishes unto Venti, that he may live a long and happy life.

With Decarabian slain, Mondstadt gains a new god and a greater sense of purpose. They live for themselves and design their own freedom.

This, Venti thinks, will be an infinitely better home for the travelers.

Is this what it means to love? Is this the lesson the bard wants him to learn?

seeds: 20.

It takes him twenty loops to perfect his presence and powers. He is no longer deus otiosus, no longer a nameless Composer who designed this world.

He is Barbatos, he is Venti, he is both archon and bard. He understands now, intimately, what it means to lead and to be free. He charms dragons, gods, and humans alike. He travels the world he designed and frolics in the space the world carves out for him.

He is now, truly, a part of Teyvat. He is beholden to its laws. Teyvat is now unrecognizable from the form it once took in the first seed.

And then finally, in a cozy tavern late at night, he sees her. The protagonist of this story, the noble heroine of this tale. Lumine.

Venti observed her from the Higher Dimension countless times before, but this is the first time he is able to stay in a timeline long enough to meet her.

He slides onto the stool next to her and introduces himself. "I am Venti the bard! Three-time winner of The Most Popular Bard in Mondstadt. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, traveler."

Lumine smiles, charmed by his jovial mood. She is just as enchanting up close as she was afar. "The most popular bard, huh? What songs do you sing, Venti?"

"What do you wish to hear?" Venti winks and prepares his lyre. "I can play you any tune, but it'll cost you an apple."

Lumine leans forward, golden eyes boring into him as if she can see his naked soul. For the first time, Venti understands what it means for a heart to skip a beat. "Any tune? You must be very confident in yourself, Venti."

"Of course!" Venti leans back to gain some space and oh, how amused she looks. It warms Venti from the inside. He wants to delight her more, to bring out her lovely smile. "Name your piece. There is not a single song I do not know, whether it be the past, present, or future!"

seeds: 29.

Venti takes her by the hand and shows her the hidden gems of this world. The beautiful waterfalls of Fontaine, the idyllic plains of Mondstadt, the majestic pearls of Watatsumi. He takes her to all her favorite places, the ones he learned though all the timelines.

They are lying in a bed of dandelion tufts when Venti dares to ask, "Are you happy, Lumine?"

Lumine laughs like it's the silliest question she's ever heard. "Of course! This is such a beautiful place, and I've made so many friends here. Once I find Aether, I'd like to settle here. Teyvat could be our home."

She recounts all of her adventures, both grand and mundane. She tells him about how much she enjoyed her summer vacation with Klee, how she looks forward to Xinyan's performance in the Iridescence Tour, how she enjoys testing her skills against Childe, and how much time she spent customizing her TCG deck for the day she'll challenge Cyno.

"I love this world," Lumine concludes. "And I feel like the world loves me back. I want to stay here forever. I'm very happy here, Venti."

Venti believes her.

seeds: 35.

Teyvat is a lovelier world with Lumine in it.

She approaches its people with joy, and the whole world falls to her feet. She encourages the festivals when they once seemed like a chore. She drags her newfound friends with her on extravagant summer vacations. She fights heroic battles, discovers hidden treasures.

Lumine quite literally changes the narrative Venti once set into motion. Ayaka, who was once a shy and sheltered princess, becomes a confident woman who would protect and uphold the culture and ideals of her nation. Xiao, who was once an angry and aloof adeptus in previous timelines, is now a polite, gentle soul who distances himself out of kindness to his friends. Childe is no longer just flirtatious muscle, Nilou is not just the nice theater girl, Mona is not simply a haughty astrologist.

Some Observers would say that Lumine changed the heart of the story, but Venti knows better. She is the one to uncover the complexities that it always has to offer, because she is the one who dares to fully embrace the world. She is the protagonist who celebrates Teyvat, who sees Teyvat for what it truly is.

There is a reason Venti has fallen for her.

seeds: 44.

And Venti responds in kind. He shapes the world into something more majestic than the last, and Lumine refines it with her presence.

She tells him that she likes cecilias, and so he designs a cliff where fields of them grow.

She tells him that she enjoys the feeling of flight, and so he designs the winds to carry her weight, wherever she is.

She tells him that she wishes there were more flowers in Qingce Village. That it would be cool to find treasure in these ruins. That sweet flowers could be a little sweeter, but it's nice, and oh, the constant rain in Apam Woods can be dreary, wouldn't it be convenient if they can control the weather?

Venti makes them so.

seeds: 50.

And yet, for all the joy and beauty in this world, the ending never changes.

Today, Lumine dies again.

seeds: 51.

And again.

seeds: 52.

And again.

seeds: 66.

The story of Teyvat has always been a tragic one. This is why Istaroth finds it beautiful.

Lumine is a noble soul who will do anything to help those in need, but this has cost her time and time again. Sometimes she sacrifices herself, but it is not enough to save the world. Sometimes she becomes a hero, but at the cost of losing her brother.

In every timeline, Lumine meets a terrible end. Her sorrow in exchange for the world's joy. Her demise as proof of her love.

This timeline is no different. As the world celebrates its victory, Lumine stands at the edge of a cliff and disappears into the sea. She is the only one to mourn her brother's death.

Venti finds her too late. Istaroth spins another useless seed from this story.

Venti has grown as a person, and even more so as a god. Teyvat is his composition, and he has certainly changed it for the better. Mondstadt is a freer country. He has granted many visions and enabled many people to take hold of their own fate. His actions have drastically changed the course of history.

Yet he is not the protagonist of this story. Despite all of his divine interventions, despite the joyous adventure the world brings, Venti still hasn't figured out how to give Lumine a happy ending.

seeds: 87.

In the laws of Teyvat, visions are not granted by the archons.

But Venti is more than just Barbatos. When he resets the world for the 87^th time, he makes an exception for the Composer — for himself.

He knows the history of Teyvat like the back of his hand. He knows the people he can count on, the reliable souls who can guard Lumine's fate in Venti's place. He gives each of them an anemo vision.

When Lumine heads off to Liyue, he hesitates.

"Venti?" she asks, concerned. She brushes his braids away and caresses his cheek with a soothing touch.

This is the part where Venti usually recites his script. "Traveler, as you set off on your journey once again, you must remember that the journey itself has meaning. The destination is not everything…"

But where has that led them for the past eighty timelines? He doesn't want to see her die again.

And so instead, he advises, "Remember to focus on your search for Aether. He is out there, waiting for you. Do not get distracted."

And let me take care of the rest.

He was there to save her from falling through Dvalin's storms. Xiao is there to catch her during Osial's attack. Kazuha will be there to protect her from the shogun, and the Wanderer will be there to be a real friend, to remind her of what consequences lie ahead of her.

"I'll be there for you, in every step of the way. You don't have to worry," Venti promises, hand to his heart. "Let the wind lead."

seeds: 88.

Aether is alive. Lumine is alive. And at last, Teyvat is saved.

Venti cannot contain his happiness. She's alive! She's alive! He finally saw this story to the end! All Venti wants is for Lumine to be happy in the world he created for her, and for the world to be happy in her presence. To love and be loved, just as the young bard from Mondstadt once sang in his ballads.

Venti runs to Lumine at the heights of Celestia and sees her staring despondently up at the sky. Once more, he learns a cruel lesson of life.

You cannot design someone else's happiness. You have to take charge of your own.

Venti wraps his hand around hers and curls her fingers around an hourglass filled with golden sand. With this, Lumine will have all the means to master her own happiness. She cannot die, and she can control her own fate. The whole world is at her disposal.

With this, Lumine can find her happy ending. It will be the greatest gift Venti can give her.

"I want you to live in a world that will make you happy, Lumine. I'll meet you wherever that is, in whatever timeline takes us there."

seeds: 0.

Venti carves a wooden casing for his hourglass.

"What is the story you wish to see?" Istaroth asks him. She is sipping tea and watches carefully as the winged decorations take shape in Venti's hands. "What kind of world did you wish to compose?"

Venti hums thoughtfully. He fills the hourglass with 88 seeds — 88 stories he doesn't dare to plant in the fabric of reality. He will have many more seeds to add in the future, until Lumine crafts the story she is satisfied with.

Venti twirls the hourglass in his hand, admiring his handiwork. "I wanted a world that anyone can fall in love with. A world that responds in kind and loves you back with the same sincerity you bring into it."

"That is a fine world indeed." Istaroth nods, placing her teacup down. "You have grown so much, Venti. I am proud of you. You don't need me anymore to take care of your world. Go, and fall in love to your heart's content. Leave the Higher Dimension to me."

Venti smiles and waves one last goodbye. He doesn't hesitate.

Venti pockets the hourglass, dives back into the world he composed, and never looks back.

seeds: 1.

Venti wakes up later in the timeline, around 500 years after the fall of Khaenri'ah. This is where Lumine's story begins, so naturally, this is where time loops back when she tips the hourglass.

Istaroth has stopped observing the world. She has other places to be now. The rest is up to Venti.

And so, with each loop, myths of the God of Moments become just that — myths. For every time Irminsul rewrites memories, for every time Lumine rewinds time, the evidence of Istaroth's presence becomes faded until she is nothing more than a footnote in a fairytale.

seeds: 5.

Venti wakes up in the forests of Mondstadt, just in time to check on Dvalin and meet the noble heroine in the woods.

He is beyond excited. He nearly lost count of how many times he has gone through the motions, and every time he wakes up, he fears that he will grow tired of it one day. That he will finally choose a seed to plant, that he will finally look back at Teyvat for one last time.

Venti fears the day that he will wake up and decide that he has fallen out of love.

But this cycle's beginning is no different than before. He wakes up, he soothes Dvalin, he meets Lumine in the woods.

And just like every cycle before, Venti thinks of himself as foolish. Teyvat is just as beautiful, and Lumine is just as enchanting as she has been in every cycle.

How could he ever not love them?

seeds: 18.

Lumine is acting differently these days.

It has been eighteen cycles, but Venti doesn't begrudge her for it. On the contrary, he encourages her to take her time. It took Venti twenty time loops to understand what it means to live, and more than eighty time loops to understand what it means to love.

He'll watch Lumine go through eighty more if that's what it takes for her to find happiness.

When Lumine tips the hourglass, Venti accepts and waits for the morning he'll wake up again. He holds on to the same hope Lumine clings to, like a lifeline.

Maybe it will be better this time.

seeds: 19.

She doesn't smile anymore. Venti wonders where they went wrong.

In the first eighty-or-so cycles, he learned how to mold Teyvat into a world that makes her happy. And in turn, Lumine made a home in it, and helped the world flourish with her love.

She is still exploring, still adventuring, still living like she wants this world to be her home. He doesn't want her to feel like she's trapped here. He doesn't want her to feel like this is an obligation.

Desperately, he asks, "Are you happy here, Lumine?"

He waits for the lie to spill out of her lips, but maybe she'll mean it. This time.

"Yes, I'm happy here," she lies, like she has nineteen times before.

Venti says nothing.

seeds: 28.

Lumine asks him to stay in Mondstadt, and so he does.

It's strange not to be with her after all this time. He is her bard, and she is his muse. Ever since they met at the tavern all those centuries ago, they have always been together. Lumine sets the world into motion and Venti chronicles her tales.

This is what they've always done.

But Teyvat is her story as much as it is his, and Venti has to respect that. He watches her leave with the hourglass and entrusts the world to her.

Venti is an understanding god. He tends to his children in Mondstadt, he nurtures the fields of cecilias in Starsnatch Cliff, he sings his songs and listens to the wind.

He waits.

seeds: 43.

The festivals of Teyvat are no longer as fun as they used to be.

More pressing, still, is that the list of tragedies keeps growing. Diluc and Kaeya are taking longer to reconcile. Bennett is becoming jaded and pessimistic. Razor refuses to interact with people.

Albedo, who was once so level-headed and compassionate, is turning alchemy into an obsessive passion. Venti once saw him sleep next to Durin's still-beating heart, extracting its essence and whispering to himself. "I will bring you back," he keeps saying. Whether he means Durin, or Dorian, or any of his other siblings is uncertain. Maybe he means something else altogether.

Teyvat is getting worse, and Lumine is distancing herself farther and farther away from Venti.

This isn't the world Venti wanted to craft, but it is the world he lives in now.

It took me eighty loops, he reminds himself. It could take her eighty more.

Maybe he'll give her one more chance.

seeds: 86.

They are celebrating in Mondstadt over their victory. The Fatui are gone, the Abyss Order demolished, Celestia has been toppled.

All of their friends are alive. Aether is alive. Lumine is alive.

Venti heaves a sigh of relief, feeling his muscles relax. How long has it been since he made it to the end of the story?

He runs up to Lumine with the biggest smile on his face. This is it. This is the loop. The world doesn't need fixing. It's perfect. They just have to keep it that way, right?

He's placing a flower crown delicately on her head when he asks, "Are you happy, Lumine?"

Venti's heart breaks as she looks at him dead in the eyes and tips the hourglass.

seeds: 92.

Venti paces around the forest as he waits for Lumine to wake up in the beach and find him.

What does Lumine need? What does she want? Is this world never enough for her? There has to be something Venti can do. He composed this world, after all. He can help her.

Venti waits in the Whispering Woods, soothing Dvalin's sorrow.

Just one more chance. He just wants one more chance to make Lumine happy.

Lumine doesn't arrive.

seeds: 127.

He can see Teyvat dying.

The world is just going through the motions, going through its script. Without its protagonist and without its creator, it is nothing more than words on a screen. A story to be read, but not one that can come to life.

Venti doesn't even know what Lumine is doing anymore. He hasn't seen her in five loops.

And so, he decides to spend this timeline wallowing away and nursing drinks at the tavern. He is not an archon, he is not a bard, and he is not the Composer.

Besides, it's not like Lumine finds happiness in his company nowadays.

Venti empties a bottle of dandelion wine in her honor. Sorry, Lumine. He doesn't know what to do anymore. He wants to be selfish for just one loop.

seeds: 167.

Venti lays Lumine on his lap and kisses the top of her head. In many ways, he hopes she never wakes up to endure this sisyphean hell.

"Did you know? You saved this world 82 times already," he whispers, gently carding his fingers through her hair. He hopes she's having sweet dreams. "But in every iteration of this world, you cannot save yourself. I'm sorry for putting you through all of this, Lumine."

His fingers glide over the smooth surface of the hourglass. The sand keeps dripping slowly — drip, drip, drip — as time marches forward. It is meant to reset the world to the Composer's liking, but Venti sees now that it is nothing more than a means to induce a self-inflicted curse.

"A time loop is a puzzle," Venti says. He thumbs over Lumine's soft lips, and wonders if he'll ever have the chance to kiss her. "And it would seem that the missing piece to this puzzle is the person you used to be."

When Lumine loves, the world responds in kind. Teyvat is a mirror, a world designed to love and be loved. And the hourglass has done nothing but rob its inhabitants of that.

And this is where Venti learns his final lesson. Not as a god, but as a bard. As a storyteller.

Time forces you forward. This story can only be freed when its characters are free to own up to the fate they create for themselves.

Venti clears Lumine's memories and tips the hourglass for the last time.

seeds: 168.

There is no rewind after this. There is no do-over. Life will go on, irreversibly, and with this Venti and Lumine will be freed.

And thus, their story will be freed.

Venti has just soothed Dvalin's sorrow when Lumine finds him alone in Starfell Lake, right beside the Statue of Seven. She is holding his wooden hourglass filled with the seeds he collected over the time loops. The hourglass tips from top to bottom, bottom to top, as Lumine plays with it mindlessly in her hands.

Nothing happens except for the soft rattling of the seeds inside.

"Ah, Traveler, we meet again!" Venti bounds up to her, waving, eager to be in her presence once again.

Lumine tilts her head. The confused look on her face is beyond adorable. "Do I know you?"

"What? You don't remember me? Ahaha, well, allow me to join you on your quest once again. I must see to it that the bards of the world tell the Traveler's tales!" He grins, cheeky, pleased by the amused smile Lumine gives him. "I see you found my hourglass."

"Oh, this is yours?" Lumine brings up the hourglass, inspecting it in the sunlight. "It's very intricately made. I've never seen an hourglass that uses seeds to tell time, instead of sand. There must be hundreds of them here."

"256."

"What?"

"There are 256 seeds in that hourglass," Venti gently corrects. He winks at her and leans back on his heels. "I know, because I made it myself."

"Then I should give this back to you." Lumine places the hourglass delicately in his palm, wraps her hand around his so his fingers would curl around it. She doesn't let go. "Here. You should take care of your belongings more."

"It's okay. I don't need it. Each seed there represents a story, and I already know them by heart. I have a good memory, you know." He lets her hand go and lazily tosses the hourglass up and down. The seeds clatter gently inside this glass. "I can regale you with all 256 tales, if you want."

Lumine arches a brow. "You memorized 256 stories?"

"Why, of course. After all, I am Venti the bard! Three-time winner of The Most Popular Bard in Mondstadt." Venti gives an exaggerated bow and delights in the way Lumine chuckles in response. "There is not a single song I do not know, whether it be the past, present, or future!"

"I'd love to hear them one day," Lumine says. "But I can't right now. I got separated from my brother and I have to look for him. I don't know if I have the time…"

"Is that so?" Venti chuckles and reaches out his hand. "Then allow me to accompany you to the nearest town. I'm sure the city of Mondstadt will be able to help you."

Lumine hesitates for only a second. When Venti searches her golden eyes, all he sees is wonder and curiosity. "Okay," she says. She takes his hand. "I don't know why, but I feel like I can trust you. Have we met before, Venti?"

Venti shakes his head. "This is the first time we've met. But if you're feeling a bout of déjà vu, then perhaps this meeting of ours is fated."

He turns around to gesture to the city of windmills beyond the horizon. "If you'd like, I can take you to other places as well. We might find your brother along the way, but the journey is just as important as the destination, you know. There is a beautiful world waiting for us, Lumine. I think you're gonna love it."

🌱

gather ye rose-buds while ye may. Old Time is still a-flying…

In the Fourth Plane — the Higher Dimension — Istaroth plants a seed. It sprouts from the ground and digs roots into the fabric of reality.

She says her final goodbye to the little wind wisp she once nurtured.

Sensing another Observer in the midst, she waves. "Hello, dear. I see you have been watching for a while now. What is this story about, you ask? Well, it is about a storyteller who falls in love with his muse. It is about a muse whose apathy and kindness changes the narrative. It is about a world that anyone can fall in love with, a world that anyone can hate. A world that responds in kind, a world that can only exist because its writer and its muse dare to fall in love with it over and over."

"I don't know how this story will end. But without the power to rewind time, they will be forced to cherish the present moment all the more. And maybe this time, they'll reach a happy ending together."

She looks up, beyond the screen, and smiles. "And that will be a story worth observing."

"Don't you think so too, dear reader?"